Q. Marcius Philippus in the Third Macedonian War

Abstract

Q. Marcius Philippus (cos. I, 186; II, 169; cen. 164) is generally considered a duplicitous diplomat by both ancient and modern historians. This paper re-examines his diplomacy in the Third Macedonian War. It can be argued that Marcius was more interested in promoting his own political interest than in tricking and harming the Greeks. There was no novelty in Marcius' diplomacy. Instead, Scipio Africanus and Flamininus had provided precedents for his behavior. The paper also examines Polybius' and Livy's portrayals of Marcius and explores the roles played by Marcius in the historians' overall arrangements of the war narrative.