44.46
Paulus
placed Roman officers in charge of the cities which had surrendered, so that
the vanquished party might not be ill-treated now that peace was established.
He kept the heralds from Perseus with him, and as he was unaware of the
king's flight he sent P. Nasica with a small detachment of horse and foot to
Amphipolis for the purpose of ravaging Sintice and frustrating any attempt
which the king might make. At the same time Meliboea was taken and
sacked by Cn. Octavius. Cn. Anicius was sent to Aegeum, but as the citizens
did not know that the war was over they made a sortie from the town and
the Romans lost 200 men. The following day the consul left Pydna with the
whole of his army and formed his camp two miles distant from Pella. He
remained there several days, surveying the city from every side, and he
observed that it was not without good reason that it had been chosen as the
royal residence. It is situated on the south-west slope of a hill and
surrounded by a marsh too deep to be crossed on foot either in summer or
winter. The citadel the "Phacus," which is close to the city, stands in the
marsh itself, projecting like an island, and is built on a huge substructure
which is strong enough to carry a wall and prevent any damage from the
infiltration from the water of the lagoon. At a distance it appears to be
continuous with the city wall, but it is really separated by a channel which
flows between the two walls and is connected with the city by a bridge. Thus
it cuts off all means of access from an external foe, and if the king shut
anyone up there, there could be no possibility of escape except by the bridge,
which could be very easily guarded. The royal treasure was kept there, but
nothing was found there at that time beyond the 300 talents which had been
sent to Gentius and then kept back. During the time the camp was at Pella
numerous embassies of congratulation were received, mostly from Thessaly.
On receiving intelligence that Perseus had sailed to Samothrace the consul
left Pella, and after a few days' march arrived at Amphipolis. The fact of the
whole population coming out to meet him was a sufficient proof that they
were not mourning the loss of a good and just king.
End of Book 44
