Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus

229 BCE – 160 BCE(lived 69 years)

Lucius Aemilius Paullus (c. 229–160 BCE), son of the consul killed at Cannae, forged a reputation for discipline and cultural tact. Elected consul in 168 BCE and given the Macedonian command, he broke Perseus’s Elpeus line and won the decisive Battle of Pydna, where Roman maniples exploited rough ground to splinter the Macedonian phalanx. His measured settlement showcased Rome’s dual script—Greek “freedom” proclaimed, yet Macedonia divided and Epirus punished. Parading Perseus in his triumph and dedicating a monument at Delphi, Paullus became the face of conquest rewritten as liberation.

Biography

Born around 229 BCE into the patrician Aemilii, Lucius Aemilius Paullus grew up in the shadow of catastrophe: his father, the consul of 216 BCE, fell at Cannae. The son absorbed two lessons—Roman resilience and the price of command. He built his career through staff and field posts in Liguria and Hispania and held the consulship in 182 BCE, showing a meticulous eye for logistics and discipline. Reserved and austere in public, Paullus appreciated Greek literature and art in private, a duality that would serve him well in the Greek East.

Key figure in Macedonian Wars

Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus's Timeline

Key events involving Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus in chronological order

-168

Aemilius Paullus Elected and Given Macedonian Command

In 168 BCE, Rome chose Lucius Aemilius Paullus to command in Macedon. Plutarch says the people “at once voted him the conduct of the Macedonian war,” favoring competence over glamour [6]. The choice would matter most where stones lie loose and formations fray.

political

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-168

Paullus Forces Perseus from the Elpeus Line

In 168 BCE, Paullus used feints and night maneuvers to pry Perseus off the Elpeus River defenses, steering him toward Pydna [6][10]. A strong line dissolved into a retreat once Roman boots appeared where Macedon did not expect them.

military

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-168

Battle of Pydna

On 22 June 168 BCE near Pydna, Aemilius Paullus shattered Perseus’s phalanx. The uneven ground opened gaps; maniples punched in; some 20,000 Macedonians fell and 11,000 were taken [10][16]. The Antigonid dynasty collapsed with the crash of shields and the flight of a king [6].

military

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-168

Perseus Captured; Antigonid Dynasty Ends

After Pydna in 168 BCE, Perseus fled and was captured, bringing the Antigonid royal line to an end [6][10]. A king who once paraded beneath blue Macedonian banners walked in chains behind scarlet Roman standards.

political

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-167

Aemilius Paullus’s Triumph at Rome

In 167 BCE, Aemilius Paullus paraded Perseus in chains through Rome in a lavish triumph, dramatizing Macedon’s fall and Rome’s magnanimity [6]. Bronze trophies gleamed; the crowd roared; the vanquished king stared at the stones.

cultural

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-167

Monument of Aemilius Paullus Dedicated at Delphi

Circa 167 BCE, a victory monument for Aemilius Paullus rose at Delphi, its frieze narrating cavalry and battle scenes [13][20]. Roman triumph entered a Greek sacred precinct, chiseling new politics into old stone.

cultural

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Total Events

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First Event

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Last Event

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