Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Pydna

Battle of Pydna was a battle fought on 22 June 168 BC at Pydna, in what is now Greece. It was part of Third Macedonian War, which ran from 171 BC to 168 BC. The recorded result: Roman Republic; Fall of Macedon.

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Ordre de bataille à Pydna (168 ap. J.-C.).
Ordre de bataille à Pydna (168 ap. J.-C.).. Marsyas (original map); Kameraad Pjotr (Dutch translation), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought22 June 168 BC
WherePydna, Greece40.251N, 22.474E
OutcomeRoman Republic; Fall of Macedon
BelligerentsRoman RepublicagainstMacedon
Casualties and lossesModerateand31,000; • 20,000 killed; • 11,000 captured
Part ofThird Macedonian War171 BC to 168 BC

Where it sits in Third Macedonian War

Battle of Callinicus, 171 BCBattle of Uskana, 169 BCSiege of Aiginion, 168 BCBattle of Pydna, 168 BC171 BC168 BCBattle of Pydna, 168 BC
4 placed engagements of Third Macedonian War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date22 June 168 BC
PlacePydna, Greece
40.251N, 22.474E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength28,600-37,000 (including 3,400 cavalry); 22 war elephantscloser to 30,000 (including ~3,000 cavalry) from 43,000 at the start of the war
Casualties and lossesModerate31,000; • 20,000 killed; • 11,000 captured
Commanders
  • Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus
  • Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum
  • Perseus of Macedon
Battle of PydnaBattle of PydnaBattle of PydnaBattle of SarantaporosBattle of SarantaporoBattle of Tempe GorgeBattle of ThessalonicaBattle of SarantaporosBattle of SarantaporoBattle of Tempe GorgeBattle of ThessalonicaThessalonikiLarissaBitolaIoaninaSeresVolosKavalaKorçë100 km40.251N, 22.474E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Pydna
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Pydna today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-04-13. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 22 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 8 to 226 m, 218 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 29% tree cover, 27% cropland, 24% grassland.

tree cover: 29%cropland: 27%grassland: 24%built-up: 17%tree cover 29%cropland 27%grassland 24%built-up 17%
west to east, 10.0 km16 to 182 mnorth to south, 10.0 km21 to 98 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 168 BC

Battle of Pydna is one of 94 engagements of the 2nd century BC in the atlas and one of 529 in present-day Greece.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q504739, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Pydna, revision 1375043940, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.