Why were Polybius and other Achaean leaders deported to Italy after the Battle of Pydna?

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Marble statue of Polybius seated with one arm raised, draped in classical robes, against a blue sky in Vienna, Austria. The base is inscribed with the name Polybius. — Polybius Polybius, statue in Vienna.

Following the Roman victory over Perseus of Macedonia at the Battle of Pydna in 168 BCE, the Roman Senate moved to consolidate its control over the region by punishing those who had shown disloyalty or wavered in their support during the Third Macedonian War.1

In 167 BCE, as part of these punitive measures, 1,000 prominent men from the Achaean League were identified as being suspected of harboring Macedonian sympathies. These leaders were deported to Italy and detained without trial to ensure the political stability of the region and to enforce compliance with Roman interests. Among those taken was the historian Polybius, who remained in Italy for years, eventually forming a close relationship with the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus.123