40 THE ANDRISCUS

UPRISING AND THE

ACHAEAN WAR,
149–146 BC
Paul Erdkamp
Unrest mounted in Macedon and Greece after the settlement of 167 BC. The division
of the former kingdom into four independent republics did not work. The pro-
Roman oligarchies, both in Macedon and elsewhere, were faced with much
hostility, and corruption and mismanagement further fueled pro-monarchical feel-
ings among the Macedonian population. The problems in Greece were similar:
there was dissatisfaction among wealthy families excluded from power, and the
common populace turned against the rulers who had been established by Rome.
Within the Achaean League tensions arose between the Achaean leaders and
Sparta, which had been compelled by Rome to join the league. Roman policy dur-
ing the past decades had effectively turned the Achaean League into the leading
Greek state, but the Senate became increasingly dissatisfied with its leaders,
because of the failure of the league to keep the peace in Greece.

The Andriscus Uprising (149–148)1

It was under these circumstances that Andriscus of Adramyttion could claim to be

Philip, the son of Perseus and his wife Laodice, who had in fact died many years
before, and build up support in Macedon and beyond. Around 150 Andriscus, with
the aid of Thracian supporters, defeated a force that the Macedonian authorities
sent against him. His victory in eastern Macedon occasioned a massive uprising
in the four republics, where anti-Roman unrest concentrated around the pretender,
who was installed on the throne as Philip VI of Macedon. In 149 the Romans
responded by sending a legion across the Adriatic under the command of a praetor,
Publius Iuventius Thalna. The Senate clearly did not take Andriscus very seriously
1
Source: Cass. Dio excerpts from Book 21, preserved in Zonaras. Modern discussion: Gruen (1984)
431–436.

The Encyclopedia of Ancient Battles, First Edition. Edited by Michael Whitby and Harry Sidebottom.
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Published 2017 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
2 The Macedonian Age and the Rise of Rome

as a military threat, which was a mistake: the praetor was killed and his forces,
including rapidly mobilized Greek allies, were vanquished. It is very likely that
Andriscus’ army included many veterans of Perseus who had remained loyal to
the royal cause. Andriscus’ victory and his subsequent subjugation of Thessaly
forced the Romans to respond with a regular consular army of two legions and
Italian allies, commanded by the praetor Quintus Caecilius Metellus.
Metellus circumvented part of Andriscus’ forces, which had been sent out to
block his entry into Thessaly, and headed for the main army. Cavalry raids slowed
down their approach but could not prevent the Macedonian army from being
defeated in a full-scale battle north of Pydna, of which no details are known. Andris-
cus fled toward Thrace, where he gathered a new army. However, the Roman
troops easily crushed these troops too and Andriscus was handed over to the
Roman authorities. He was executed after being displayed in Metellus’ triumph.

The Achaean War (146)2

At the same time, relations between the Achaean League and Rome rapidly dete-
riorated. From a modern perspective it is hard to imagine how the Achaean leaders
ever expected to gain from their hostile and antagonistic communications with
Rome. They may have hoped to benefit from the Roman war with Andriscus.
In any case, despite Roman warnings, the Achaean League mobilized its troops
and defeated Sparta in the field. Achaean troops controlled Spartan territory,
and it was only due to a Roman prohibition against taking the city itself that its
forces did not go further. Roman annoyance showed, as in 147 a Roman envoy
declared not only Sparta but also Argos, Corinth, and other states independent
of the league. Anti-Roman resentment burst out into public outcry when the
Roman ruling became known. An Achaean mob then molested Spartans and threa-
tened the Roman envoy. The Romans still reacted with diplomacy but failed to
elicit a sufficiently conciliatory response from the Achaean leader Critolas. Critolas
seems to have been testing how far he could go, but finally he overstepped the
limits. In summer 146 the Achaean army moved against the small city of Heraclea,
which had announced its independence. However, to the utter dismay of the
Achaeans, they found the town defended by the Roman troops who had earlier
defeated Andriscus. Critolas and his army drew back, but near Scarpheia they were
defeated by the army of Metellus, which had rapidly pursued them.
Moreover, the consul Lucius Mummius was now heading for Greece with an
army of 23,000 men. The Achaeans managed to muster an army of 14,000, which
included liberated slaves; this was large by the standards of Greek cities but was still
feeble in comparison to Rome’s resources. Mummius’ army went toward Corinth,
2
Source: Cass. Dio excerpts from Book 21, preserved in Zonaras. Modern discussion: Gruen (1984)
431–436.
 The Andriscus Uprising and the Achaean War, 149–146 BC 3

where part of his army was defeated in an ambush. In a desperate attempt the
Achaeans marched to Leucopetra to offer battle to the much larger Roman army,
but they were attacked on their flank by the Roman cavalry while still en route.
When the heavy infantry engaged them from the front, the inevitable happened:
the Achaean army was defeated.
The Achaean League was now disbanded. Corinth was captured, its entire
population sold into slavery, and its art and other valuables looted. The resulting
transfer of this booty to Italy sparked competition for such demonstrations of
Greek culture. The city was destroyed, only to be refounded as a Roman colony
many years later. As the earlier settlements involving independent allies had not
worked, Rome now decided to bring Greece and Macedon under a Roman provin-
cial governor, who could rely on permanent Roman garrisons to maintain peace.

Reference

Gruen, E. S. (1984), The Hellenistic World and the Coming of Rome. Berkeley.