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Lecture 5

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ther than a scattering of Greek colonies, the poorer, less civilized
western Mediterranean had not been much of a concern for the
Hellenistic kingdoms of the 3rd century B.C., but by its end, a new
power had arisen in the west. These were the Romans, who had slowly
spread from their city beside the Tiber to conquer most of Italy. They had
then fought two bitter wars against their rival, Carthage, to emerge as the
dominant force in the western Mediterranean. Now these upstarts were
showing an inclination to spread into the eastern part of the sea.

Background to Cynoscephalae
x In the autumn of 197 B.C., two armies representing two very
different military systems engaged in a battle that would
determine which of those systems was superior, with far-reaching
consequences for world history. One of these armies was led
by King Philip V of Macedon. The second was a Roman one
commanded by Titus Quinctius Flamininus.

x The Romans had enjoyed success against their mostly barbarian

foes in the west, but now they were encountering the highly skilled,

professional, and experienced armies of the east. Because the two

forces were almost exactly the same size, the battle constituted an

important showdown between rival military styles and systems,

with nothing less than the domination of the entire Mediterranean

at stake.

The Opponents
x From the foundation of Rome in 753 B.C. until the Punic Wars
about 500 years later, the Roman military was not noticeably
better than its opponents in terms of training, professionalism, or
equipment. In fact, it had suffered a number of defeats at the hands
of various enemies: