42.58
As he
had not succeeded in his attempt to draw the Romans, the king moved his
camp to within a distance of five miles from the enemy. At dawn the infantry
were drawn up on the same ground as before and the whole of the cavalry
and light infantry marched towards the Roman camp. The sight of a cloud of
dust, larger and nearer than usual, created some excitement amongst the
Romans. At first the news was hardly credited because on all previous
occasions the enemy had never appeared before the fourth hour of the day,
and now it was sunrise. When all doubt was dispelled by the many shouts
and men running from the gates there was great confusion. The military
tribunes, the officers of the allied troops and the centurions hurried to the
headquarters tent; the soldiers ran to their own tents. Perseus had drawn up
his men less than a mile and a half from the Roman lines round a hill called
Callinicus. Cotys commanded the left wing with the whole of his native
troops, the light infantry being disposed between the ranks of the cavalry. On
the right were the Macedonian cavalry, the Cretans being intermixed with
them in the same way. This body was under the command of Midon of
Beroea; the supreme command of the whole cavalry force was in the hands
of Meno of Antigonea. Flanking the two wings were the king's cavalry and a
mixed body of auxiliaries drawn from different nationalities. Patrocles and
Didas were in charge of these troops. In the centre of the whole line was the
king surrounded by the "agema" and the troops of the "sacred" cavalry. In
front of these he posted the slingers and javelin men, 400 in all, under the
command of Ion and Neoptolemus. The consul formed his infantry into line
inside the rampart, and sent out the whole of the cavalry and light infantry;
they were drawn up in front of the rampart. The right wing was commanded
by the consul's brother Caius, and comprised the whole of the Italian cavalry
with the velites interspersed among them. On the left M. Valerius Laevinus
had the cavalry and light infantry from the various cities in Greece. The
centre was held by Quintus Mucius with a picked body of volunteer cavalry.
On their front were posted 200 Gaulish troopers and 300 Cyrtians from the
auxiliary troops brought by Eumenes; 400 Thessalian cavalry were drawn up
a short distance beyond the Roman left. Attalus and Eumenes took ground
with the whole of their force in the rear between the hindmost rank and the
rampart.