Philip was born in either 383 or 382 BC, and was the youngest son of KingAmyntas III andEurydice ofLynkestis.[6][7] He had two older brothers,Alexander II andPerdiccas III, as well as a sister named Eurynoe.[8][9] Amyntas later married another woman, Gygaea, with whom he had three sons, Philip's half-brothersArchelaus, Arrhidaeus, andMenelaus.[10]
In 364 BC, Philip returned toMacedon. In 359 BC, perhaps in May,[13] Philip's other brother,King Perdiccas III, died in battle against theIllyrians. Before leaving, Perdiccas had appointed Philip asregent for his infant sonAmyntas IV, but Philip succeeded in taking the kingdom for himself.[14]
Philip's military skills and expansionist vision of Macedonia brought him early success. He first had to remedy the woes over Macedonian territory faced by his throne's government. This was a predicament that had greatly worsened through Macedonia's defeat by theIllyrians, a struggle in which King Perdiccas himself had died. ThePaeonians and theThracians had sacked and invaded the eastern regions of Macedonia, while theAthenians had landed atMethoni on the coast with a contingent under the Macedonian pretenderArgaeus II.[15]
Philip pushed back the Paeonians and Thracians promising tributes, and defeated the 3,000 Athenianhoplites (359 BC). Momentarily free from his opponents, he concentrated on strengthening his internal position and, above all, his army. Philip II made many notable contributions to the Macedonian army. The cavalry, which were the primary source of the army's strength, went from a force of 600 to 4000 from the time of the battles with the Illyrians to 334 BC.[16] The discipline and training of the soldiers increased as well, and the Macedonian soldiers under Philip were provided with the possibility of promotion through the ranks and rewards and bonus wages for exceptional service. In addition to these changes, Philip created theMacedonian phalanx, an infantry formation that consisted of soldiers all armed with asarissa. Philip is credited for adding thesarissa to the Macedonian army, where it soon was the common weapon used by most soldiers.[16][17]
The following year (358 BC), Philip heard that thePaeonian king,Agis, had died. Taking advantage of their political disarray and transition of power, Philip marched his army into Paeonia, where he defeated thePaeonians. He then compelled the tribe to swear allegiance to Macedon.[18]
Philip had marriedAudata, daughter or granddaughter of theIllyrian kingBardylis. However, this marriage did not prevent him from marching against the Illyrians in 358 BC and defeating them at thebattle of Erigon Valley, in which some 7,000 Illyrians died (357 BC). By this move, Philip established his authority inland as far asLake Ohrid and earned the favour of theEpirotes.[19]
After securing the western and southern borders of Macedon, Philip went on to besiegeAmphipolis in 357 BC. The Athenians had been unable to conquer Amphipolis, which commanded thegold mines ofMount Pangaion, so Philip reached an agreement with Athens to lease the city to them after his conquest, in exchange forPydna (which was lost by Macedon in 363 BC). However, after conquering Amphipolis, Philip captured Pydna for himself and kept both cities (357 BC). Athens soon declared war against him, and as a result, Philip allied Macedon with theChalcidian League ofOlynthus. He subsequently conqueredPotidaea, this time keeping his word and ceding it to the League in 356 BC.[20]
Coin of the westernOdrysian kingCetriporis, who was subjugated by Philip in the late 350s
During 356 BC, Philip conquered the town ofCrenides and changed its name toPhilippi. He then established a powerful garrison there to control its mines, which yielded much of the gold he later used for his campaigns. In the meantime, his generalParmenion defeated the Illyrians again.[22]
In 355–354 BC, he besiegedMethone, the last city on theThermaic Gulf controlled by Athens. During the siege, Philip was injured in his right eye, which was later removed surgically.[23][a] Despite the arrival of two Athenian fleets, the city fell in 354 BC. Philip also attackedAbdera and Maronea, on theThracian coast (354–353 BC).[24]
Third Sacred War
Map of the territory under the hegemony of Philip II
Philip's involvement in theThird Sacred War (356–346 BC) began in 354 BC. At the request ofthe Thessalian League, Philip and his army traveled toThessaly in order to capturePagasae, resulting in an alliance with Thebes. A year later in 353 BC, Philip was once again asked to assist in battle, but this time against the tyrantLycophron who was supported byOnomarchus. Philip and his forces invaded Thessaly, defeating 7,000Phocians and forcing Phayllus, the brother of Onomarchus, to leave.[25]
That same year, Onomarchus and his army defeated Philip in two succeeding battles. Philip returned to Thessaly the next summer, this time with an army of 20,000 infantry, 3,000 cavalry, and the additional support of the Thessalian League's forces. At theBattle of Crocus Field, 6,000 Phocians fell and 3,000 were taken as prisoners and later drowned. This battle earned Philip immense prestige as well as the free acquisition ofPherae. He was made the leader (archon) of the Thessalian League and was able to claim Magnesia and Perrhaebia, which expanded his territory to Pagasae.[25] Philip did not attempt to advance intoCentral Greece because the Athenians, unable to arrive in time to defend Pagasae, had occupiedThermopylae.
There were no hostilities with Athens yet, but Athens was threatened by the Macedonians. From 352 to 346 BC, Philip did not again travel south. He was active in completing the subjugation of theBalkan hill-country to the west and north, and in reducing the Greek cities of the coast as far as theHebrus. To the chief of these coastal cities,Olynthus, Philip continued to profess friendship until its neighboring cities were in his hands.[24]
Golden coin featuring a beardless portrait of Philip dated to the reign of his son Alexander, to whom he shows a remarkable resemblance, as well as to the godApollo.
In 348 BC, Philip started thesiege of Olynthus, which, apart from its strategic position, housed his half-brothers, Arrhidaeus andMenelaus, pretenders to the Macedonian throne. Olynthus had at first allied itself with Philip, but later shifted its allegiance to Athens. The latter, however, did nothing to help the city because its expeditions were held back by a revolt inEuboea. The Macedonian king took Olynthus in 348 BC and razed the city to the ground. The same fate was inflicted on other cities of the Chalcidian peninsula, resulting in theChalcidian League dissolving.[26]
Macedon and the regions adjoining it having now been securely consolidated, Philip celebrated hisOlympic Games atDium. In 347 BC, Philip advanced to the conquest of the eastern districts about Hebrus, and compelled the submission of theThracian princeCersobleptes. In 346 BC, he intervened effectively in the war between Thebes and the Phocians, but his wars with Athens continued intermittently. However, Athens had made overtures for peace, and when Philip again moved south, peace was sworn in Thessaly.[24]
With key Greek city-states in submission, Philip II turned toSparta, warning them "If I invade Laconia, I shall turn you out."[27] The Spartans'laconic reply was one word: "If." Philip proceeded to invade Laconia, devastate much of it and eject the Spartans from various parts.[28]
In 345 BC, Philip conducted a hard-fought campaign against the Ardiaioi (Ardiaei), under their kingPleuratus I, during which Philip was seriously wounded in the lower right leg by an Ardian soldier.[29]
In 342 BC, Philip led a military expedition north against theScythians, conquering the Thracian fortified settlement Eumolpia to give it his name,Philippopolis (modernPlovdiv).
In 340 BC, Philip started the siege ofPerinthus, and in 339 BC, began another siege against the city ofByzantium. As both sieges failed, Philip's influence over Greece was compromised.[24] He successfully reasserted his authority in theAegean by defeating an alliance of Thebans and Athenians at theBattle of Chaeronea in 338 BC, and in the same year, destroyedAmfissa because the residents had illegally cultivated part of the Crisaian plain which belonged toDelphi. These decisive victories led to Philip being recognized as themilitary leader of theLeague of Corinth, a Greekconfederation allied against thePersian Empire, in 338/7 BC.[30][31] Members of the league agreed never to wage war against each other, unless it was to suppressrevolution.[32]
Philip II was involved quite early against the Achaemenid Empire. From around 352 BC, he supported several Persian opponents toArtaxerxes III, such asArtabazos II,Amminapes or a Persian nobleman named Sisines, by receiving them for several years as exiles at the Macedonian court.[36][37][38][39] This gave him a good knowledge of Persian issues, and may even have influenced some of his innovations in the management of the Macedonian state.[36] Alexander was also acquainted with these Persian exiles during his youth.[37][40]
In 336 BC, Philip II sentParmenion, withAmyntas, Andromenes andAttalus, and an army of 10,000 men intoAsia Minor to make preparations for an invasion to free the Greeks living on the western coast and islands from Achaemenid rule.[41][42] At first, all went well. The Greek cities on the western coast of Anatolia revolted until the news arrived that Philip had been assassinated and had been succeeded as king by his young son Alexander. The Macedonians were demoralized by Philip's death and were subsequently defeated nearMagnesia by the Achaemenids under the command of the mercenaryMemnon of Rhodes.[42][41]
Marriages and family
Roman medallion ofOlympias, the fourth wife of Philip II and mother ofAlexander the Great (Museum of Thessaloniki)
The kings of Macedon practicedpolygamy. Philip II had seven wives throughout his life, all members of royalty from foreign dynasties, and all of which were considered queens, making their children royalty as well.[43] The dates of Philip's multiple marriages and the names of some of his wives are contested. Below is the order of marriages:[44]
Depiction of Philip's assassination by Pausanias inThe Story of the Greatest Nations (c. 1900)
King Philip was assassinated in October 336 BC (perhaps 25 October)[13][55] atAigai, the ancient capital of the kingdom of Macedon. Philip and his royal court were gathered in order to celebrate the marriage ofAlexander I of Epirus andCleopatra of Macedon, Philip's daughter by his fourth wifeOlympias. While the king was entering into the town's theatre, he was unprotected in order to appear approachable to the Greek diplomats and dignitaries who were present at that time. Philip was suddenly approached byPausanias of Orestis, one of his seven bodyguards, who was also – according toDiodorus – his lover,[56] and was stabbed in his ribs. After Philip was killed, the assassin immediately tried to escape and reach his getaway associates, who were waiting for him with horses at the entrance to Aegae. The assassin was pursued by three of Philip's other bodyguards, and during the chase, his horse tripped on a vine. He was subsequently stabbed to death by the bodyguards.[57]
The three sons ofAeropus of Lyncestis, a commander disgraced by Philip, were also suspected of taking part in the plot as accomplices of Pausanias. Two brothers, Arrhabaeus and Heromenes, were put to death, while the third son,Alexander of Lyncestis, was pardoned.[58][59]
The reasons for the assassination are difficult to ascertain. There was controversy even among ancient historians; the only known surviving contemporary account is that ofAristotle, who states simply that Philip was killed because Pausanias had been offended byAttalus (Philip's uncle-in-law) and his friends.[60] Attalus was the uncle of Philip's wifeCleopatra (renamed Eurydice upon marriage).
Cleitarchus' analysis
Fifty years later, the historianCleitarchus expanded and embellished the story. Centuries afterwards, this version was propagated byDiodorus Siculus and other historians who relied on Cleitarchus. According to the sixteenth book of Diodorus' history,[61] Pausanias of Orestis had been a lover of Philip, but became jealous when Philip turned his attention to a younger man, also called Pausanias. The elder Pausanias' taunting of the new lover caused the younger Pausanias to throw away his life in battle, which turned his friend Attalus against the elder Pausanias. Attalus took his revenge by getting Pausanias of Orestis drunk at a public dinner and then raping him.[62]
When Pausanias complained to Philip, the king felt unable to chastise Attalus, as he was about to send him to Asia withParmenion to establish a bridgehead for an invasion he was planning. Also, Philip had recently married Attalus' niece,Cleopatra Eurydice. Rather than offend Attalus, Philip tried to mollify Pausanias by elevating him within his personal bodyguard. Pausanias then seems to have redirected his desire for revenge towards the man who had failed to avenge his damaged honour, and accordingly to plan to kill Philip. Some time after the alleged rape, while Attalus was away in Asia fighting the Persians, he put his plan into action.[62]
Justin's analysis
Other historians (e.g.,Justin 9.7) suggested that Alexander and/or his motherOlympias were at least privy to the intrigue, if not themselves instigators. Olympias seems to have been anything but discreet in manifesting her gratitude to Pausanias, according to Justin's report: He writes that the same night of her return from exile, she placed a crown on the assassin's corpse, and later erected atumulus over his grave and ordered that annual sacrifices be made to the memory of Pausanias.[63]
Modern analysis
Some modern historians have claimed that none of the accounts are probable: They say that in the case of Pausanias, the purported motive for the crime hardly seems adequate. Furthermore they claim that implicating Alexander and Olympias in the plot seems specious, to act as they did would have required them to act with an improbable degree of brazen effrontery in the face of a military whose members were personally loyal to Philip. What seems to have been recorded, rather, are simply suspicions that were naturally directed towards the chief beneficiaries of the assassination; however, their actions in response to the murder are hardly evidence of their guilt with respect to the crime itself, regardless of how sympathetic they might have seemed afterward.[64]
Scholar Daniel Ogden has noted that if there was a sexual side to the murder, "then it can be contextualized in this regard against known homosexual relationships in and around the Macedonian court" and that according to Aristotle, theregicide ofArchelaus I of Macedon was by his formereromenoi,Crateuas and Hellenocrates of Larissa.[65]
Whatever the actual background to the assassination, it may have had an enormous effect on later world events, far beyond what any conspirators could have predicted. As asserted by some modern historians, had the older and more settled Philip been the one in charge of the war against Persia, he might have been content to make relatively moderate conquests, e.g., makingAnatolia into a Macedonian province, and, unlike his son Alexander, not have wanted to push further into an overall conquest of Persia and further campaigns in India.[64]
In 1977, Greek archaeologistManolis Andronikos started excavating the Great Tumulus at Aigai[66][67] near modernVergina, the capital and burial site of the kings of Macedon, and found that two of the four tombs in the tumulus were undisturbed since antiquity. Moreover, these two, and particularly Tomb II, contained fabulous treasures and objects of great quality and sophistication.[68][69]
Although there was much debate for some years,[70] as suspected at the time of the discovery Tomb II has been shown to be that of Philip II as indicated by many features, including thegreaves, one of which was shaped consistently to fit a leg with a misaligned tibia (Philip II was recorded as having broken his tibia). Also, the remains of the skull show damage to the right eye caused by the penetration of an object (historically recorded to be an arrow).[71][72]
Two scientists who studied some of the bones claimed in 2015 that Philip was buried in Tomb I, not Tomb II.[73] On the basis of age, kneeankylosis, and a hole matching the penetrating wound and lameness suffered by Philip, the authors of the study identified the remains of Tomb I in Vergina as those of Philip II. Tomb II instead was identified in the study as that of KingArrhidaeus and his wifeEurydice II.[73] TheGreek Ministry of Culture replied that this claim was baseless, and that the archaeological evidence shows that the ankylotic knee belongs to another body which was thrown or put into Tomb I after this had been looted, and probably between 276/5 and 250 BC.[74] Besides this, the theory that Tomb I belonged to Philip II had previously been shown to be false.[72]
More recent research gives conclusive evidence that Tomb II contains the remains of Philip II and his Thracian wife,Meda.[75] This would mean that the magnificent 5.6-metre wall painting above the entrance could be a hunting scene showing Philip andAlexander.[76]
Theheroon atVergina in Macedonia (the ancient city ofAegae – Αἰγαί) is thought to have been dedicated to the worship of the family of Alexander the Great and may have housed the cult statue of Philip. It is probable that he was regarded as a hero or deified on his death. Though the Macedonians did not consider Philip a god, he did receive other forms of recognition from other Greeks,[34][35] e.g. atEresos (altar to Zeus Philippeios),Ephesos (his statue was placed in thetemple of Artemis), and at Olympia, where thePhilippeion was built.
Isocrates once wrote to Philip that if he defeated Persia, there would be nothing left for him to do but to become a god,[77] andDemades proposed that Philip be regarded as the thirteenth god; however, there is no clear evidence that Philip was raised to the divine status accorded his sonAlexander.[78]
Niketerion (victory medallion) bearing the effigy of king Philip II of Macedon, 3rd century AD, probably minted during the reign ofRoman EmperorAlexander Severus
^Audata was Bardylis's close relative, possibly his daughter or granddaughter.[50][51]
^Alexander had relationships with at least two other women, but they produced no known children.
^Heracles was the alleged son of Alexander by Barsine, daughter of the Persian satrapArtabazos.[52] Alexander's relationship with Barsine was viewed as an affair rather than a marriage, and as a result, Heracles was regarded as illegitimate by the Macedonian nobility.[53][54]
^Worthington, Ian. 2008.Philip II of Macedonia. New Haven: Yale University Press,ISBN978-0300164763
^Cosmopoulos, Michael B. 1992.Macedonia: An Introduction to its Political History. Winnipeg: Manitoba Studies in Classical Civilization, p. 30 (Table 2: The Argeiad Kings).
^Zacharia 2008, Simon Hornblower, "Greek Identity in the Archaic and Classical Periods", pp. 55–58
^Howe, T. (2017), "Plain tales from the hills: Illyrian influences on Argead military development", in S. Müller, T. Howe, H. Bowden and R. Rollinger (eds.),The History of the Argeads: New Perspectives. Wiesbaden, 99–113.
^The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 6: The Fourth Century BC by D. M. Lewis, 1994, p. 374,ISBN0-521-23348-8: "... The victory over Bardylis made him an attractive ally to the Epirotes, who too had suffered at the Illyrians' hands, and his recent alignment ..."
^Plutarch; W.C. Helmbold."De Garrulitate".Perseus Digital Library. Tufts University.Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved5 May 2021.ἂν ἐμβάλω εἰς τὴν Λακωνικήν, ἀναστάτους ὑμᾶς ποιήσω
^Cartledge, Paul (2002).Sparta and Lakonia : a regional history, 1300–362 B.C. (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge. p. 273.ISBN0-415-26276-3.Philip laid Lakonia waste as far south as Gytheion and formally deprived Sparta of Dentheliatis (and apparently the territory on the Messenian Gulf as far as the Little Pamisos river), Belminatis, the territory of Karyai and the east Parnon foreland.
^Ashley, James R.,The Macedonian Empire: The Era of Warfare Under Philip II and Alexander the Great, 359–323 BC. McFarland, 2004, p. 114,ISBN0-7864-1918-0
^Wells, H. G. (1961) [1937].The Outline of History: Volume 1. Doubleday. pp. 279–280.... in 338 B.C. a congress of Greek states recognized him as captain-general for the war against Persia.
^abWorthington 2008:"... not much need to be said about the Greekness of ancient Macedonia: it is undeniable".
^abChristesen & Murray 2010, pp. 428–429: "Since it is now widely acknowledged that Macedonians were from the outset linguistically and culturally Greek and since there is already a vast literature on Greek religion,..."
^Wells, H. G. (1961) [1937].The Outline of History: Volume 1. Doubleday. p. 282.The murderer had a horse waiting, and would have got away, but the foot of his horse caught in a wild vine, and he was thrown from the saddle by the stumble, and slain by his pursuers.
^Carney, Elizabeth (2020).Affective Relations and Personal Bonds in Hellenistic Antiquity. Oxbow. p. 106.
^Marcus Junianus, Justinus (1768). "9.7".Justini historiæPhilippicæ: Cum versionse anglica, ad verbum, quantum fieri potuit, facta, or, The history of Justin; with an English translation, as literal as possible. By John Clarke, author of the essays upon education and study. Translated by Clarke, John (6th ed.). London: Printed for L. Hawes, W. Clarke, and R. Collins, in Pater-Noster Row, M.DCC.LXVIII. pp. 89–90.
^abHatzopoulos, Miltiades B. (1980).Philip of Macedon. Athens: Ekdotike Athenon S. A. pp. 170–175.
^Ogden, Daniel (2009). "Alexander's Sex Life". InHeckel, Waldemar; Tritle, Lawrence A. (eds.).Alexander the Great: A New History.Wiley-Blackwell. p. 212.ISBN978-1-4051-3081-3.If the relationship was indeed a sexual one, then it can be contextualized in this regard against known homosexual relationships in and around the Macedonian court. The sensitivities associated with them had often erupted into regicide. Aristotle tells that the killers of Archelaus, Crateuas and Hellenocrates of Larissa, had been formereromenoi of the king.
^Worthington, Ian (2004).Alexander the Great: Man and God.Routledge (published 2014). p. 48.ISBN978-1-317-86645-9.Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved22 March 2022.As the centuries passed, the location of Philip's tomb was forgotten, as indeed was the site of ancient Aegae. In 1977 the Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos excavated a large tumulus at Vergina, which N.G.L. Hammond identified with Aegae.
^See John Prag and Richard Neave's report inMaking Faces: Using Forensic and Archaeological Evidence, published for the Trustees of the British Museum by the British Museum Press, London: 1997.
^[1]Archived 3 October 2021 at theWayback Machine "Ministry of Culture [Greece]: Answer to the conclusions of a study on the tomb of Philip" (Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού: Απάντηση στα συμπεράσματα μελέτης για τον τάφο του Φιλίππου, Newspaper To Vima (Το Βήμα), 22 July 2015. (in Greek)
Diodorus Siculus (1968).Diodorus of Sicily in Twelve Volumes. Translated by Oldfather, Charles H. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Plutarch (1923).Plutarch's Lives. Translated by Perrin, Bernadotte. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
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Anson, Edward (2009). "Philip II, Amyntas Perdicca, and Macedonian Royal Succession".Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte.58 (3):276–286.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
Carney, Elizabeth (2006).Olympias: Mother of Alexander the Great. Routledge.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
Errington, Robert (1990).A History of Macedonia. Berkeley: University of California Press.ISBN0-520-06319-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
Hammond, N.G.L.; Griffith, G.T. (1979).A History of Macedonia Volume II: 550–336 B.C. Oxford: Clarendon Press.ISBN9780198148142.
Hammond, N.G.L.; Walbank, F.W. (1988).A History of Macedonia Volume III: 336–167 B.C. Oxford: Clarendon Press.ISBN978-0198148159.
Hammond, N.G.L. (1994).Philip of Macedon. Johns Hopkins University Press.ISBN0-8018-4927-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
Heckel, Waldemar (2016).Alexander's Marshals: A study of the Makedonian aristocracy and the politics of military leadership (second ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.ISBN978-1-138-93469-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
Heckel, Waldemar (2016).Lexicon of Argead Makedonia. Berlin: Frank & Timme.ISBN978-3-7329-9601-8.
King, Carol J. (2018).Ancient Macedonia. Routledge.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
Worthington, Ian (2014).By The Spear: Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire. New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-992986-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
Christesen, Paul; Murray, Sarah C. (2010)."Macedonian Religion". In Roisman, Joseph; Worthington, Ian (eds.).A Companion to Ancient Macedonia. Oxford, Chichester, & Malden: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 428–445.ISBN978-1-4051-7936-2.
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