- The Battle of Pydna (168 BCE) took place during the Third Macedonian War (171-168 BCE).
- The Romans defeated the Macedonian army.
Date and Location
- 22nd June 168 BCE at Pydna near Thessaloniki, Greece.
The Reason for the Battle
- King Perseus of Macedon, Philip’s son, inherited the Kingdom of Macedon. Rome became concerned as Perseus’ influence in Greece increased and decided to declare War.
- In 171 BCE at the Battle of Callinicus between Publius Licinus Crassus and Perseus, the Roman Army was defeated.
- In 169 BCE, another Roman Army arrived under Quintus Marcius Phillipus, but ran out of supplies and was unable to pursue the Macedonian Army.
- In 168 BCE, Lucius Aemilius Paullus was made Consul, and placed in charge of the Roman Army in Greece. Paullus sent P. Cornelius Scipio Nasica with a small force to deceive Perseus as to his intentions, which resulted in Perseus moving his army to the flat Plain near Pydna, an ideal location for deploying the Phalanx.
The Adversaries
- The Roman Republic
- versus:
- Macedonia under King Perseus.
The Winner
- Winner: Roman Republic.
- Loser: King Perseus of Macedonia.
The Commanders
- Rome: Lucius Aemilius Paullus and P. Cornelius Scipio Nasica.
- versus:
- King Perseus.
The Strength of Forces under the Roman Republic
- Legions: 38,600 Legionaries
- Auxiliaries and Allies: 22 War Elephants
- Allied Cavalry: 3,400
- Losses:
The Strength of Forces under King Perseus
- Legions: 43,000 men
- Auxiliaries and Allies:
- Allied Cavalry: 4,000
- Casualties and Losses: 31,000: 20,000 killed, 11,000 taken prisoner
How the Armies were Deployed
- The two armies lined up to face each other on the 22nd June. Although the Macedonian army was slightly larger, the cavalry on both sides was evenly matched.
- The Roman Army
- The two Roman Legions were placed in the centre, with their Latin, Italian and Greek Allies on either side. The Roman cavalry was situated on both wings with the 22 war elephants on the right wing.
- The Macedonian Army
- The 20,000 men of the Macedonian Phalanx were placed in the centre, with the Mercenaries, Thracian Peltasts and light infantry guarding the wings of the Phalanx. The Macedonian cavalry was situated on both wings with the Thracian cavalry, Heavy cavalry and Sacred Squadron on the right.
How the Battle was Fought
- The Macedonian Army advanced the Phalanx towards the Roman Army which was unable to resist the wall of shields and pikes, and was forced to retreat.
- However, the retreat was conducted according to a plan which moved the battle off the flat plain and into the foothills. The Phalanx started to separate from the Mercenaries over the uneven ground.
- This allowed Paullus to send the Roman Legions into the gaps and attack the exposed flanks of the Phalanx. At the same time the Roman right flank broke the Macedonian left flank although the war elephants were of no avail. The right flank then combined with the Legions to attack the Phalanx. The larger Roman shield and longer sword succeeded in dominating the Macedonian Phalangists and the Phalanx was routed.
- King Perseus fled with the cavalry on the right flank, which was accused by survivors of not engaging in the Battle.
The Outcome
- The Battle was notable for the Roman Army’s use of the Maniple System which achieved superiority over the Macedonian Army’s use of the Phalanx System.
- The Romans won an overwhelming victory, although the reason may have been a failure by Perseus rather than the superiority of the Roman Tactics.
- Perseus was taken to Rome where he was paraded in a Roman Triumph and remained there as a prisoner.
- Macedonia was dissolved and divided into Four Roman Client Republics.
Sources
Pydna, Greece