Plutarch's Lives: Aemilius Paulus

Plutarch is effusive in his praise of Aemilius Paulus, comparing him favorably with the great Timoleon. Reading about Aemilius, it is hard to see what Plutarch is so excited about. He did not resolve any great controversies. He made no great speeches. His personality does not shine through as do others in Plutarch's Lives. However, Aemilus' achievements on the battlefield were great. He won wars in Spain and in the Alps. Most important, he led the Roman conquest of Macedonia, which solidified Rome's status as the Great Power of the ancient world (and gave it access to the wealth of Greece). Clearly, this is what excited Plutarch's admiration, but Aemilius did not win this war so much as he successfully exploited the many mistakes of his adversaries. Really, Aemilius' greatness lay not in himself, but what he represented: the Roman Republic (not the Empire!) during its rise to glory, when it was as much a liberator as it was a conqueror. In fact, Plutarch spends as much time describing Roman military tactics, and Roman social customs (especially that of the Triumph) as he does describing Aemilius' life.

Aemilius was born into a family that claimed to be decended from Pythagoras. One of his ancestors was Lucius Paulus, probably the only Roman who emerged from the Battle of Canae with his reputation intact. Aemilius' father was Scipio the Great. With such a family heritage, Aemilius was destined for some sort of leadership role in Roman life. He entered public life as an aedile. Soon after, he also became an augur, a priest expert in the interpretation of migratory birds. As was discussed in the life of Numa, Roman religion was as much a science as it was a matter of faith, and Aemilius took his religious studies very seriously. All the while, he was also rising through the ranks of the Roman army where he took to the discipline and rigor of army life as much as he took to the austerity of the priestly life.

Aemilius married twice, in the meantime. With his first wife he had two sons who continued the family's run of greatness: Scipio the Younger and Fabius Maximus. When Aemilius divorced their mother they were both adopted into other noble families (Scipio by Scipio Africanus, of course). Aemilius had more children with his second wife, but none were as accomplished as the sons he gave up for adoption.

Aemilius made his reputation as a military leader during a war in Spain. At that time, the Romans were fighting a larger war in Syria against Antiochus the Great when barbarians (Gauls, I assume) invaded Spain and quickly conquered it. Aemilius fought two battles against the invaders, defeating them both times and killing 30,000. According to Plutarch, the Spanish were so greatful, they willingly swore oaths of peace and fidelity to Rome, thus becoming a province of Rome.

Aemilius next fought and won a war against the Ligurians, an Alpine people who lived in the northermost parts of Italy. The Romans had fought wars against the Ligurians in the past, but had always left their cities and fortifications intact because their location and war-like nature made them a good buffer between the barbarians to the north and the Roman lands to the south. This time, things ended differently. Although outnumbered 5 to 1, Aemilius defeated the Ligurians in battle. Either through this defeat or through Aemilius' skillful diplomacy, the Ligurians seemed to have realized that the days of fighting the Romans as equals were coming to an end. They delivered their navy and fortifications to the Romans for destruction and swore oaths of loyalty to the Romans.

Despite these triumphs, Aemilius' career went into temporary eclipse. Although he stood for consul, he was not successful. He retreated to his religious studies and dedicated himself to the education of his children. Aemilius came back to public life after the Romans had fought a long war against the Macedonian king Perseus. Macedon was, of course, not the same nation it had been under Philip and Alexander. In fact, the Romans had routed Perseus' father in battle and freed much of Greece from Macedon's grip. Still, Macedon remained a wealthy nation with a large military and proud heritage. Perseus was hardly an admirable figure. He was mercurical and craven. While known as a warrior, he was not particularly resolute in battle. Nonetheless he had defeated three Roman armies sent to conquor Macedonia. This threw Rome into temporary disarray, as the generals Perseus had defeated were veterans who had fought and won wars against much tougher oppoenents such as Antiochus. They finally selected Aemilius to lead a final push against Perseus.

Aemilius sailed to Macedon and quickly established a beachhead under Mount Olympus. He found the Macedonian army both well prepared and in disarray. Perseus had spared no expense in equipping his men and horses. He had also made extravagent promises to some of the mercenaries he had hired. As the Romans approached, however, Perseus began looking to his pocketbook, rather than his logistics. He stopped paying some of his more expensive (and best) soldiers, who quickly abandoned him. As Plutarch pointed out, this was an immensely stupid move, as the money Perseus "saved" was a trifle compared to the vastness of his actual wealth. The result was a weak Macedonian army, and a treasury that was preserved, not for Perseus, but for the Romans.

After some preliminary maneuvering, the Romans and Macedonians met at Pydna for their final confrontation. At this point, the Macedonians had already lost a couple of minor battles (one of which was lost when the Romans surprised a sleeping Macedonian divison). These setbacks had rattled Perseus, who virtually lost all hope in victory. Still, he had many advantages. For one thing the battleground he had chosen was perfect for the phalanx, the Macedonians preferred method of fighting. The Macedonians would have the advantage in numbers. They also had the advantage in the lay of the land, which featured two rivers that could be used to trap the Romans. And, the macedonians had the advantage of desperation; they were fighting to protect their homes and families. Plutarch writes that, when Aemilius and his army marched up to meet the Macedonians, they paused to admire and contemplate the Macedonian battle array.

The battle began with the Macedonian phalanx holding the Romans at bay. There was controvesy in the ancient world regarding the question of Perseus' role in the battle. Many stated that he had fled the battlefield before the battle was joined. Others said he was off the field after falling off his horse. Perseus seems to have claimed that he was late to the field because he had paused too long while making an offering to the gods. Regardless, it is clear that - on the day that macedon's fate was decided - its king was nowhere to be found. Aemilius, meanwhile, directed the Roman attack himself. sensing the weaknesses in the phalanx and sending his men in to make pinpoint attacks that eventually broke the Macedonians' line and led to the swift and bloody end of the battle and of the Macedon kingdom that had once conquered the known world.

Perseus fled, naturally, along with his family, his treasury, and a band of Cretan soldiers who were protecting their interest in the treasure more than they were protecting Perseus. Eventually, the Cretans fled with Perseus most valuable possessions, including items that had belonged to Alexander the Great. Desperate, Perseus struck a bargain with a Cretan ship's captain for transport out of Macedon. The Cretan took Perseus' remaining valuables and then sailed without the king. At this point, Perseus gave up and surrendered to Aemilius. He caused such a scene with his begging and lamentation that Aemilius grew annoyed, thinking the display of cowardness would reflect badly on his victory.

Aemilius thus returned to Rome in triumph. Macedon and Greece were now firmly in the Roman orbit, having pledged to obey Roman law and pay Roman taxes. Plutarch writes that the wealth that was realized from this conquest was so great that Roman citizens did not have to pay taxes until the time of the first war between Caesar and Antony. After a lifetime of service to Rome, Aemilius was granted the honor of a Triumph, an event that Plutarch describes in loving detail (actually, his description of Perseus' children, who had to march in the Triumph and who were destined for a life of slavery, is a rare look at the fate of those whom Rome conquered).

Having won his war and had his Triumph, Aemilius had earned his place in Roman history. Plutarch states that Aemilius remained in Roman politics, where he maintained the affection of the common people, even as he always sided with the nobles' positions on the issues of the day. His son Scipio, on the other hand, tended to make populist plays for favor, which caused Aemilius a certain amount of annoyance. While thus engaged, he came down with terminal illness that finally killed him after lingering for several months. He was buried with much pomp, with his funeral bier borne by Spaniards, Ligurians, and Macedonians who had never forgotten his forbearance when he conquered their lands.