Born circa 213 B.C.; died circa 166 B.C. Last king of Macedonia; ruled from 179 to 168 B.C.
Perseus strove to restore the power of Macedonia that had been undermined by the wars of his father, Philip V, with Rome (the first Macedonian War [215-205 B.C.] and the Second Macedonian War [200-197 B.C.]). He organized and led an anti-Roman coalition, forming an alliance with the Illyrian tribes, the Thracians, the Seleucid state, and Rhodes and other Greek islands. He supported democratic groupings everywhere that were hostile to Rome. In the early part of the Third Macedonian War, which began in 171 B.C., Perseus won several victories on land (in Thessaly) and sea (at Euboea), but on June 22-23, 168, in a battle near Pydna in Macedonia, his army was defeated. Perseus was captured and brought to Italy, where he died in confinement.
a hero in ancient Greek mythology, son of Danaë and Zeus. According to the myth, Perseus’ grandfather, King Acrisius of Argos, was told by an oracle that he would die at the hands of his grandson. He ordered that Perseus and Danaë be placed in a chest and cast into the sea. The two were rescued by fishermen and settled on the island of Seriphus. From here, Perseus set out to capture the head of the Gorgon Medusa. On the way back he freed Andromeda, the daughter of King Ceph-eus, from a sea monster and married her. Perseus returned to his homeland and during a discus-throwing contest accidentally killed Acrisius. He then left Argos and became ruler in Tiryns. The founding of the city of Mycenae is attributed to him. According to later myths, Perseus and Andromeda were carried up to the heavens and turned into constellations. The myth of Perseus has been a popular theme in art, as seen in the work of Tintoretto, Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Tiepolo.