Filippo V e la Storia Romana di Appiano

The extant 10 fragments of Appian’s Macedonian book, concerning Philip V of Macedonia, and their sources are analysed. It has been observed that often Appian’s books on Syrians, on Illyrians, on Macedonians include information alien to the Roman point of view, as it is attested in the historiography of Polibian traditions. The non-Polybian source for these fragments is investigated and its peculiarities are singled out. It appears that Appian attempts to counterbalance Polybius’ Roman standpoint with a more Macedonian-Greek perspective, which often transmits the defeated’s point of view. This source, basically Greek, is hostile to the Aetolians, critical of the Attalids, and unbiased to the Macedonians; it has certainly read Polybius, and is well informed on the 3rd/2nd-century politics.