King Philip II of Macedon is famous for a number of things including being the father of Alexander the Great. Dr Ian Worthington, Professor of Ancient History, Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia), joins the show to discuss what scholars know of Philip’s life.
Some topics explored
- What’s known about when and where he was born
- What sources historians use to know about Philip’s life
- What’s known about his father, King Amyntas III of Macedon and mother, Queen Eurydice I of Macedon
- The difference in linguistics between “Macedon” and “Macedonia” and
- How he became King of Macedon
- What’s known about his physical dimensions and level of dexterity
- The concept of polygamy in ancient Macedonia
- What’s known about his wives and children
- His son Alexander III (Alexander the Great)
- His plans to invade the Persian Empire (Achaemenid Empire)
- His assassination and theories about what the perpetrator(s) motivations were
- How Macedonia changed under Philip’s reign
Listen to the episode
The episode is available on major podcast apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
Show Notes
- Professor Worthington is author of a number of publications including the books Ptolemy I: King and Pharaoh of Egypt (Oxford University Press, 2016) and Athens Athens After Empire: A History from Alexander the Great to the Emperor Hadrian (Oxford University Press, 2020)
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