Pella Museum

Today, the 15 other Fulbrighters and I, focused in part on how the Macedonians made a disatoruous mistake (168 C.E.) in believing that the phalanx that defeated the Persian Empire could halt and turn back the Roman legions. The former formation, while difficult to penetrate, was slow to change direction or even adapt to changes on the battlefield. The Roman legions, subdivided into highly manuverable maniples of 120 men, devasted the Macedonians and carried off the wealth of the city to Rome.*

The Museum of Pella itself is devoted to the prehistory of Pella (Room A), sectors of the agora, sactuaries and cemetaries (Room B), and six mosaic floors that have survived with incredible detail (Room C).

*Beginning in 509 B.C.E, the Roman army was organized into three lines: the hastati, the principes, and the triarii. These were divided by experience and fighting ability, with the youngest soldiers in the hastati making the first engagement. Where resistance was strong this rank would dissolve back through the Roman line and allow the more experienced soldiers in the principes to fight. In turn, the principes could yield to the hardened triarii if necessary. Sources disagree on the numbers involved and in all likelihood they varied considerably but a generally accepted number is 10, 10 and 5 maniples of hastati, principes and triarii of approximately 120 men each, a total of 3 000 men. Source: Gabba, Republican Rome, The Army and The Allies, p. 7

Greece: land of Continuity and Change