Battle of Corinth (146 BC)

The Battle of Corinth of 146 BC was a very important fight between the Roman Republic and the Greek city-state of Corinth and its friends in the Achaean League. This battle ended the Achaean War and started a long time when Rome controlled Greece.

The Romans had been winning battles quickly. They beat the main army of the Achaeans at Scarpheia, took over Boeotia, and then came to Corinth. The Achaeans did not want to give up, so they gathered an army to defend Corinth, their main city. They fought the Romans there, but after just a few hours, the Achaeans lost badly. Many were killed, captured, or ran away.

After waiting a few days, the Romans went into Corinth. They burned the city, and did not let the men live. The women and children were taken away to live under Roman rule. After this, the rest of Greece came under Rome’s control.

Background

Tensions between Rome and the Achaean League had been growing for some time. The problem started when the Achaeans wanted to include the city of Sparta in their League. This led to a big argument between the Achaeans and Rome. The Roman Senate sent Lucius Mummius, a leader, to handle the situation. They also allowed Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus to act first, as he had just won a battle in the Fourth Macedonian War and had a strong army ready.

Prelude

The Romans marched from Macedonia, which had recently become a Roman area, and won a battle against an army from the Achaean League led by Critolaos of Megalopolis at the Battle of Scarpheia. This victory caused confusion among the Greek cities, and many decided to give up to the Romans. Still, many in the League, especially in Corinth, chose to keep fighting. They chose a new leader named Diaeus and decided to continue the war, taking strict measures and taking property from people.

After this battle, the Roman leader moved through Boeotia, winning over or accepting the surrender of many towns there. He tried to offer peace to the League, but Diaeus refused and even arrested or removed those who supported peace or the Romans.

In 146 BC, a new Roman leader named Lucius Mummius arrived. He gathered all Roman soldiers in the area, including 23,000 foot soldiers and 3,500 horse soldiers, along with help from Cretans and Pergamese allies. He then moved toward Corinth, where the Achaean general Diaeus had set up with 14,000 foot soldiers and 600 horse soldiers.

Battle

The Romans had set up some Italian helpers to keep watch, but they were not careful. This let the Achaeans surprise them at night, attacking the Roman soldiers who were ahead. This gave the Achaeans confidence.

The next day, the Achaeans fought the Romans. The Achaean foot soldiers fought hard, but their horse soldiers ran away when the Roman horse soldiers charged. Later, a group of Roman soldiers attacked the side of the Achaean foot soldiers, causing them to run back into the city. Some Achaeans hiding inside Corinth had no plan to defend the city because their leader fled to Arcadia.

Sack of Corinth

After the battle, many soldiers and citizens of Corinth left the city, but the Romans were careful and did not enter for three days. When they finally went in, they treated the people very harshly. The city was taken apart, and many valuable things were taken away to Italy.

Some Roman leaders tried to protect the art, but many beautiful statues and paintings were lost or damaged during this time. However, they did honor the memory of a Greek leader named Philopoemen by respecting his statues.

Aftermath

The battle ended the fighting in Greece for a long time. The group of Greek cities, called the League, stopped existing, and Greece became part of a new Roman area called Macedonia. Rome now controlled mainland Greece directly.

Like in another city the Romans had taken, many beautiful Greek artworks came to Rome. This helped spread Greek culture and create what we call the Greco-Roman world. Corinth, the city where the battle happened, took more than 100 years to recover. It didn’t really become important again until the Roman leader Julius Caesar rebuilt it in 44 BC, just before he died.