The Battle Scene on Aemilius Paullus's Pydna Monument: A Reevaluation

by Michael J. Taylor

Hesperia, Volume 85, Issue 3
Page(s): 559-576
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2972/hesperia.85.3.0559
Year: 2016
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ABSTRACT:

This article provides a reassessment of the battle scene featured on the frieze of Aemilius Paullus's Pydna Monument at Delphi. Each of the 29 figures is discussed in detail, with the archaeological and visual evidence for Roman and Macedonian military equipment cross-referenced with the literary evidence of the battle. Establishing the identity of the combatants is essential for deciphering the overall nature of the battle scene. Based on the proposed identifications, it is concluded that the scene represents the Romans everywhere triumphant, and that its intention may have been to evoke the pursuit and massacre of Perseus's routed army.