Rome and the Mediterranean,
280-133 BCE
 
280-275: Pyrrhic War in southern Italy and Sicily
 
229-225: War with Illyria in western Greece: amici
 
218-201: Second Punic War, resulting in Rome's defeat of Carthage in 202 at Zama (led by Publius Scipio Cornelius, now called "Africanus")
 
221-205: Philip V of Macedon allies with Achaea and Aetolia in Greece in 221, and with Hannibal and Carthage in 215. 1st Macedonian War 215-205, ending in peace treaty with Rome in 205
 
201: Roman peace with Carthage, which becomes client state
 
200: Philip allies with Antiochus III (king 223-187) of the Seleucid Empire vs. Ptolemy V
Rhodes & Pergamum (king Attalus 241-197) appeal to Rome
 
200-196: 2nd Macedonian War. Consul Publius Sulpicius Galba persuades Comitia Centuriata
 

197: Battle of Cynoscephalae in Thessaly (Greece):

  • Titus Quinctius Flamininus + Aetolia + Achaea vs. Philip V
  • Philip evacuates Greece, hands over fleet and son Demetrius as hostage, keeps Macedon
  • Flamininus declares the Greeks "free" (Plut. Flam.: "first he removed the shackle from the foot of Greece and then he put it around her neck")
 
197: Rome organizes Hispania Citerior ("Nearer Spain ") and Ulterior ("Farther Spain") into two provinces, adding to Corsica and Sardinia (227) and Sicily (211). Additional praetorships created to provide provincial governors
 
195: Hannibal exiled from Carthage and joins Antiochus III (king 223-187) in Seleucia
 
194: Rome grants Asia Minor to Antiochus III (who seized Thrace; lower Syria from Egypt)
 

191: Rome + Rhodes + Pergamum (King Eumenes II, rules 197-158) vs. Antiochus III + Aetolia at Thermopylae (Philip V on the sidelines):

  • Antiochus surrenders money, ships, Asia Minor
  • Pergamum and Rhodes control Asia Minor
  • Aetolia surrenders and swears to preserve Rome's imperium and maiestas ("sovereignty")
 
179: Perseus, son of Philip, forges alliances with Greece's poor, foments rebellion by abolishing debts, interferes in Greek politics.
 
172: Eumenes II (king 197-158) of Pergamum persuades Rome to wage war vs. Perseus
 
172-167: Rome declares war = 3rd Macedonian War.
 

168: L. Aemilius Paullus (consul) vs. Perseus + Greeks at Pydna in Thessaly

  • Rome routs Macedonian phalanx, Perseus dies in captivity in Rome
  • Illyria & Epirus seized, besieged, enslaved by L. Aemlius Paullus
  • Macedonia split into 4 client states
  • 1000 leading Achaeans arrested (including Polybius) & hundreds murdered
  • Rhodes (guilty of suggesting peace) loses possessions in Asia Minor, weakened, leading to rise in piracy
  • Antiochus IV (king 174-164) invades Egypt. Rome's envoy, C. Popillius Laenas draws circle in sand, and Antiochus IV surrenders to Roman maiestas.
 
150-147: Return of Achaean exiles & Roman oppression of Greeks leads to 4th Macedonian War; Andriscus, pretender to Macedonian throne, leads revolt; defeated in 147 and Rome turns Macedonia into a province
 

151: M. Porcius Cato demands Carthago delenda est ("Carthage must be destroyed"); Carthage declares war on Masinissa (king 205-149)

 
149: Rome begins siege of Carthage. Masinissa dies of old age.
 
146: Lucius Mummius sacks Corinth to show Achaeans Rome's intent. P. Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus (son of L. Aemilius Paullus, adopted by Scipio) destroys Carthage.
 
155-139: Viriathus leads revolt vs. Rome: Lusitanian War (western Spain), resulting in Roman conquest of Lusitania
 
181-179, 153-151, 143-133: Celtiberian War (eastern Spain), resulting in destruction of Numantia by P. Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus