7. Macedonian Wars. — The possession of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica, and Spain (or rather the Spains, for the Romans always distinguished between Hither and Further Spain), the last of which was made into two provinces in 197, made the Romans the greatest power in tlie ancient world. Philip, king of Macedonia, bad been an ally of Hannibal. His attack on the two towns Oricum and ApoUonia on the Illyrian side of the Adriatic, which had recently come into the posses- sion of the Romans, drew Rome into the vortex of Eastern politics. The Romans at the clo.se of the First Macedonian War (214-205) made peace with Philip, so that they might be left free to deal with Africa. The Second Macedonian War was declaimed in 200, and was brought to a successful end by the battle of CynoscephaUu (107). In the following year Greece was declared free from the yoke of Macedon. Discontent among Rome's Greek allies led to war with the Seleucid king Antiochus, ally of Hannibal and Philip, who crossed to Greece by invitation. Having been defeated by the Romans at Thermopylie (191), he returned to Asia and was there defeated again, at Magnesia (190). He was compelled to give up all his Asia Minor dominions north of Mt. Taurus. Soon after, the Galatians (Celts) of Central Asia Minor were defeated, and Asia was organized (188). The Romans did not take over Asia at this time, but strengthened the power of the king of Pergamum and that of the State of Rhodes, to keep Antiochus out. About the same period the Gauls in the north of Italy bad to be subdued, and from this time (191) Cisalpine Gaul was a Roman province. After the Ligurian \\'ar Roman influence reached as far as the Alps Instead of the Apennines.
Rome's protectorate over the East did not yet pass unquestioned. Perseus, son of Philip and "his successor as king of Macedon, bad been making preparations against Rome. The Third Mace- donian War ended with victory for the Romans at Pydna (168). The Macedonian monarchy was finally overthrown, but Rome, following her usual policy in the East, did not annex the country but divided it into four districts, each under an oligarchical council. Stirrings and dissensions in Greece and Macedonia led in 146 to the destruction of Corinth by Mummius, and the constitution of
the first eastern province, AchiBa, which comprised both countries.
8. Third Punic War. — In the same year the Third and last Punic War resulted in the siege and destruction of C.uthage and the formation of the province of Africa, consisting of her former terri- tory. The province of Asia was constituted on the death of Attains, king of Pergamum, in 133 li.C, having been left by his will to the Konian people (129). About I2i n.C. Gallia Narbonensis was made a province, on the coiiiiiiest of the southern portion of Transalpine Gaul, between the Alps and the Pyrenees. It must not bo supposed that there was complete peace in all these territories from the moment they were formally annexed. Many of Homes wars, which ha\'c to he passcil over without mention in this article, were con- nected with the consolidation of a power already defined.
9. The Social War. — A most imjiortant event was the Social War (90-89 B.C.), the resultof which was that the territory of the citj'-State Rome now stretched from a point a little to the north of Florence as far as tlie extreme south of Italy. All freeborn persons within that area were now cives Rumani, with .all tb.'it that implied.
10. Mithradatic Wars. — Soon after, the Romans had to meet one of the direst enemies in all their long history, Mithradates ( 120-63), king of Pontus, south of the Black Sea. His father by favour of the Romans had been given Phrygia also, but this the Romans took from the son in his minority. The war between Mithrailates and the Romans was due to the former's aggressions and bis inter- ference with the kingdoms protected by the Romans. He kept the whole of the Near East in a ferment. The first stage (88-84) was concluded by a peace, according to the terms of which Mithradates agreed to give up his conquests. The Second Mithradatic War was entirely ilue to the aggression of a Roman gener.al Murena (83), and was with some difliculty concluded by a peace in the next year. Mithra- dates now seriously trained his army to meet the Roman style of warfare. The Third and last War was begun in 75 B.C., when King Nicomedes of Bithynia left his country by will to the Roman people, and Bithynia was in consequence declared a Roman province. Mithradates supported a claim- ant to the throne, and the war began. Roman armies sustained defeats. Tigranes, king of Ar- menia, joined Mithradates, and the combineil forces needed the best generalsiiip the Romans had to cope with them. Lucullus distinguished himself greatly, but the result was fruitless, and in 66 Lucullus had to make way for Pomjiey, who had just defeated the Cilician pirates. Pompey suc- ceeded in defeating Mithradates and in conquering Armenia. He reduced Pontns and thereafter Syria (64) to the state of Roman provinces. There was now a chain of Roman provinces from the Black Sea to the Eitphrates, but client States were re- tained along the frontier.