Invasion of Rhodes

[runner3434]

A purely historical question:

When was Rhodes invaded by the Romans?

Thanks

[The General]

... It was invaded by Rome?

Seriously though, iirc they joined Rome in 164BC by a treaty.

[Macilrille]

Where did you dig that up General? I could not find it when looking for it for this https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=122495, but then again, I did not look in specialised works, merely general ones, Wiki, Google, Encyclopedia Britannia and some general books and historical atlas.

[Scipio Germanicus]

The only attack on Rhodes by the Romans I know of was by Cassius. He attacked because Rhodes was allied to Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus. But as far as I know it was like the previous posts said: Rhodes joined Rome by treaty.

This brings a question to mind. Why did Rhodes join Rome? It was previously a close ally of Ptolemaic Egypt.

[Krusader]

From a speculative viewpoint:
I think it joined Rome simply because Ptolemaic Egypt was also becoming more dependant on Rome (and consequently their military power was on the wane, with most Kleruchoi landholders seemingly not fullfilling their military obligations). Rhodes' power was mercantile and with most ports in Roman or Roman-friendly hands, then it was perhaps a smart move to ally more closely with Rome.

[Africanus]

Here's what I've read:

In 168 BC the Rhodians had sought to mediate between Rome and Macedon. Rhodes indeed had a longstanding tradition of such diplomacy in settling quarrels between Greek states.

However, the news of the victory at Pydna reached Rome in advance of the Rhodian diplomats. As a consequence their intervention right after Rome’s victory appeared to the Romans as an attempt to protect Perseus, once he had been defeated.

The senate also still remembered the arrogant lecture it had received by the Rhodians, when Roman power in Greece had seemed to be on the wane.
For Rhodes it spelled disaster. One praetor even suggested war. But Cato the Elder counseled against it, realizing that no real malice had been intended with the bid to mediate.

This was however not accomplished without the utter humiliation of the Rhodian envoys who prostrated themselves before the senators, pleading tearfully for their city not to be destroyed.

Rhodes was to lose her territories in Caria and Lycia which had been granted her after the War against Antiochus. Furthermore she was to suffer a terrible blow to its trade with the punitive creation of the famous free port on the island of Delos.

But by 165/164 BC Rhodes was at last recognized as an ally of Rome again.

[Macilrille]

The only attack on Rhodes by the Romans I know of was by Cassius. He attacked because Rhodes was allied to Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus. But as far as I know it was like the previous posts said: Rhodes joined Rome by treaty.

This brings a question to mind. Why did Rhodes join Rome? It was previously a close ally of Ptolemaic Egypt.

Start of Second Macedonian War, 2004- 2001 BC Saw Phillip V of Macedonia behaving very aggressively against the Ptolomais, Thracia and Samos. This worried the Greek Cities (KH), especially as rumours were cirkulating that Mac and AS had a secret agreement to share the Ptolomaic possessions in Asia Minor. They thus sent fleets against him and ambassadors to Rome for aid. That is fairly logical, with the Ptolomais weak and the two other Diadochii on the warpath, where else to turn than the newly emerged major power and undisputed ruler of the West Mediterrenean?

Rome sent emmisarries to Phillip demanding he cease hostilities, but the powerful Phillip was astounished and had no intension of desisting. Macedonia was on the rise and Rome was exhausted by the Second Punic War and had few interests in that part of the Med. Yet they dictate his foreign policy. He was promptly handed a Declaration of War. We all know how that went (no need to rub the Roman-haters nose in it), in 196 BC the Consule Titus Quinctius Flamininus declared the Greek cities free at the Isthmian Games in Korinth. Personally I believe that Rome acted so belligerently exactly because of its long and hard fight for sheer survival in the Second Punic War. The People and Senate of Rome had no intension of letting another such threat develop and would crush any such tendencies before they could consolidate.

Rhodes was smarter than the rest of the Greek Cities apparently, who kept up their constant bickering and infighting and seems to have chosen to ally themselves more and more firmly with this newly emerging juggernaut. Whatever the price.

[runner3434]

Thank you for the replies