The defeat of Perseus, last king of Macedonia, by Lucius Aemilius Paullus at the battle of Pydna (168 BC) ushered in a prolonged Roman occupation. After a period of nominal independence, Macedonia became a Roman province ('provincia Macedonia').
The new province was attacked by diverse barbarian peoples, became the theatre of Roman civil strife during the period of the Republic, and enjoyed a brief economic recovery -- afforded by the 'Pax Augusta' -- which was followed by political vacillations that ended with the accession of Diocletian.
The new system of the Tetrarchy, the administrative reorganisation, and the spread and recognition of Christianity, all laid the foundations of a new historical era which was formally expressed in the person of Constantine the Great.
See Also
