THE THIRD MACEDONIAN WAR AND BATTLE OF PYDNA: Perseus' Neglect of Combined-Arms Tactics and the Real Reasons for the Roman Victory

1-242060

Analysis of the war between the Romans and Macedonia with a focus on Perseus' military decisions and his battlefield strategies. Confirms the prevailing view of the sources that Perseus was too hesitant and non-committal in his early conduct of the war. More significantly, it argues that Perseus mishandled the Macedonian army when it comes to combined-arms tactics by adopting a defensive posture, particularly at the final battle of Pydna. Most importantly, though, Perseus refused to spend money to hire 10,000 Gallic horsemen, and the lack of cavalry cost him the initiative and the victory. Includes 16 black and white illustrations.