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What strikes me in this story is that Philip supposedly wasnt a full-blooded Argead either. His mother Eurydika was considered to be from the majority of historians as partly Illyrian (the origins of her father Sirras is a hot issue even today) and Attalus' derogatory shot about 'legitimate king' wo...

The story of Branchidae is being mentioned by Curtius but not by Arrian and Plutarch. Bearing in mind, Curtius source is probably Cleitarchus, the validity of the story is challenged. However, there is a reference of Strabo about the city of the Branchidae destroyed by Alexander the Great. Most like...

Greetings Paralus, Too many factors to count and evidence is lacking to make definite statements. I follow Otto Hoffmann's views and conclusions, as he is one of the best linguists ever dealt with ancient Macedonian language. now after supervising the ancient Macedonian linguistic thesaurus we are p...

I too believe there are more. You see, we rely on very late sources – some more apologetic than others – and all "summarisers" of earlier writers. We have lost a hundredfold that which we still possess. What I would not give for a complete Theopompus – his dislike of my anti-Greek hero Ph...

Yes, I'll go with vassal state. The individuals mentioned were, as Marcus says, most probably related to the royal family and were thus incorporated as were like individuals in the cantons. Either way, it is likely irrecoverable now. This leaves open the possibility, these molossians who found them...

Oh dear, we are going to be dogmatic I see. In that case it would serve you better to include the “rider” attached to the above quoted “part of Macedonia”: to all intents and purposes . Which is to say, it was not “part of Macedonia” but that, during the period noted (esp Philip’s time) it seemed s...

And, just for the record, although I know this doesn't cover the earlier part of Alexander's career, nor Philip's: ... while up to this time Alexander's bodyguards were seven in number, Leonnatus son of Anteas, Hephaestion son of Amyntor, Lysimachus son of Agathocles, Aristonous son of Pisaeus, all...

The Epirotans weren't "part of Macedonia". During the time of Philip, their relation was based on the unsteady personal relationship between Philip and Olympias, hence was far from Epirus being part of Macedon. That's true. However, it is most probable that the only reason Epirotes were a...

Most likely its the story of the Branchidae. "In pursuit of Bessus the Macedonians had arrived at a small town inhabited by the Branchidae who, on the orders of Xerxes, when he was returning from Greece, had emigrated from Miletus and settled in this spot. This was necessary because, to please ...

Yes Callisto, the exception often proves the rule. Marcus has already pointed up the logical explanation here. Alexander himself was of the Epirote line. During the time of Philip (esp) and Alexander, it is as well to think of the Molossians and other Epirotes as – to all intents and purposes – par...

It's possible that he was a hypaspist, which is sometimes translated as "bodyguard" - but I don't think so, because (a) he wasn't Macedonian There is no question that the somatophylakes were composed solely of Macedonian nobility during Alexander's campaign thereby making my statement tha...

I could not agree more, however, I don't think it makes any difference to Smiitty's point only to the degree of threat Xerxes posed to them. I still see it as Macedonian nobles acting as diplomats rarther than bodies of troops physically 'rescuing ' the cites, the Persians would surely bnot have to...

[Hdts. 8.34] 'All the Boeotians had gone over to the enemy, and their towns were protected by Macedonians, sent by Alexander, to make it clear to Xerxes that the people of Boeotia were friendly to him.' 'Protected' or 'Guarded' amounts pretty much to the same thing. In reality the original greek te...

I do believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that any women listed as Olympic victors were "owners" of the horses in chariot races. The "win" was theirs, but they weren't physically allowed to race in the events. Still it doesnt change the fact that in prohibited for women gam...

All over the internet (and in a couple of books that I own on ancient sports) there is an insistence that slaves were not allowed to compete in the Olympics, the understanding being that only free-born Greeks of good character could participate. There may be other sources for this, but the only evi...