Ptolemy
11-29-2006, 01:58 PM
== Peter Green "Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography" ==
The men of Lower Macedonia worshipped Greek gods; the royal family claimed descent from Heracles.' But the highlanders were much addicted to Thracian deities, Sabazius, the Clodones and Mimallones, whose wild orgiastic cult-practices closely resembled those portrayed by Euripides in the Bacchae.
Page 5
The sovereigns of Lower Macedonia were equally determined to annex these 'out-kingdoms*, whether by conquest, political persuasion, or dynastic inter-marriage. Lyncestis was ruled by descendants of the Bacchiad dynasty, who had moved on to Macedonia after their expulsion from Corinth in 657 B.C.15 Excavations at Trebenishte have revealed a wealth of gold masks and tomb furniture of the period between 650 and 600; these were powerful princes in the true Homeric tradition, like the kings of Cyprus. The Molossian dynasty of Epirus, on the marches of Orestis and Elimiotis, claimed descent from Achilles, through his grandson Pyrrhus - a fact destined to have immeasurable influence on the young Alexander, whose mother Olympias was of Molossian stock.
Page 5
The Argeads themselves, as we have seen, headed their pedigree with Heracles, and could thus (since Heracles was the son of Zeus) style themselves 'Zeus-born' like any Mycenaean dynast: both Zeus and Heracles appear regularly on Philip's coinage'''.
'page 5'
Alexander I had, of course, pointed the way, and not merely in the field of territorial expansion. He worked hard to GET Macedonia ACCEPTED as a member of the Hellenic FAMILY
page 8-9
In less than four years he had transformed Macedonia from a backward and primitive kingdom to one of the most powerful states in the GREEK WORLD
Page 32
There are extended parallels with the war conducted by Heracles against Troy, for the general good of mankind: Heracles, of course, was held to be Philip's direct ancestor and is described as such.
Page 49
Aristotle found support for his thesis in facts drawn from geopolitics or 'natural law'. Greek superiority had to be proved demonstrably innate, a gift of nature. In one celebrated fragment he counsels Alexander to be 'a hegemon[leader] of Greeks and a despot to the barbarians, to look after the former as after friends and relatives, and to deal with the latter as with beasts or plants
Page 58
Besides, he [Alexander] HAD THE WHOLE BODY of Greek civilized opinion behind him. Euripides held that it was proper (eikos) for 'barbarians to be subject to Greeks. Plato and Isocrates both thought of all non-Hellenes as natural enemies who could be enslaved or exterminated at will. Aristotle himself regarded a war against barbarians as essentially just
Page 59
Here, of course, Philip had good precedent in his own ancestor Heracles.
Page 81
The king would act as 'leader' (hegemon) of the league's joint forces, a combined civil and military post designed to provide for the general security of Greece"
Page 86
In spring the delegates finally ratified their 'common peace' and FORMED an Hellenic League along the lines that Philip had suggested in his manifesto. No sooner had the league's representantives been sworn in than they held their first official plenary session. An Alliance with 'Philip and his descendants' was thereupon voted, and Philip himself was unanimously elected hegemon - which made him, among other things, ex officio chairman of the federal council. In this capacity he proposed a formal motion that the league declare war on Persia, to exact vengeance for those sacrilegious crimes which Xerxes had commited against the temples of the Greek gods.
Page 94
Not only private individuals but also ambassadors from many important Greek city-states — including Athens — presented the king with ceremonial gold crowns. The Athenian herald announced that "if anyone plotted against King Philip and fled to Athens for refuge, he would be deleivered up'.
page 104
It was headed by statues of the twelve gods wrought with great artistry and adorned with a dazzling show of wealth to strike awe in the beholdeR
Page 104
He [Philip] had ordered the gentlemen of the bodyguard to follow at a distance; he wanted to show publicly that he was protected by the goodwill of all the Greeks, and had no need of a guard of spearmen.
Page 105
He emphasized the fact that he himself was related, through Heracles and the Aeacids to one of their rulling families.
Page 117
In particular with the grim struggle for the succession still fresh in their minds, they urged - very reasonably - that before leaving Macedonia he should marry and beget an heir. However, the king rejected this motion out of hand, a decision which was to cause untold bloodshed and political chaos after his death. It would be shameful, he told them, for the captain - general of the Hellenes, with Philip's invincible army at his command, to idle his time away on matrimonial dalliance….
Page 152
There was also the question of this new city and he hoped to found at the mouth of the Nile; No Greek would dream of attempting such a task without endorsement from an oracle
Page 273
The men of Lower Macedonia worshipped Greek gods; the royal family claimed descent from Heracles.' But the highlanders were much addicted to Thracian deities, Sabazius, the Clodones and Mimallones, whose wild orgiastic cult-practices closely resembled those portrayed by Euripides in the Bacchae.
Page 5
The sovereigns of Lower Macedonia were equally determined to annex these 'out-kingdoms*, whether by conquest, political persuasion, or dynastic inter-marriage. Lyncestis was ruled by descendants of the Bacchiad dynasty, who had moved on to Macedonia after their expulsion from Corinth in 657 B.C.15 Excavations at Trebenishte have revealed a wealth of gold masks and tomb furniture of the period between 650 and 600; these were powerful princes in the true Homeric tradition, like the kings of Cyprus. The Molossian dynasty of Epirus, on the marches of Orestis and Elimiotis, claimed descent from Achilles, through his grandson Pyrrhus - a fact destined to have immeasurable influence on the young Alexander, whose mother Olympias was of Molossian stock.
Page 5
The Argeads themselves, as we have seen, headed their pedigree with Heracles, and could thus (since Heracles was the son of Zeus) style themselves 'Zeus-born' like any Mycenaean dynast: both Zeus and Heracles appear regularly on Philip's coinage'''.
'page 5'
Alexander I had, of course, pointed the way, and not merely in the field of territorial expansion. He worked hard to GET Macedonia ACCEPTED as a member of the Hellenic FAMILY
page 8-9
In less than four years he had transformed Macedonia from a backward and primitive kingdom to one of the most powerful states in the GREEK WORLD
Page 32
There are extended parallels with the war conducted by Heracles against Troy, for the general good of mankind: Heracles, of course, was held to be Philip's direct ancestor and is described as such.
Page 49
Aristotle found support for his thesis in facts drawn from geopolitics or 'natural law'. Greek superiority had to be proved demonstrably innate, a gift of nature. In one celebrated fragment he counsels Alexander to be 'a hegemon[leader] of Greeks and a despot to the barbarians, to look after the former as after friends and relatives, and to deal with the latter as with beasts or plants
Page 58
Besides, he [Alexander] HAD THE WHOLE BODY of Greek civilized opinion behind him. Euripides held that it was proper (eikos) for 'barbarians to be subject to Greeks. Plato and Isocrates both thought of all non-Hellenes as natural enemies who could be enslaved or exterminated at will. Aristotle himself regarded a war against barbarians as essentially just
Page 59
Here, of course, Philip had good precedent in his own ancestor Heracles.
Page 81
The king would act as 'leader' (hegemon) of the league's joint forces, a combined civil and military post designed to provide for the general security of Greece"
Page 86
In spring the delegates finally ratified their 'common peace' and FORMED an Hellenic League along the lines that Philip had suggested in his manifesto. No sooner had the league's representantives been sworn in than they held their first official plenary session. An Alliance with 'Philip and his descendants' was thereupon voted, and Philip himself was unanimously elected hegemon - which made him, among other things, ex officio chairman of the federal council. In this capacity he proposed a formal motion that the league declare war on Persia, to exact vengeance for those sacrilegious crimes which Xerxes had commited against the temples of the Greek gods.
Page 94
Not only private individuals but also ambassadors from many important Greek city-states — including Athens — presented the king with ceremonial gold crowns. The Athenian herald announced that "if anyone plotted against King Philip and fled to Athens for refuge, he would be deleivered up'.
page 104
It was headed by statues of the twelve gods wrought with great artistry and adorned with a dazzling show of wealth to strike awe in the beholdeR
Page 104
He [Philip] had ordered the gentlemen of the bodyguard to follow at a distance; he wanted to show publicly that he was protected by the goodwill of all the Greeks, and had no need of a guard of spearmen.
Page 105
He emphasized the fact that he himself was related, through Heracles and the Aeacids to one of their rulling families.
Page 117
In particular with the grim struggle for the succession still fresh in their minds, they urged - very reasonably - that before leaving Macedonia he should marry and beget an heir. However, the king rejected this motion out of hand, a decision which was to cause untold bloodshed and political chaos after his death. It would be shameful, he told them, for the captain - general of the Hellenes, with Philip's invincible army at his command, to idle his time away on matrimonial dalliance….
Page 152
There was also the question of this new city and he hoped to found at the mouth of the Nile; No Greek would dream of attempting such a task without endorsement from an oracle
Page 273