Philip Of Macedonia

Philip of Macedonia is a very interesting character in the history of Greece. He is one of the few people ever considered both Greek and barbarian at the same time. Philip is seen is as a hero to some and the ultimate villain to others, crushing what many would call the greatest cultural center in the world at that time Athens. He used brilliant political maneuvers plus outstanding new military strategy to make his have his name last thousands of years. Ultimately Philip of Macedonia is known as an astute general and tactical leader who took his somewhat backward kingdom and placed all the power of the Peloponnesian peninsula within it.

Isocrates was an Athenian philosopher who believed that Philip should not only conquer all of Greece but should then, in turn, take the fight to Persia and defeat Greece's mortal enemy once and for all. Scholars are not quite sure if Isocrates' letter ever reached Philip or if it was done merely for his own Isocrates' own students to provoke discussion, but regardless it gives a great insight into one of the prevailing ideologies of the time. Isocrates argues that it is not only destined but right for Philip to conquer Greece.

"On no other condition could Athens remain at peace, unless the greatest of

states of Hellas (Macedonia) should resolve to put an end to their mutual

quarrels" (Oration to Philip, Isocrates, Page 251)

He is to do this to restore peace in the peninsula and to make all Greeks friends once again. Isocrates even goes so far as to say that it wont even really be that hard for Philip to do this. He states very clearly that Philip need only take over four powers in Greece and the rest will bow to him without a fight.

"You ought to make an effort to reconcile Argos and Lacedaemon and Thebes and Athens; for if you can bring these cities together you will not find it hard to unite the others as well; for all the rest are under protection of the aforesaid cities, and fly for refuge, when they are alarmed, to one or other of these powersÐ'...Ð'... So that if you can persuade four cities to take the same view of things, you will deliver the others also from many evils" (Oration to Philip, Isocrates, Page 265)

Isocrates sees Greece in a very weak state if only four city states need to be conquered for the whole peninsula to lay itself down. It is this reason why he writes to Philip who he views as Greek-enough and the lesser of two evils. He sees that if Persia gets more powerful and realizes the mass chaos that is running rampant in Greece at this time that the Greeks would not stand a chance in the face of another Persian invasion. Isocrates then goes on to show how weak these four so called powerful cities truly are. He speaks of the Lacedaemonians who were once rulers over the Peloponnesians now are

"warred upon by their neighbors, they are distrusted by all the Peloponnesians, they are hated by most of the Hellenes; they are harried and plundered by day and night by their own serfs; and not a day passes that they do not habe to take the field or fight against some force or another or march to the rescue of their perishing comrades." (Oration to Philip, Isocrates, Page 275)

He sees the Argives in an even worse situation as he says:

"So unsuccessful are they in warfare that hardly a year passes that they are not compelled to witness their own territory being ravaged and laid to waste." (Oration to Philip. Isocrates, Page 277)

As for the Thebans he just says they will do whatever you command. This is just pathetic and Isocrates sees this and is scared and so he tells Philip that it is his duty to unite all of Greece and then once and for all end the major threat to their east, Persia.

After laying out Greece on a silver platter for Philip, Isocrates then goes about talking of the grave threat of Persia and how any great Greek would battle them for the sake of glory. Glory according to Isocrates awaits any Greek who leads an army against Persia.

"That it has been the fortune of all who have undertaken a war against the King, without exception, to rise from obscurity to brilliant distinction, from poverty to wealth and from low estate to be masters of many lands and cities" (Oration to Philip, Isocrates, Page 299)

Conversely however Demosthenes argues that Philip of Macedonia is a scourge that will soon take his barbarian army and overrun Greece if something is not done about him soon. He does not feel that Philip has anything to offer Greece except tyranny and oppression and does not even view Philip as a potential Greek but as a straight outsider who should be dealt with accordingly. He gives his speech to the Athenian assembly and tries, quite adamantly I might add, to convince his audience that Philip will march towards Athens it is only a matter of time. While Philip claims peace with Athens it is a peace on his terms so he can amass his forces and bid his time till the moment comes for his best attack on the city.

"If anyone mistakes for peace an arrangement which will enable Philip, whne he has seized everything else, to march upon us, he has taken leave of his senses and the peace that he talks of is one that you observe towards Philip but not Philip towards you." (Third Philippic, Demosthenes, page 229)

Demosthenes argues that Philip is not even a Greek, he is not even a barbarian he comes from a little