Achaean War

The Achaean War was an uprising by the Greek Achaean League, an alliance of Achaean and other Peloponnesian states in ancient Greece, against the Roman Republic around 146 BC, just after the Fourth Macedonian War. Rome defeated the League swiftly, and as a lesson, they destroyed the ancient city of Corinth. The war ended with Greece's independence taken away, and Greece became the Roman provinces of Achaea and Epirus.

The Roman Republic had developed close ties to the League of Achaeans through similar religious and military beliefs and a cooperation in the previous Macedonian War. But the ties were soon disturbed after a series of disputes and interference in the decision making of the league by the Romans, who insisted that Sparta be released from the protection and inclusion in the league. The Spartans had become increasingly opposed to the power that the League held, especially with their relations of the increasingly powerful Romans. The League had desecrated Spartan land, torn down their walls, and disrupted the traditional military educational systems of Spartan children. Regardless of the uncooperative actions that the Spartans took against the League, under the leadership of Aratus of Sicyon, the Greek confederacy chose to maintain an alliance with the disliked city of Sparta, and thus declared war on the more powerful Romans.

The Achaeans were aware that they were entering a suicidal war of defiance, as Rome had just soundly conquered Macedon, a much more powerful kingdom. The Romans won at Scarpheia, then conclusively outflanked them at the Battle of Corinth (146 BC). The Achaean league was then disbanded, Corinth and Patras were destroyed as punishment, and virtually all of mainland Greece became annexed by Rome.

References

• Wilson, N. G. Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print. Google Books.
• "Achaean League" A Dictionary of World History. Oxford University Press, 2000. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. York University. 25 October 2011