Wars in the East I

Hellenistic World

• Greek expansion under Alexander the Great (d. 323)
  • Near East
  • Egypt
• Three major kingdoms
  • Antigonids
    • Kingdom of Macedon
    • Loose control of city states of mainland Greece
  • Ptolemies
    • Egypt
    • Feeble after ca.200
  • Seleucids
    • Control everything inbetween
    • Lose control of Iran, Asia Minor during 200s
    • Main area Syria in Near East
• Minor Attalid dynasty
  • Controls western Asia Minor
  • Capital=Pergamum
  • Threatened by Antigonids, Seleucids
  • Turn to Rome for support

First Macedonian War (211-205)

• Philip V of Macedon made treaty with Hannibal
  • Nothing came of the alliance in practice
  
• Threatened Rome interests in Illyria
• Romans go to war to keep him from helping Hannibal
• Use no troops of own, form alliance with Aetolian League
  • Terms of alliance favorable to Aetolians
    Romans sent no troops of own, just ships
• Aetolians forced to give in to Philip
• Minor war (from Roman point of view)

Second Macedonia War (200-197)

• Roman magistrates eager for war after victory over Hannibal
• Centuriate assembly initially rejects declaration of war
  • Populace weary of war
  • Only such rejection
  • War declared after veterans exempted from conscription
• Early commanders not successful
• T. Quinctius Flamininus cos. 198
• Cynocephalae (197)
  • Legions shown to be decisively superior to Greek phalanx
• "Freedom" of Greece
  • Romans unwilling to annex territory
    • Want plunder, not administrative responsibility
  • Greeks expected to comply with Roman wishes
    • Greeks take "freedom" at face value

Syrian War (192-188)

• Antiochus III
  • Restores Seleucid power in Iran, Asia Minor
  • Attalids threatened
• Aetolians mad at Romans
  • Call in Antiochus
• L. Scipio elected cos. for 190
  • Brother of Scipio Africanus, who was expected to be real commander
• Magnesia ad Sipylum (189)
  • Homogenous Roman army proves superior to large, ungainly Seleucid forces
• Seleucids to abandon Asia Minor
• Romans give territory to Greek allies in Asia Minor
  • Roman motive for war plunder, not territorial gain
• Romans now dominant power in Near East
  • Irresponsible
  • Hostile to pontential enemies
  • Create power vacuum