(June 22, 168 bc), decisive military engagement in the Roman victory over Macedonia in the Third Macedonian War. The Roman general Lucius Aemilius Paullus, by means of adroit tactical maneuvering, enticed the Macedonian king Perseus from his impregnable position on the Elpeus (Mavrólongos) River to occupy a weaker position in the plain south of Pydna (now Kítros, Greece; the actual site was probably near Kateríni).
During the battle the Macedonian phalanx, in a state of disorder after crossing broken ground, was penetrated by the Roman legionaries, whose short swords were more effective in close combat than were the Macedonian pikes. Perseus’ left wing of Thracians and light troops was defeated by the Roman allies. Macedonian losses were great; Perseus fled, allowing the Romans to end the Macedonian monarchy and divide Macedonia into four republics.
Link to this article and share the full text with the readers of your Web site or blog-post.
If you think a reference to this article on "Battle of Pydna" will enhance your Web site,
blog-post, or any other web-content, then feel free to link to this article,
and your readers will gain full access to the full article, even if they do not subscribe to our service.
You may want to use the HTML code fragment provided below.
We welcome your comments. Any revisions or updates suggested for this article will be reviewed by our editorial staff. Contact us here.
Regular users of Britannica may notice that this comments feature is less robust than in the past. This is only temporary, while we make the transition to a dramatically new and richer site. The functionality of the system will be restored soon.