Hello, and welcome to the history of Rome, episode 24, the Second Macedonian War.

Last time, we ended with the Roman victory over Carthage in 202 BC, leaving Rome as the

undisputed master of the Western Mediterranean.

After nearly 20 years locked in a massively destructive conflict, one might assume that

the Romans would take some time off.

After all, the demise of Carthage left no real challenge to the Roman had genemy in the

West, and there was no abundance of new trading opportunities, lands to settle, farms to rebuild

and families to grow.

Why not enjoy the fruits of their newfound dominance and retire peacefully to country estates to

grow olives and sip wine?

Beat the swords into plowshares as it were, and leave the battlefield unstained with Roman

blood.

At least for a little while, a generation, maybe?

Not likely.

Immediately after winning the West, the Romans wasted no time leveraging their newfound

big boy status and embroiling themselves in the cutthroat world of Greek power politics.

The rationale behind an intervention in the East is obscure, and at first blush doesn't

seem to make a whole lot of sense.

The Romans had no long standing ties in Greece, and no true investment in the region.

As I've mentioned a few times, the Adriatic divided the Mediterranean into two worlds.

The Romans had finally one control of their half.

It seemed strange that they would risk what they had just achieved by suddenly launching

...