kingdom into the mainstream of a unified Hellenistic civilization under his leadership. He employed great thinkers at
his court like Aristotle to tutor his young son, Alexander. His first expansions absorbed neighboring Thessaly and
Thrace, whose rich mineral wealth paid his mercenaries.
Macedonian phalanx, his "secret weapon," was sectioned into a 16 man by 16 man square of armored foot soldiers,
bristling with their 14 foot long spears. The first five ranks leveled their spears to attack the front, and the ranks
behind rested their lances skyward on the soldiers in front to provide a barrier against arrows. These squares of
weaponry could be deployed with infinite variety depending on the terrain and the opposing forces.
god Ammon, who had assumed the form of a serpent. Further legend claims that Alexander himself was the offspring
of this union. But the oracle warned that Philip's eye which viewed this god's visitation would be lost to him. Plutarch
speculates that Philip lost interest in Olympias after that, and although he was proud of Alexander as his son, the
bitter seeds of discontent had been sown.
traditional rivalries amongst the Greek city-states. His gold was useful in bribing the disaffected elements of these
southern cities. The Greeks of Athens, Corinth, Thebes, Sparta and the other city-states certainly had not forgotten
the Persian threat from Asia Minor, and many Greeks, led by Isocrates of Athens, saw Philip more as an ally than an
enemy. In a display for potential unification, Philip presided over the games in 346 B.C. at the Panhellenic sanctuary
at Delphi, sacred to Apollo. Philip himself was a victor in the chariot race of the Olympic games. Demosthenes of
Athens, one of the most famous orators of all time, railed effectively against Philip and his ambitions, so when Philip
moved aggressively into Greece, Athens and Thebes fielded an army to oppose him. Too little and too late, the Greek
resistance to the Macedonians met with complete defeat at Chaeronea in 338 B.C. Philip's treaty with Thebes was
harsh, but he treated Athens quite easily, apparently out of sentiment and his respect for this center of Greek culture.
Plutarch describes a drunken feast during which Philip and Alexander exchange angry words, and Philip almost
speared Alexander. Plutarch believes that Olympias, an ex-wife and mother of Alexander the Great, was the
mastermind, and friends of Alexander that Philip and his current wife had mistreated, were the perpetrators. Whoever
the instigator, Alexander was the beneficiary. At the age of 20 Alexander ascended to the Macedonian throne and
began his lifelong conquest of the known world.
Philip continued to be struck for 40 years after his death, partly to honor his achievements, and partly to maintain the
status quo. Perhaps the minting of Philip's gold Staters alongside the Alexander's gold Staters celebrated Philip's
victories as well as paid the ongoing expenses of his planned attack on the Persian empire. The Thraco-Macedonian
silver Tetradrachm, as in this ad, weighed 14.4 grams. Alexander the Great issued his prolific silver Tetradrachms on
the Attic standard of 17.2 grams. The gold Staters of Philip were the same 8.6 gram pure gold standard as
Alexander's. Very little is known about the denominations and purchasing power of the Macedonian brass coinages,
but the dies and planchets were well prepared.
In terms of purchasing power a Philip silver Tetradrachm could buy enough barley meal to feed a family of four for 5
months. Meat was a luxury compared to grain staples, and a young pig cost 3/4 of a Tetradrachm. One fourth of a
Tetradrachm would buy 6 salted fish. One half would buy a gallon of wine. Sandals could cost 2 Tetradrachms, and
a tunic; 2
in wartime and a sailor half of that. A valuable tool like a sickle could cost 12 Tetradrachms. A hetaera or officially
sanctioned prostitute received from 1/4 to 1 Tetradrachm. The annual income of the Persian Empire was estimated
at 25,000,000 Tetradrachms.
horse chariot in high action, alluding to Philip's Olympic victory.
mast of galley.
on pacing horse. Plutarch describes the very young Alexander the
Great winning a bet with his father. Alexander wagered that he could
tame the beautiful but wild horse Bucephalus. Alexander had noticed
that Bucephalus was spooked by his own shadow, so he turned the
horse into the sun and calmed him down enough to ride and win his
bet.
silver. Ancient accounts of the 4th Century B.C. describe the official
job of "coin tester" in Greek marketplace. If this public employee was
not on duty during marketplace hours his punishment was 40 lashes.
(This was sometimes fatal, usually debilitating, and always painful).
If a customer presented him with a silver coin he would make a sharp
chisel cut into the coin. This would pierce a heavy silver layer and
reach the copper core if the coin were a common type of ancient
counterfeit known as a "fourre." A coin proven solid silver by the
tester could readily be spent, since any merchant who refused a
proven coin would have all his wares confiscated.
guaranteed!
references.
MasterCard and American Express accepted.
$4.00 for postage and handling.