ABSTRACT
In 215 B.C.E., Philip V, king of Macedon, had supported Rome's great enemy, Hannibal of Carthage. Although Rome declared war on Philip, her first concern was to fight Hannibal and, in 205 B.C.E., Rome made peace with Philip. The only powerful nation that might help him was Rome. When his son, Perseus, became increasingly popular with the Greek states, who did not like Roman rule, Rome again invaded Macedon. The Seleucid kingdom was soon reduced to the region of Syria and, in 64 B.C.E., the Roman general, Pompey, seized Syria for Rome. The Roman love of all things Greek helped to preserve and to spread Greek culture throughout the world. It is said that, after his second victory over the Romans, he looked around the battlefield. This is the origin of the phrase a Pyrrhic victory, meaning a victory won at such cost that it is effectively a defeat.
