Forgotten Macedonia (358-168 Bc)

In 358 BC, Macedonia was transformed into one of the greatest powers in Ancient Greece by King Philip II. From his position as ruler of Lower Macedonia, Philip was able to create an impressive army characterised by complex military manoeuvres, highly trained soldiers and advanced weaponry and armour funded by his own personal wealth. This army, with its revolutionary methods, allowed Philip and the Lower Macedonians to defeat the Dardanians of Upper Macedonia, uniting the Kingdom into a whole significantly more powerful than either country had been when separated.

By 338 BC, the Macedonians had defeated the Athenians, again thanks to their superior army and tactical skills, meaning that the whole of Greece was now united under King Philip. His rule lasted until 336 BC, when Philip passed away and was replaced by his son, Alexander. Despite his tender years (Alexander was only twenty years old when he took the throne), the new King proved to be at least as able as the old. As well as maintaining domestic stability in Greece, he succeeded in further strengthening the Macedon Empire through campaigns in Asia Minor and the defeat of the Persian Empire. Clearly his father and his tutor, Aristotle, had taught him well; his reign was so successful that history now remembers him as Alexander the Great.

After his death, however, the Macedonian Empire became fragmented. Its size and diversity led to civil disagreement and internal conflict, and whilst Philip`s death had been followed by a quality successor there was no such replacement for Alexander. Some stability was achieved by King Antigonus II Gonatas between 276 BC and 239 BC, but this was to be short-lived as the power of the Macedon Kingdom began to clash with that of the emerging Roman Empire.

Philip V, a subsequent Macedonian monarch, competed valiantly with the Romans for several years. However, in 197 BC he was decisively beaten and, as a result, was forced to surrender most of his fleet, downsize his army and confine himself to Macedonia. This brought an end to any further expansion of the Kingdom, and Philip spent his final years in power trying to consolidate and secure that which remained of the Macedon Empire. Ultimately, however, his efforts would prove futile; Philip`s successor, Perseus, was the last King of Macedonia.

Provoked by the governors of the ancient city of Pergamum, who still felt threatened by the heavily weakened Macedonians, Rome launched a second conquest with the aim of defeating all that remained of the Macedonian Empire. Again Macedon fought valiantly but, no longer boasting the undefeatable army it once possessed, finally crumbled in the Battle of Pydna in 168 BC. This brought an effective end to the Macedonian Kingdom, with the imprisonment of King Perseus at Alba.

Perseus` imprisonment was supposed to be peaceful and respectful of his royal heritage, at least until Rome had decided if he warranted further punishment. However, the barbaric guards at Alba, a notoriously unappealing prison compound, wanted more immediate action. As they grew more and more restless, further instructions from Rome still not received, the guards decided to take matters into their own hands by preventing Perseus from sleeping. Whether or not the guards knew what a lack of sleep could do to a man is unclear, but in 166 BC the King died as a direct result of enforced sleep deprivation. This slow execution, apparently unique in its form, brought a pitiful end to the otherwise glorious story of Ancient Macedonia.