The Expansion of the Roman Empire in the East to 188 BCE

The Roman Republic first became involved in the affairs of Greece and Asia Minor in 214 BCE, during The First Macedonian War and again in 200 BCE during the Second Macedonian War, when two of Rome’s allies, Pergamon and Rhodes, appealed for help in their struggle with Macedonia. A Roman army was sent the east, which attacked and defeated Macedonia. In 197 BCE, Macedonia became by treaty an ally of Rome, which also occupied an area of western Greece. Rome was now well positioned to defend its interests in the region. In 195 BCE the Carthaginian general, Hannibal, travelled to the Seleucid Kingdom, where he planned with its ruler, Antiochus III, to make war on Rome. Tensions grew between the two powers. War broke out in 192 BCE between two coalitions, one led by the Roman Republic and the other by the Seleucid Kingdom. The war was a clear victory for Rome, leaving the Republic holding hegemony over the Greek states and the western states of Asia Minor. The Republic became the major power in the Mediterranean Sea following the Peace of Apamea in 188 BCE.