Who do you think was behind Philip's assassination???

[MAKEDON01]

I thought it was Pausanias, whom Phillip had a relationship with and had him raped at a gathering by some soldiers. It was a revenge attack. They believe it could have been Alexander because the soldiers that caught Pausanias were Alexanders close friends and it was said that they ran after him in an attempt to silence him by death so he does not tell any1 that he was paid to kill Phillip. Many various but simular theories. And as for olympia she worshipped Pausanias after the assasination of Phillip, she also made a shrine for him and Macedonians were ordered to give yearly sacrifices, This is why they might have thought she was behind it.

Just what i think anyway.

[zefs]

Alexander,in order to be the only legitimate heir to the kingdom. Alexander didn't like that Philip had fathered another, as the guest at the famous banquet said, purely Macedonian heir. He also didn't like the way Philip treated his mother and I'm sure she was behind it as well.

[Ariadni_Nefeli]

Probably some Greeks and Persians who didn't wanted the dream of Philip to unite Greece under his command against Persia to come true, and thought that -the young man then- Alexandrer, would probably be an easy puppet.

Of course they were wrong and Alexander not only united all the Greek Kingdoms under his leadership, but also gave to some traitors, and Persians, something to remember him, for anyone that might even consider to try and stop the unification of the Greeks.

[pankration]

Originally Posted by Ariadni_Nefeli

Probably some Greeks and Persians who didn't wanted the dream of Philip to unite Greece under his command against Persia to come true, and thought that -the young man then- Alexandrer, would probably be an easy puppet.

Of course they were wrong and Alexander not only united all the Greek Kingdoms under his leadership, but also gave to some traitors, and Persians, something to remember him, for anyone that might even consider to try and stop the unification of the Greeks.

The Persians for centuries were known to bribe, hire and enlist Greeks to fight other Greeks. Your theory probably has a ring of truth to it.

[Ariadni_Nefeli]

Unfortunately yes brother...

Efialtes and Irostratoi die hard...

[Sikander]

Greetings,

My friend and I wrote a brief essay on a perspective of Philip's death on the Pothos site. I have not yet posted enough times to enable me to put the URL here but if you are interested in reading and discussing it, I would be happy to try to post more notes so as to be able to post it here for discussion or send it to anyone interested. I would welcome discussion and comment on our essay.

I am enjoying catching up on the many threads on this site.

Regards,
Sikander

[Ptolemy]

Hi Sikander and welcome to Motw,

I assume you wanted to provide this url.
http://www.pothos.org/content/index....-assassination

Your approach is really good and examines the issue from all perspectives. However i would like to add just a comment. Philip wasnt exactly popular in the royal house of Lyncestis in Upper Macedonia. Although the literary evidence is scanty, this maybe could have been also the case for royal members of other Upper Macedonian royal houses for now we let it aside. We do know from a Athenean decree, Menelaus son of Arrhabeus, surnamed the 'Pelagonian' (at that time Pelagonia was believed to form a part of Lyncestis) was exiled or even on his own wish, prefered to fled from Lyncestis and find refuge in Athens at the time Lyncestis was annexed by Philip. His patronymic and his existence in the Athenean degree force a few modern historian to assume he could may be even the king of Lyncestis at the time of the annexation from Argeads. So we have another possible participant in the whole plot. In your essay, you mention the sons of the Lyncestian Aeropos. In Polyaenus str. 4.2.3 we learn there was a Macedonian commander named Aeropos at the time of the battle of Chaeronea in Philip's army. This Aeropos must have been someone very important to hold that position and his name is common among Lyncestians. In Polyaenus we got the info, this Aeropos together with Damassipos, were exiled from Macedonia due to the fact they brought in the camp a female harpist. If this Aeropos was the same person as Aeropos, father of Heromenes, Alexander and Arrhabeus, this should be a great hybris to their house. Hence members of this family would have a large motive to plot against Philip's life, the man who exiled their father and possibly other members of their royal house as we examined a little earlier. Remember another member of this royal family, Neoptolemos, grandson of Aeropos, fled Macedonia and found himself in Persian side fighting against Alexander and his own people, in Asia while in Hallicarnasos he lost his own life.