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| A mosaic of a lion hunt from the era of Philip, King of Macedonia |
The enormous achievements of Alexander the Great would not have been possible without the contribution of his father, Philip of Macedonia (ruled from 359-336BC). A brilliant warrior, tactician and diplomat, he went a long way towards achieving his dream of a mighty Greek Empire during his 20-odd years of rule.
His success lay in revolutionising Greek warfare. He perfected siege warfare and created a skilled heavy infantry armed with 14ft pikes, who fought in a close-knit rectangular phalanx formation. His armies literally took the Greek world by storm, first conquering mainland Greece and then turning their attentions to Thrace, Illyria and the shipping outposts of the northern Aegean.
But with power came enemies. Philip was assassinated by a disgruntled noble on his daughter’s wedding day, aged 46, by which time he had made Macedonia the mightiest kingdom in the Greek world.
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