44.45
Three
days after the battle Perseus arrived at Amphipolis, and from that city he sent
heralds with a caduceus to Paulus. In the meanwhile Hippias, Midon, and
Pantauchus, the principal men among the king's friends who had fled from
the field of battle to Beroea, went and made their surrender to the Roman
consul. In the case of others also, their fears prompted them, one after
another, to do the same. The consul sent his son Q. Fabius, together with L.
Lentulus and Q. Metellus, with despatches to Rome announcing his victory.
He gave the spoils taken from the enemy's army lying on the field of battle to
the foot soldiers and the plunder from the surrounding country to the cavalry
on condition that they were not absent from the camp more than two nights.
The camp at Pydna was shifted to a site nearer the sea. First of all Beroea,
then Thessalonica and Pella, and almost the whole of Macedonia, city by
city, surrendered within two days. The people of Pydna, who were the
nearest to the consul, had not yet sent envoys, for their citizens were
prevented from coming to any decision in their council by the mixed
population drawn from many nationalities and also by the crowd of fugitives
from the battle. The gates were not only closed but walled up. Midon and
Pantauchus were sent up to the walls to hold a parley with Solon, the
commandant of the garrison; by his means the mob of fighting men was sent
way. The surrendered town was given up to the soldiers to plunder. Perseus'
one hope was in the help of the Bisaltians, but finding this hope vain he came
before the assembled citizens of Amphipolis, with his son Philip, with the
intention of kindling the courage of the Amphipolitans themselves and of the
men, both infantry and cavalry, who had accompanied him or been carried
there in their flight. But as often as he tried to speak he was prevented by his
tears, and finding that he could not utter a word, he told Euander what he
wanted to bring before the people and went down from the tribunal. The
sight of the king and his distressful weeping moved the people themselves to
groans and tears, but they would not listen to Euander. Some in the middle
of the Assembly had the audacity to shout out, "Go away, both of you, lest
we, the few survivors, perish on your account." Their daring opposition
closed Euander's lips. Then the king retired to his house, and after placing an
amount of gold and silver on board some boats lying in the Strymon, went
down to the river. The Thracians would not venture on board and dispersed
to their homes, so did the rest of the soldiers; the Cretans, attracted by the
money, followed him. As the distribution of it amongst them would cause
more jealousy than gratitude, 50 talents were placed on the bank to be
scrambled for. Whilst they were going on board, after the scrambling, in wild
confusion, they sunk a boat in the mouth of the river through overcrowding.
That day they arrived at Galepsus and the day after they reached
Samothrace, for which they were making. It is asserted that 2000 talents
were conveyed there.