Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The Attalid victory at Magnesia on a lost plaque from Pergamon

2016; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 66; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1017/s0066154616000065

2048-0849

Michael J. Taylor,

Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies

Abstract This article explores the battle scene on a small bronze plaque recovered during the 19th-century excavation of Pergamon, initially published in 1913 and subsequently lost. It argues that the most likely identification of the scene is the Battle of Magnesia, fought in 190 BC. The scene features Attalid cavalry riding to the rescue of distressed Roman legionaries, both fighting in opposition to Antiochus the Great's heavy phalanx and Gallic cavalry. The heroics of the Attalid cavalry are central to the scene, and likely reflect a courtly narrative that gave Eumenes II and his small contingent outsized credit for the joint victory.