Philip of Macedonia

Episode 22: Persia and Macedon

The Persian Empire

Dr John W I Lee (2012)

Film Review

Shortly before his death Artaxerxes II was forced to execute his son Darius for plotting to overthrow him. The king’s second son Ariapus committed suicide.

When Artaxerxes II died in 359 BC, his third son Ochus succeeded him, taking the throne name Artaxerxes III. The latter quickly consolidated power, putting down revolts in Phoenicia, Cyprus and Asia Minor. In 343 BC, he also led a campaign that successfully retook Egypt after 60 years of independence.

Also in 359 BC, Philip II became king of Macedon (a Persian client state since 512 BC – see Peloponnesian War: Persia and Sparta Join Forces to Crush Growing Athenian Empire) at the age of 23. After assembling a military to keep Macedonia from breaking up, by 350 BC he had made Macedonia the strongest power in Greece. By 340 BC, he had expanded the territory he controlled to jut north of Athens.

Philip’s phenomenal military success related mainly to getting rid of the Hoplite lances and shields and replacing them with  15-18 foot pikes (sarissas) soldiers carried with two hands. They used them in a tight phalanx formation of up to 16 men.

He also established a cavalry, which he gave long lances, brought in slingers, archers, light cavalry and javelin throwers, and strategically organized his forces into small groups with their own commanders. Philip also engaged engineers to build the latest siege technology.

In 338 BC he invaded southern Greece. which quickly came under his control. He also formed a Hellenic League, which organized an unsuccessful raid on the western Persian empire (the Anatolian peninsula). Murdered 336 BC, he was succeeded by his son Alexander III (Alexander the Great).

The same year Artaxerxes III was poisoned and his eunuch Bagoas installed his youngest son Artaxerxes IV as king. The latter ruled less than two years before he, too, was poisoned. A nobleman and distant relative Codommanus, took the throne as Darius III. He would be the last Persian king.

In 334 BC, Alexander crossed the Hellespont and landed at Troy with 50,000 men, including 7,000 cavalry. He left behind an equal sized army in Greece to prevent revolt. Darius III relied on local satraps to defend their satrapies. In the first battle at Granicus, Alexander employed hammer and anvil tactics to crush Persia’s Greek mercenaries, killing 18,000 of 20,000 of them.

Following this massacre the city of Sardis surrendered without a fight.

Alexander then used his siege engines against the highly fortified Greek coastal cities. He pardoned Greek mercenaries who defected to join his arm. He then moved inland, his forces taking city after city.

Darius III meanwhile was building an army in Babylon. He appointed Memnon of rose as regional commander of the Greek mercenaries. After building up a fleet that retook several Aegean Islands, the latter fell ill and died.

Darius meanwhile led his army north to Syria in 333 BC.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/15372393/15372420