Editing Bastarnae (section)

==== Allies of Philip of Macedon (179–8 BC) ====
[[File:Philip V of Macedon BM.jpg|thumb|right|Silver [[tetradrachm]] of Philip V of Macedon]]

The Bastarnae first appear in the historical record in 179 BC, when they crossed the Danube in a massive force. They did so at the invitation of their long-time ally, King [[Philip V of Macedon]], a direct descendant of [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus|Antigonus]], one of the [[Diadochi]], the generals of [[Alexander the Great]] who had shared his empire after his death in 323 BC. The Macedonian king had suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of the Romans in the [[Second Macedonian War]] (200–197 BC), which had reduced him from a powerful [[Hellenistic]] monarch to the status of a petty client-king with a much-reduced territory and a tiny army.{{refn|group=Note|name=cnoteb|The terms imposed on Philip V of Macedon in 196 BC were: (i) loss of all possessions outside [[Macedon]]ia proper (Philip had previously ruled extensive territories in Greece, Thrace and Asia Minor); (ii) standing army limited to 5,000 men and no elephants; (iii) navy limited to 5 warships plus royal galley; (iv) reparation payment of 1,000 [[talent (measurement)|talents]] (c. 26 tonnes) of silver, equivalent then to c. 4 tonnes of gold. (In antiquity, silver was far more valuable than today: the gold/silver value ratio was c. 1:7, compared to c. 1:100 today); (v) prohibited from waging war outside his borders without the Roman Senate's permission<ref>Livy XXXIII.30</ref>}} After nearly 20 years of slavish adherence to the Roman Senate's dictats, Philip had been goaded by the incessant and devastating raiding of the [[Dardani]], a warlike Illyrian<ref>A Mocsy. Pannonia and Upper Moesia</ref> tribe on his northern border, which his treaty-limited army was too small to counter effectively. Counting on the Bastarnae, with whom he had forged friendly relations, he plotted a strategy to deal with the Dardani and then to regain his lost territories in Greece and his political independence. First, he would [[Dardanian-Bastarnae war|unleash the Bastarnae against the Dardani]]. After the latter had been crushed, Philip planned to settle Bastarnae families in Dardania (southern [[Kosovo]]/[[Skopje]] region) to ensure that the region was permanently subdued. In a second phase, Philip aimed to launch the Bastarnae on an invasion of Italy via the Adriatic coast. Although he was aware that the Bastarnae were likely to be defeated, Philip hoped that the Romans would be distracted long enough to allow him to reoccupy his former possessions in Greece.<ref name="Livy XL.57"/>

However, Philip, now 60 years of age, died before the Bastarnae could arrive. The Bastarnae host was still ''en route'' through Thrace, where it became embroiled in hostilities with the locals, who had not provided them with sufficient food at affordable prices as they marched through. Probably in the vicinity of [[Plovdiv|Philippopolis]] (modern Plovdiv, Bulgaria), the Bastarnae broke out of their marching columns and pillaged the land far and wide. The terrified local Thracians took refuge with their families and animal herds on the slopes of ''Mons Donuca'' ([[Musala|Mount Musala]]), the highest mountain in Thrace. A large force of Bastarnae chased them up the mountain, but were driven back and scattered by a massive hailstorm. Then the Thracians ambushed them, turning their descent into a panic-stricken rout. Back at their [[wagon fort]] in the plain, around half of the demoralised Bastarnae decided to return home, leaving c. 30,000 to press on to Macedonia.<ref name="Livy XL.58"/>

Philip's son and successor [[Perseus of Macedon|Perseus]], while protesting his loyalty to Rome, deployed his Bastarnae guests in winter quarters in a valley in Dardania, presumably as a prelude to a campaign against the Dardani the following summer. However, in the depths of winter their camp was attacked by the Dardani. The Bastarnae easily beat off the attackers, chased them back to their chief town and besieged them, but they were surprised in the rear by a second force of Dardani, which had approached their camp stealthily by mountain paths, and proceeded to storm and ransack it. Having lost their entire baggage and supplies, the Bastarnae were obliged to withdraw from Dardania and to return home. Most perished as they crossed the frozen Danube on foot, only for the ice to give way.<ref>Livy XLI.19</ref> Despite the failure of Philip's Bastarnae strategy, the suspicion aroused by these events in the Roman Senate, which had been warned by the Dardani of the Bastarnae invasion, ensured the demise of Macedonia as an independent state.<ref>Livy XLI.23 and XLII.12-4</ref> Rome declared war on Perseus in 171 BC and after the Macedonian army was crushed at the [[Battle of Pydna]] (168 BC), Macedonia was split up into four Roman puppet-cantons (167 BC).<ref>Livy XLV.19</ref> Twenty-one years later, these were in turn abolished and annexed to the [[Roman Republic]] as the [[Macedonia (Roman province)|province of Macedonia]] (146 BC).