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After he died, Perseus succeeded to the rule for 10 or 9 years, according to some, having become the last king of the Macedonians, subject to the Romans and ending his life wretchedly during the times of the Maccabees. Now Philip, the father of Perseus, had initiated the unfortunate war against the Romans, but Perseus reaped the most shameful end, along with the Macedonians under him and their allies, the Illyrians, Epirotes, and Molossians. For Aemilius Marcus, a Roman consul and most excellent general, having taken Perseus captive, placed this man, who had brought an unjust war against the Romans contrary to the treaties, into free custody; but the captured cities of the Macedonians and Illyrians he set free, all of them, contrary to expectation, although the Romans had often endured great dangers in the wars against Perseus, and before this having conquered in war 323 his father Philip and Antiochus the Great, and having shown such humanity towards them as to allow them not only to keep their kingdoms, but also to be their friends; for which things the Macedonians, having been ungrateful, seemed to be unworthy of any mercy, having been subdued by the Romans along with Perseus. But the senate treated them without remembering evils and magnanimously, granting them freedom instead of slavery, and likewise also to the Illyrians. For they had also taken their king Getion captive with Perseus. Therefore the Romans, being nobly able, having granted them freedom, ordered them to give half of the taxes which they formerly paid to their own kings; and they sent out 10 ambassadors from the senate to Macedonia, and 5 to the Illyrians, who, having come to Aemilius Marcus, decided to demolish the walls of Demetrias, the first city of the Macedonians, to separate the Amphilochians from the Aetolians, and to gather the notable men of the Macedonians into one place, where they left them free and unguarded. And they also abolished the revenues from the silver and gold mines, both so that the inhabitants would not be molested and so that no one might afterwards start a revolution by regaining the rule of Macedonia through these funds.

And they divided the whole country into 4 parts, of which the first was the land between the Nestus river and the Strymon and the fortified places to the east of the Nestus and the cities towards Abdera and Maroneia and Aenus, and to the west of the Strymon all of Bisaltia with Heraclea in Sintice. A second part, which the Strymon river bounds on the east, and on the west the river called Axius and the places lying beside it. A third, which the Peneius river contains on the west, and on the north the so-called Bernon mountain, with some places of Paeonia also having been added, in which are also the notable cities Edessa and Beroea. A fourth and last, which beyond the Bernon mountain joins with Epirus and the places in Illyria. And 4 cities were the capitals of these same 4 parts: of the first, Amphipolis, of the second, Thessalonica, of the third, Pella, and of the fourth, Pelagonia. 324 In these, 4 governors were appointed and the tributes were collected, and in the farthest places of Macedonia, on account of the plots of the neighboring nations, they stationed soldiers. After these things, Aemilius, having arranged magnificent games and feasts for the populace, sent the treasures that were found to Rome. And having arrived himself, he is ordered by the senate to celebrate a triumph along with the generals with him; and first Anicius and Octavius, the commander of the naval force, each celebrated a triumph for one day, but the most wise Aemilius for three. And on the first day, twelve hundred wagons went forth carrying white and rough shields, and another 1,006 wagons full of bronze shields, and another three hundred filled with lances and sarissas and bows and javelins. And trumpeters went before them, as in war. were

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τελευ τήσαντος διεδέξατο τὴν ἀρχὴν Περσεὺς ἔτη ιʹ ἢ θʹ, κατά τινας ὕστατος βασιλεὺς Μακεδόνων γεγονὼς ὑποχείριός τε Ῥωμαίοις καὶ τὸν βίον οἰκτρῶς καταστρέψας κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους τῶν Μακκαβαίων. Τῆς μὲν οὖν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους δυστυχοῦς μάχης Φίλιππος προκατῆρξεν ὁ Περσέως πατήρ, τοῦ δὲ αἰσχίστου τέλους Περσεὺς ἀπήλαυσε σὺν τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν Μακεδόσι καὶ τοῖς συμμαχήσασιν Ἰλλυριοῖς καὶ Ἠπειρώταις καὶ Μολοσσοῖς. Αἰμίλιος γὰρ Μάρκος Ῥωμαίων ὕπατος καὶ ἄριστος στρατηγὸς Περσέα λαβὼν αἰχμάλωτον, τοῦτον μὲν ἄδικον πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἐξαγαγόντα παρὰ τὰς συνθήκας πόλεμον εἰς ἐλευθέραν ἀπέθετο φυλακήν, τὰς δὲ πόλεις Μακεδόνων καὶ Ἰλλυριῶν ἁλούσας παρ' ἐλπίδα πάσας ἐλευθέρας ἀφῆκε, καίτοι μεγάλων μεγάλους κινδύνους ὑπομεινάντων Ῥωμαίων πολλάκις ἐν τοῖς πρὸς Περσέα πολέμοις, καὶ πρό γε τούτου κρατήσαντες πολέμῳ 323 Φιλίππου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ Ἀντιόχου τοῦ μεγάλου, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐπ' αὐτοῖς φιλανθρωπευθέντων, ὡς μὴ μόνον τὰς βασιλείας αὐτῶν ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ φίλους αὐτοὺς εἶναι συγχωρησάντων· ἐφ' οἷς ἑαυτοὺς Μακε δόνες ἀγνωμονήσαντες ἀναξίους ἐδόκουν ἔσεσθαι παντὸς ἐλέους χειρω θέντες Ῥωμαίοις σὺν τῷ Περσεῖ. ἀλλ' ἡ σύγκλητος ἀμνησικάκως καὶ μεγαλοψύχως αὐτοῖς προσηνέχθη, τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἀντὶ δουλείας χαρι σαμένη, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοῖς Ἰλλυριοῖς. καὶ τούτων γὰρ τὸν βασιλέα Γετίωνα αἰχμάλωτον ἔλαβον σὺν τῷ Περσεῖ. Εὐγενῶς οὖν δυνατοῖς Ῥωμαῖοι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν χαρισάμενοι τὰ ἡμίση δίδειν τῶν τελῶν προσέταξαν ὧν πρότερον ἐτέλουν τοῖς ἰδίοις βασιλεῦσιν· ἐξέπεμψάν τε ιʹ μὲν πρεσβευτὰς ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου εἰς Μακεδονίαν, εʹ δὲ εἰς Ἰλλυριούς, οἳ καὶ πρὸς Αἰμίλιον Μάρκον ἐλθόντες συνεῖδον τὰ τείχη ∆ημητριάδος πόλεως Μακεδόνων πρώτης καθελεῖν, Ἀμφιλόχους δὲ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἀποζεῦξαι καὶ τοὺς ἐπιφανεῖς ἄνδρας τῶν Μακεδόνων εἰς ἓν συναγαγεῖν, ἔνθα ἐλευθέρους καὶ ἀφρουρήτους αὐτοὺς ἀφῆκαν. κατέλυσαν δὲ καὶ τὰς ἐκ τῶν μετάλλων ἀργύρου καὶ χρυσοῦ προσόδους διά τε τὸ τῶν ἐνοικούντων ἀνεπηρέαστον καὶ ὅπως μή τινες μετὰ ταῦτα νεωτερίζοιεν διὰ τῶν χρημάτων ἀνακτώμενοι τὴν Μακεδόνων ἀρχήν.

Τὴν δὲ χώραν ὅλην διεῖλον εἰς δʹ μέρη, ὧν πρῶτον τὸ μεταξὺ Νέστου ποταμοῦ καὶ Στρυμόνος καὶ τὰ πρὸς ἀνατολὴν τοῦ Νέστου ἐρύμην καὶ τὰ πρὸς Ἄβδηρα καὶ Μαρώνειαν καὶ Αἶνον πόλεις, πρὸς δυσμὰς δὲ τοῦ Στρυμόνος Βισαλτία πᾶσα μετὰ τῆς ἐν τῇ Σικτικῇ Ἡρακλείας. ∆εύτερον μέρος, ὅπερ ἀπὸ μὲν ἀνατολῆς ὁρίζει ὁ Στρυμὼν ποταμός, ἀπὸ δὲ δυσμῶν ὁ καλούμενος Ἄξιος ποταμὸς καὶ οἱ παρακείμενοι αὐτῷ τόποι. Τρίτον ὃ περιέχει κατὰ δυσμὰς μὲν ὁ Πηνειὸς ποταμός, κατὰ δὲ ἄρκτον τὸ λεγόμενον Βέρνον ὄρος, προστεθέντων καί τινων τόπων τῆς Παιονίας, ἐν οἷς καὶ πόλεις ἀξιόλογοι Ἔδεσσα καὶ Βέροια. Τέταρτον καὶ τελευταῖον, ὅπερ ὑπὲρ τὸ Βέρνον ὄρος συνάπτει τῇ Ἠπείρῳ καὶ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἰλλυρίδα τόποις. Ἡγοῦντο δὲ καὶ πόλεις δʹ τῶν αὐτῶν δʹ μερῶν· τοῦ μὲν πρώτου Ἀμφίπολις, τοῦ βʹ Θεσσαλονίκη, τοῦ γʹ Πέλλα καὶ τοῦ δʹ Πελαγωνία. 324 ἐν ταύταις ἀρχηγοὶ δʹ κατεστάθησαν καὶ οἱ φόροι ἠθροίζοντο, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις τῆς Μακεδονίας τόποις διὰ τὰς τῶν παρακειμένων ἐθνῶν ἐπιβουλὰς κατέστησαν στρατιώτας. Ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ Αἰμίλιος ἀγῶνας καὶ πότους μεγαλοπρεπεῖς τῷ πλήθει συντάξας τὰ εὑρεθέντα χρήματα εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἀπέστειλε. καταλαβὼν δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς θρίαμβον καταγαγεῖν ἅμα τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ στρατηγοῖς κελεύεται παρὰ τῆς συγκλήτου· καὶ πρῶτος μὲν Ἀνίκιος καὶ Ὀκταούιος ὁ τῆς ναυτικῆς δυνάμεως ἡγησάμενος, ἀνὰ μίαν ἡμέραν ἑκάτερος ἐθριάμβευσεν, ὁ δὲ σοφώτατος Αἰμίλιος ἐπὶ τρεῖς. Καὶ τῇ μὲν πρώτῃ ἅμαξαι χίλιαι διακόσιαι προῆλθον φέρουσαι λευκὰς καὶ τραχείας ἀσπίδας, καὶ ἄλλαι αςʹ ἅμαξαι πλήρεις ἀσπίδων χαλκῶν, καὶ ἕτεραι τριακόσιαι λόγχας καὶ σαρίσσας καὶ τόξα καὶ ἀκόντια γέμουσαι. προηγοῦντο δὲ αὐτῶν ὡς ἐν πολέμῳ σαλπιγκταί. ἦσαν