The Last Kings of Macedonia and the Triumph of Rome

by: Worthington, I.

The Last Kings of Macedonia and the Triumph of Rome

Ian Worthington

First account in English of the last Antigonid kings of Macedonia in over fifty years
Treats the Antigonid kings and this period in history as significant in Macedonian history, viewing them from the perspective of Macedonia and not Roman expansion
Presents a strong military and political narrative, with elements of social and economic life, and analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the ancient source material

Description
In the history of ancient Macedonia, the last three Antigonid kings—Philip V (r. 221-179), his son Perseus (r. 179-168), and the pretender Andriscus or Philip VI (r. 149-148)—are commonly overlooked in favor of their predecessors Philip II (r. 359-336) and his son Alexander the Great (r. 336-323), who established a Macedonian empire. By the time Philip V became king, Macedonia was no longer an imperial power and Rome was fast spreading its dominance over the Mediterranean. Viewed as postscripts to the kingdom's heyday, the last Macedonian kings are often denounced for self-serving ambitions, flawed policies, and questionable personal qualities by hostile ancient writers. They are condemned for defeats by Rome that saw both the end of the monarchy and the fall of the formidable Macedonian phalanx before the Roman legion.

In The Last Kings of Macedonia and the Triumph of Rome, Ian Worthington reassesses these three kings and demonstrates how such denunciations are inaccurate. Producing the first full-scale treatment of Philip V in eighty years and the first in English of Perseus and Andriscus in more than fifty, Worthington argues that this period was far from a postscript to Macedonia's Classical greatness and disagrees that the last Antigonid kings were merely collateral damage in Rome's ascendancy in the east. Despite superior Roman manpower and resources, Philip and Perseus often had the upper hand in their wars against Rome. As Worthington asserts, these kings deserve to be remembered for striving to preserve their kingdom's independence against staggering odds.

Table of Contents
Preface
Figures
Abbreviations
Maps
Introduction: We Three Kings
1. The Kingdom of Macedonia
2. Introducing Philip V
3. The Social War
4. Taking on Rome
5. From the First to the Second Macedonian Wars
6. The Second Macedonian War
7. Fall of the Phalanx
8. Macedonia Renascent
9. Perseus: Last of the Antigonids
10. The Third Macedonian War
11. Dismembering Macedonia
12. Provincia Macedonia
Appendix: "Fake News:" The Sources on Philip V and Perseus
Bibliography, Index

The Last Kings of Macedonia and the Triumph of Rome

by: Worthington, I.

• ISBN-13: 9780197520055 / 978-0-19-752005-5
• ISBN-03: 0197520057 / 0-19-752005-7
• Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2023