Battle of Magnesia
Near Magnesia ad Sipylum (modern Manisa), Turkey
What happened
A Roman army under Lucius Cornelius Scipio, with King Eumenes II of Pergamon, fought the Seleucid king Antiochus III the Great. Antiochus ruled a huge kingdom in Asia and had gone to war with Rome. At Magnesia, Eumenes's horsemen made Antiochus's chariots with blades on their wheels panic and flee, throwing the troops behind them into confusion. In the centre, frightened war elephants broke the Seleucid phalanx, and Antiochus retreated.
Why it matters
Why it matters: Rome's power now stretched into the eastern Mediterranean.
What came next
In 188 BCE the Treaty of Apamea forced Antiochus to give up lands west of the Taurus Mountains, hand over his war elephants and pay a huge sum of silver. Rome's allies Pergamon and Rhodes gained much of the land.
Did you know?
Under the peace treaty, Antiochus had to give up all his war elephants and keep no more than twelve warships.
Timeline
- 188 BCEThe Treaty of Apamea is agreed.
- After 188 BCEPergamon and Rhodes gain lands in Asia Minor.