Rome and the Third Macedonian War

This is the first full-length study of the final war between Rome and the ancient Macedonian monarchy and its last king, Perseus. The Roman victory at the Battle of Pydna in June 168 BC was followed by the abolition of the kingdom of Macedon - the cradle of Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Antigonid monarchs who followed. The first historian of Rome's rise to world power, and a contemporary of the war, Polybius of Megalopolis, recognized the significance of these events in making Rome an almost global power beyond compare - a sole superpower, in other words. Yet Roman authority did not lack challenges from lesser states and insurgents in the decades that followed. The book's meticulous documentation, close analysis, and engagement in scholarly controversy will appeal to academics and students, while general readers will appreciate its brisk narrative style and pacing.

1. Introduction; 2. Rome and Macedon; 3. The Last Years of Philip V; 4. The Reign of Perseus; 5. The Causes of the Third Macedonian War; 6. The Third Macedonian War; 7. Aftermath; Conclusion.

Paul J. Burton is a senior lecturer in Roman History in the Centre for Classical Studies at the Australian National University in Canberra. He is the author of Friendship and Empire: Roman Diplomacy and Imperialism in the Middle Republic (353–146 BC) (Cambridge, 2011) and the editor of Culture, Identity and Politics: Papers from a Conference in Honour of Erich Gruen, Antichthon 37 (2013). He has written numerous articles and chapters on Roman foreign policy, diplomacy and imperialism, ancient international law, and the Classical Tradition.