Wars in the East I
Hellenistic World
- Greek expansion under Alexander the Great (d. 323)
- 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, just ships
- Aetolians forced to give in to Philip
- Minor war (from Roman point of view)
-
Romans leave Aetolians in lurch when Philip invades
- Aetolians forced to sue for peace
- Romans consider this betrayal
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
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