Cynoscephalae 197 BC: Rome Humbles Macedon
Mark van der Enden
Jun 2025 · Campaign Book 416 · Bloomsbury Publishing
Ebook
96
Pages
infoThis book will become available on June 19, 2025. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
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.
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.
About the author
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. Mark currently works at the University of Surrey, UK.
Marco Capparoni is a fine artist and illustrator for wargames, fiction and non-fiction publishers and private commissions specializing in history and military history.
Marco Capparoni is a fine artist and illustrator for wargames, fiction and non-fiction publishers and private commissions specializing in history and military history.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
