The Battle of Pydna, 168 B.C. Part I

[BarkhornXX]

The Battle of Pydna, 168 B.C. Third Macedonian War*
(*description by Rob Stewart)

In 179 B.C, Phillip V of Macedon died, largely as a result of the guilt he felt for having his son Demetrius poisoned. His elder son Perseus had been jealous of the younger man's success as ambassador to Rome (as well as smokescreen for his father's war plans) and had convinced their father to have Demetrius poisoned as a potential usurper. Thus with Phillip's death, Perseus was left as king of Macedon.
In 172 B.C, as a result of Perseus' devious plans regarding Greece and her neighbors, war with Rome broke out. Perseus was at this time in a very wealthy and strong state but he delayed and let the advantage slip away before any action took place. In 168 B.C. Lucius Aemilius Paullus ,an experienced solder of high repute who was one of the Consuls of the year, was given command of the Roman expeditionary force. He wasted no time assembling his army ,based on two legions, and moved towards King Perseus' position on the banks of the River Elpeus in northeastern Greece.
The King's position was very strong here and Aemilius dismissed the suggestion of a frontal attack. Instead he sent a force of some 8000 infantry and 200 cavalry to Heraclium on the coast to suggest to the Macedonians that an amphibious attack on their rear was to come. Instead ,under cover of night, this force-marched in the other direction in order to outflank the Macedonians not from sea but by land. They moved as far as Pithium then swung northeast to take the Macedonians in the rear. A Roman deserter however made his way to the Macedonian camp and Perseus sent Milo with a force of 12000 to block the approach road. The encounter that followed sent Milo and his men back in disarray towards the main Macedonian army. After this Perseus wasted no time moving his army northwards and took up a position near Katerini, a village south of Pydna. It was a fairly level plain and as such was very suited to the operation of the phalanx. The Romans took up position west of their adversaries on the rough slopes of Mount Olocrus. The battle which followed was one of the most significant confrontations between the Roman and Macedonian military systems with the Roman legion proving it's superiority over the rigid phalanx and spelled the end of what had been the backbone of Alexander's army.


Macedonian Line


The Triplex Acies


The armies march toward each other


Macedonian cavalry charge


The Romans attack


The "big" picture