v49_0166 - MACEDONIA - MACEDONIAN KINGDOM - PERSEUS Unité, (PB, Æ 19)

MACEDONIA - MACEDONIAN KINGDOM - PERSEUS

(179-168 BC)

Perseus, the eldest son of Philip V (221-179 AC.), succeeded his father and was the last king of Macedonia. After a promising start to his reign, Perseus came into conflict with the Romans, who, since the battle of Cynoscephali in 197 BC, had controlled Greece. The conflict with the Macedonians was brief, but violent. The Romans invaded Macedonia and crushed Perseus at the double battle of Pydna in 168 BC. Defeated by Paul-Émile, Perseus was taken to Rome with his two sons, participated in the Triumph of his conqueror and died two years later captive in Italy (see denier de la gens Æmilia n°10, minted in 62 BC and which commemorates this event).