43.18
(B.C.
170-69) In the early days of winter Perseus did not venture beyond his
frontiers for fear of the Romans attempting an invasion while he was absent
from his kingdom. About mid-winter, however, when snow had blocked the
mountain passes on the side of Thessaly, he thought it a good opportunity
for crushing the hopes and spirits of his neighbours, so that there might be
no danger from them while his attention was wholly devoted to the war with
Rome. Cotys was a guarantee of peace on the side of Thrace, and Cephalus,
since his sudden defection from Rome, on the side of Epirus, and the late
war had tamed the courage of the Dardanians. Macedonia, as Perseus saw,
was only open to attack from Illyria. The Illyrians were becoming restless
themselves and they were allowing a passage to the Romans; Perseus
thought, therefore, that if he crushed their next neighbours, King Gentius,
who had long been wavering, might become his ally. Accordingly he
marched to Stuberra with a force of 10,000 infantry, some of whom
belonged to the phalanx, 2000 light-armed troops and 500 cavalry. Having
taken up corn enough to serve for several days and leaving orders for the
siege engines to follow, he encamped after a three days' march near Uscana -the largest city in the land of Penestia. Before he had resort to force,
however, he sent emissaries to tamper with the loyalty of the officers of the
garrison -this was a Roman detachment with some Illyrian troops -or failing
that, to work on the feelings of the townsmen. They brought back word that
there was no thought of peace, so he began the attack and tried to capture
the place by a close investment. Day and night, without any intermission, the
troops relieved each other, some bringing up scaling-ladders to the walls,
others applying fire to the gates. The defenders, however, held out against
this storm of assailants; they expected that the Macedonians would not be
able much longer to stand the winter in the open, and they hoped that the
exigencies of the war with Rome would make it impossible for them to linger
there. When, however, they saw the vineae brought up and the movable
towers in motion their resolution gave way. Apart from the fact that their
strength was no match for that of the enemy, they had not sufficient supplies
either of corn or anything else, for they had not expected a siege. As further
resistance was now hopeless, C. Carvilius Spoletinus and C. Afranius were
sent by the Roman garrison to ask Perseus to allow them to depart with their
arms and belongings; if this were refused, they were to ask him to guarantee
them their life and liberty. The king's promise was more generous than his
performance, for after telling them to depart and take what they possessed
with them, the first thing he did was to deprive them of their arms. After the
departure of the Romans the Illyrian cohort, 500 strong, and the Uscanians
all surrendered themselves and their city. Perseus posted a garrison there and
removed the whole of the population, almost equal in numbers to an army,
to Stuberra. The Roman troops, numbering 4000, with the exception of their
officers were distributed amongst different cities for safe-keeping; the
Uscanians and Illyrians were sold as slaves to the Penestae.
