- Perseus of Macedon
Perseus (Greek "Περσεύς") (ca.
212 BC -166 BC ) was the last king ("Basileus ") of theAntigonid dynasty , who ruled thesuccessor state inMacedon created upon the death ofAlexander the Great . He also has the distinction of being the last of the line, after losing theBattle of Pydna on22 June 168 BC ; subsequently Macedon came under Roman rule.Reign
In 179 BC
Philip V of Macedon died. In the previous year Philip had his pro-Roman son Demetrius executed. Perseus had been jealous of Demetrius' success as ambassador toRome and had convinced their father to have him poisoned as a potential usurper. The Romans favored Demetrius, and Perseus' role in killing Demetrius did not endear him to Rome when he took the throne.One of his first acts on becoming king was to renew the treaty with Rome. Yet, Perseus' other actions troubled Rome. His interference in the affairs of his neighbors, his ousting of Roman ally
Abrupolis from his territories, his armed visit toDelphi , his avoidance of the Roman ambassadors to Macedonia, and his dynastic marriages all gave Rome cause for concern. Soon Rome and Perseus went to war in theThird Macedonian War (171-168 BC). Although Perseus had some initial success, the war ended with the King's surrender to the Roman general Lucius Aemilius Paullus after his decisive defeat at theBattle of Pydna , and his eventual imprisonment in Rome with his half-brother Philippus and son Alexander.William Smith (ed.), "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology", 1870. [http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2604.html] ] . The Antigonid kingdom was dissolved, and replaced with four republics.Andriscus of Macedon broke off the Roman rule for about a year, but was defeated in 148 BC by the Romans. In 146 BC, the four republics were dissolved, and Macedon officially became theRoman province of Macedonia .Perseus' one son, Alexander, was still a child when Perseus was conquered by the Romans, and after the
triumph of Aemilius Paullus in167 BC , was kept in custody atAlba , together with his father. He became a skillfultoreutes , learned theLatin language, and became a public notary. [Livy , xlv. 42] [Plutarch , "Aem. Paul." 37] cite encyclopedia | last = Smith | first = William | authorlink = William Smith (lexicographer) | title = Alexander | editor = William Smith | encyclopedia =Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology | volume = 1 | pages = 124 | publisher =Little, Brown and Company | location = Boston | year = 1867 | url = http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moa;cc=moa;idno=acl3129.0001.001;q1=numenius;size=l;frm=frameset;seq=139]References
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