Macedon- Original Monarchy of the Hellenistic World Flashcards
Early Macedon, the country
- lower valley of the rivers Haliacmon and Axios
- Upper Macedon: uplands and upper catchment basins of the same rivers
Legendary origins
-descendant of the king of Argos (a Heraclid) who moved there with his two brothers to tend the sheep and goats of a
local king. Following the goats, he would have occupied the site of Aigai (‘Goats’) which was to became the capital of his kingdom
-Probably the story is based on the origin of the kingdom from a group of transhumant shepherds who took possession of a strategic site.
Kingdom before Philip II
- Played important role in events due to strategic position and natural resources
- Growth was concern for Athens
- Macedonian=timber
- Kings visible in society, participated in games, patronage
-5th C King Archelaos attracted to his court new capital and poets
Crisis and recovery of monarchy
- Succession crises and external attacks after the death of Archelaos
- Philip II becomes king and implements military reforms and a program of land reclamation and foundation of new cities (Philippi)
- After a series of victories, he takes control of Greece through the Corinthian league, of which he is the leader, and Macedonian garrisons in key positions.
**Philippeion at Olympia- images of 12 gods, 13th image was Philip
- Summer 336 BC wedding of one of the daughters of Philip at Aigai; one of the bodyguards kills the king. Philip was preparing an expedition against the Persians.
- Philip’s son Alexander defeats rebellious Greeks and foreign invaders
- 335 BC Alexander starts his invasion of the Persian empire, leaving behind the general Antipater with few troops
Macedonian Society and Kingship
The people: majority of the population= farmers and herders living in scattered villages. -several cities, which developed over time
The upper class: a landed aristocracy who shared the lifestyle of the king and formed the upper ranks of the army, in particular the cavalry. = ‘Companions’ (Hetairoi).
-The king rewarded members of the aristocracy for their services with grants of land.
The king: a hereditary king who had ‘heroic’ status, claimed divine origin and was considered responsible for the well-being of his subjects. The king had an important religious role and lead the army fighting in the front line. The king controlled a large amount of farmland, plus the forests and the gold and silver mines, which were state property and produced a very considerable income.
Power of the King
- Assembly of people
- Vote of assembly could be overruled by king
- No formal vote procedure
- main function was to ratify decisions of the king
Monarchical institution in the Greek world
-The kings of Homer and of the mythical tradition
-development of the Polis culture and the
crisis of monarchy
- The Greek poleis of the South, and especially Athens, developed a strong anti-monarchical attitude. After the Persian wars monarchy became a symbol of the barbarian East
- Macedon was an exception where monarchy not only survived, but became stronger
Macedonians: Greeks or Barbarians?
- Spoke NW Greek dialect
- Official language=Greek
- for Herodotus they were Greeks, descendants from Hercules
- Some people consider them barbarians and enemies of the Greeks
- Royal house had Greek origins
2 main criteria to question Greekeness:
Greek polis were monarchy and non-urban lifestyle
-symposium differences
The symposium of the Macedonians
Greeks hostile toward Macedonians
- Describe their symposia as disorderly and barbaric
- Usually water is mixed with wine…not in Macedonia
- Royal banquets differ from regular symposia- could be large, wealth and rank differs
