Cynoscephalae 197 BC: Rome Humbles Macedon

A fascinating, illustrated study of how the Roman Republican legions defeated the Macedonian army’s much-vaunted phalanxes.

The battle of Cynoscephalae represents a key moment in the history of the Greco-Roman world. In this one battle the Macedonian hold over mainland Greece was broken, with the Roman Republic rising in its place as the pre-eminent power in the Greek East. At Cynoscephalae, the proud Macedonian kingdom of Antigonid monarch Philip V was humbled, its army shattered. Yet the battle, and campaign leading up to it, was hard fought and protracted. Philip V had defied Rome and its allies in the First Macedonian War and was poised to do so again, with the pike phalanx continuing to be a daunting opponent for the Roman legionaries.

Here, classical archaeologist Dr Mark van der Enden, drawing on primary sources and recent scholarship, explores the battle not as an isolated event but as the culmination of three years of intensive campaigning; the battle of the Aous gorge (198 BC) is also considered. The opposing armies, their weaponry, organization, tactics and commanders, are covered in detail and revealed in battlescene artworks and photos of material culture. Maps and diagrams explore the movements to battle and command decisions taken. Also examined is the performance of the Roman manipular legion over the Antigonid pike phalanx and whether Flamininus’ victory truly demonstrated the superiority of Roman arms.

Mark van der Enden holds a PhD in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History. As an archaeologist, he has worked in Greece, Turkey and Israel, specializing in and publishing on the pottery of the Hellenistic world. His research focusses on how ceramic patterns of production, distribution and consumption are reflective of wider geo-political and socio-economic developments. Mark currently works at the University of Surrey, UK.