III.

Legacy of Philip

Philip’s reign (359-336 bc) had been momentous for the Greek world. Drawing on the wealth acquired from the gold mines of Mount Pangaeus in Thrace, to the east of Macedonia, and on the plentiful timber of Macedonia itself, Philip had created a powerful army based on the introduction of the infantry phalanx. Each member of the phalanx was armed with an enormously long pike known as a sarissa. Approximately 5.5 m (18 ft) in length, the sarissas were carried horizontally by the soldiers as they advanced in rows, maybe ten deep, so that successive rows of points confronted the enemy before they were close enough to wield their swords. Philip also developed a highly trained cavalry, and introduced the most advanced siege machines yet known in the Greek world, which were developed yet further by Alexander.

With this powerful army Philip quickly secured control of the Greek states and, following the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 bc, united them in what was called the Hellenic League or the League of Corinth. In the autumn of 337 bc plans were drawn up for an invasion of the Achaemenid Empire, but everything was thrown into turmoil by the assassination of Philip.

In the summer of 336 bc Philip had arranged a wedding between his daughter by Olympias, Cleopatra, and the king of Epirus, Alexander the Molossian. The celebrations took place at the Macedonian capital, Aegae (which can be confidently identified with modern Vergina), where several tombs of the Macedonian kings have been excavated. On the second day of the ceremonies, Philip entered the theatre flanked by his son Alexander on the one side, and his son-in-law Alexander on the other. Suddenly, a member of the bodyguard, Pausanias, rushed forward and stabbed Philip. Pausanias was quickly seized and speared by a group of nobles; but Philip had died instantly.

Pausanias’ motive was said to have been revenge for Philip’s transfer of his affections to another man. The motive hardly seems sufficient for so public an act, and both ancient and modern scholars have speculated as to whether more lay behind it—a Persian plot, or even a plot by Olympias herself. Certainly the latter had reasons for anxiety following the birth of a son to Cleopatra in the summer of 336 bc. It was said that Olympias honoured the corpse of Pausanias, exposed on a gibbet, by placing a gold crown on it, and that she poured libations there on every anniversary of the murder. Nothing can now be proved, but it was Olympias’ family who benefited, as Alexander at once inherited the throne of Macedon.