Philip II and Alexander the Great: Father and Son ... - Historia Antigua

ARGEAD DUNASTEIA 161
things that ever happened to Macedon (Diod. 16.2.4–5). Perdiccas’
death soon led to the elevation of his younger brother Philip, whose
achievements are famous. But one largely overlooked result of the
manner of Perdiccas’ death must be emphasized here. The magnitude
of the losses suffered by the Macedonians at the hands of their
Illyrian foes both exterminated a critical mass of hetairoi and created
mass hysteria throughout the realm. Philip successfully exploited the
hysteria by massively expanding the Macedonian infantry which
soon proved that the faith which his subjects had placed in him was
well founded, at least insofar as domestic security and national pride
was concerned (Diod. 16.3–6). One of the reasons Philip was able to
act so decisively, however, was the decimation of the hetairoi that
occurred at the time of Perdiccas’ death. As a result of their losses,
Philip created and used his own corps of elite lieutenants while
simultaneously disregarding whatever qualms anyone might have
had about any failure to observe whatever may have become the
expected prerogatives of the hetairoi. Philip may not have had a blank
check to do anything he wanted to do, but he clearly greatly expanded
the powers of the Macedonian king, as the sources attest (Diod.
16.95.1–4), and, because of his success, he faced very few domestic
obstacles. Philip’s very success, however, created a new environment
and he came increasingly to depend on favorites to extend his effective
reach. He was still king and the ultimate source of justice and
security against threats from both this world and the divine. Nevertheless,
fi gures like Parmenion, Antipater, and Attalus accrued a
certain amount of prestige thanks to Philip, which in turn led to the
development of their own interests and ambitions, factors that the
king could disregard only at his peril. 33 Nothing appears to have been
static as long as success was mounted upon success, so that, by the
end of his life, Philip may even have aspired to be recognized as more
than human, along the lines that Aristotle defi ned. 34 Success, however,
demanded constant effort and vigilance, so that even as the size
of Macedon grew beyond the limits that could be successfully controlled
by the primitive household structures of the kingdom Philip
had inherited, there was no time for consolidation, for systematization,
or for reform. The king may have had the last say, but care
continuously had to be taken so that when he spoke he did not destabilize
the balance of his household or its dependents, or threaten their
interests through marriage, political or military appointments, or new
policy initiatives, and so on. This became increasingly diffi cult, since
success has the effect of reinforcing the illusion of invincibility in the
successful, frequently leading, as it did in Philip’s case, to one indiscretion
too many: toward the end of his life especially, Philip was