The Rise of Macedon, c.359–323 BC

What The Rise of Macedon, c.359–323 BC covers

The Rise of Macedon, c.359–323 BC is examined in Component Group 1, Greek period study and Greek depth study. It covers Philip's accession and the securing of Macedon, 359–357 BC, the reform of the Macedonian army and its siege technology, Philip's court, his patronage and his marriages, the expansion of Macedon and the organisation of the new territories, Thessaly, the Third Sacred War and Philip's place in Greek institutions, the Peace of Philocrates and the prospect of a common peace, Thrace, Perinthus and Byzantium, Chaeronea, the League of Corinth and the hegemony, Alexander's accession and the reassertion of control over Greece, the crossing to Asia: Troy, the Granicus and Halicarnassus, Gordium, Issus and the conquest of the Levant and Egypt, Gaugamela and the occupations of Babylon and Persepolis, the pursuit of Darius, the fall of Bessus and the war in Bactria and Sogdiana, conspiracy and opposition: Philotas, Cleitus and Callisthenes, Alexander's foundation cities and their role, the Indus valley campaign and the rulers of the Punjab, the mutiny at the Hyphasis, the Mallians and the crossing of the Gedrosian Desert, the return from the east: the purges, the marriages at Susa and the mutiny at Opis, the Exiles' Decree, the death of Hephaestion and the last months at Babylon, the aims of Philip and Alexander: continuity and change, Philip's character: diplomacy, warfare and the treatment of the defeated, Alexander's character, the gods and his own divinity, Philip, Alexander and the Greek states, Alexander, his army and his Companions, Alexander and the Persians: Darius' family, the satraps and the Epigonoi and the ancient sources for Philip and Alexander and their reliability.

The 26 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Philip's accession and the securing of Macedon, 359–357 BCRecall questions on the disaster that brought Philip to the throne, the rival claimants, the concessions that bought off Athens, the defeat of Bardylis, and the handling of Upper Macedonia.Open →
• The reform of the Macedonian army and its siege technologyRecall questions on the sarissa and the infantryman's equipment, the pezhetairoi and hypaspists, the Companion cavalry's wedge and the combined infantry and cavalry attack, lighter baggage and a paid year-round army, Polyidus of Thessaly and the torsion catapult, Philip's lost eye at Methone, and bribery as a siege weapon at Olynthus.Open →
• Philip's court, his patronage and his marriagesRecall questions on the hetairoi and land grants, the Royal Pages, Aristotle at Mieza, Greek culture at Pella and Isocrates' appeal, Philip's Olympic victories and the Philippeion, his seven marriages including Philinna, Nicesipolis, Olympias and Cleopatra, the crisis of 337 BC, polygamy and the succession, and Theopompus' hostile picture of the court.Open →
• The expansion of Macedon and the organisation of the new territoriesRecall questions on the value of Amphipolis and the alleged secret deal with Athens, Potidaea and Olynthus, the refounding of Crenides as Philippi, the Pangaeum mines and gold coinage, the destruction of Olynthus, the government of Thrace, population transfers, new foundations and hostages, attacks on Athenian bases, and the extent of the kingdom by 336 BC.Open →
• Thessaly, the Third Sacred War and Philip's place in Greek institutionsRecall questions on why Thessaly mattered and the Aleuadae's invitation, the origin of the Third Sacred War, Philip's defeats by Onomarchus and victory at the Crocus Field, his archonship of the Thessalian League, the turn at Thermopylae, the settlement of 346 BC and the Amphictyonic seats, the Fourth Sacred War, and Argead claims to be Greek.Open →
• The Peace of Philocrates and the prospect of a common peaceRecall questions on why Athens negotiated in 346, the basis of the terms, those left out of the treaty, what a common peace meant, and the rival advice of Isocrates and Demosthenes.Open →
• Thrace, Perinthus and ByzantiumRecall questions on Philip's aims in Thrace, why the Hellespont mattered to Athens, the help that saved the besieged cities, Athens' declaration of war, and what the sieges cost Philip.Open →
• Chaeronea, the League of Corinth and the hegemonyRecall questions on the Amphissa quarrel and the seizure of Elatea, Demosthenes' Theban alliance, the deployment and Philip's withdrawal manoeuvre at Chaeronea in 338 BC, the Sacred Band and Athenian losses, the treatment of Thebes and Athens, the structure and social clauses of the League of Corinth, and Philip's command for the Persian war.Open →
• Alexander's accession and the reassertion of control over GreeceRecall questions on Philip's murder and the doubts about it, the rivals removed in 336, the securing of Thessaly and the League, the Balkan campaign, and the destruction of Thebes.Open →
• The crossing to Asia: Troy, the Granicus and HalicarnassusRecall questions on the gestures made on landing and at Troy, the advice rejected before the Granicus, the captured mercenaries, the fall of Halicarnassus, and the disbanding of the fleet.Open →
• Gordium, Issus and the conquest of the Levant and EgyptRecall questions on the knot at Gordium and the two versions of it, the ground at Issus, the royal captives, the terms Darius offered, the siege of Tyre, and Egypt's welcome.Open →
• Gaugamela and the occupations of Babylon and PersepolisRecall questions on Darius' levelled battlefield at Gaugamela in 331 BC, the scythed chariots, Alexander's oblique advance and charge, the refused night attack, Parmenion's hard-pressed wing and the doubts about it, Mazaeus and Babylon, the treasure of Susa, and the capture and disputed burning of Persepolis.Open →
• The pursuit of Darius, the fall of Bessus and the war in Bactria and SogdianaRecall questions on the allies dismissed at Ecbatana, the death of Darius, the punishment of Bessus, the Branchidae, the worst Macedonian reverse, the Sogdian Rock, and the marriage of 327.Open →
• Conspiracy and opposition: Philotas, Cleitus and CallisthenesRecall questions on the charge against Philotas and the body that tried him, the killing of Parmenion, the quarrel at the banquet, the introduction of proskynesis, and the Pages' Conspiracy.Open →
• Alexander's foundation cities and their roleRecall questions on how many cities Alexander founded, Dinocrates and Alexandria in Egypt, Alexandria Eschate, Nicaea and Bucephala, who the settlers were and the Bactrian revolts, the military and economic purposes of the foundations, how they differed from Greek city-states, Philip's precedent, and their cultural legacy.Open →
• The Indus valley campaign and the rulers of the PunjabRecall questions on why Alexander crossed the Hindu Kush, the rock of Aornus, Taxiles' submission and the method used with Punjab rulers, the crossing of the Hydaspes and the war elephants of Porus, the death of Bucephalas, Porus' restoration and reconciliation with Taxiles, the Cathaeans at Sangala, Chandragupta, and the Greek accounts of India.Open →
• The mutiny at the Hyphasis, the Mallians and the crossing of the Gedrosian DesertRecall questions on why the army would go no further, who spoke for it, the altars left behind, the wound taken in the Mallian town, and what went wrong in Gedrosia.Open →
• The return from the east: the purges, the marriages at Susa and the mutiny at OpisRecall questions on the misgovernment Alexander found and the purge of satraps, Cleander, the tomb of Cyrus, Harpalus' flight, the Susa marriages of Alexander, Hephaestion and the Companions and their purpose and fate, the Epigonoi, the mutiny at Opis and how it was broken, and the banquet of reconciliation and its prayer.Open →
• The Exiles' Decree, the death of Hephaestion and the last months at BabylonRecall questions on the Exiles' Decree, why it broke the League settlement and hurt Athens and Aetolia, the request for divine honours, Hephaestion's death, Alexander's mourning and the hero cult sanctioned by Ammon, the omens at Babylon, the plans found in his papers, his death in June 323 BC, the succession, and the poison story.Open →
• The aims of Philip and Alexander: continuity and changeRecall questions on Philip's aims from survival in 359 BC to expansion, his economic, political and personal aims and his intentions in Asia, what Alexander inherited, the stated aim of 334 BC and the move to conquest, Alexander's exploratory, economic and personal aims, and where father and son diverged.Open →
• Philip's character: diplomacy, warfare and the treatment of the defeatedRecall questions on money as an instrument of policy, the new features of his warfare, Olynthus set against Athens, the near-divine honours, and the charge of bad faith.Open →
• Alexander's character, the gods and his own divinityRecall questions on Alexander's qualities as a general and the risk of fighting in front, his care for the dead and wounded, his treatment of the defeated and of his companions, the disputed drinking, his piety, imitation of Achilles, Heracles, Dionysus and Cyrus, descent from Zeus, the oracle of Ammon at Siwah, proskynesis, and whether he believed himself divine.Open →
• Philip, Alexander and the Greek statesRecall questions on Athenian interests in the north Aegean, Philip's rule of Thessaly, garrisons at Acrocorinth, Ambracia and the Cadmea, Sparta's refusal and Agis III at Megalopolis, why Greece stayed quiet, Greek mercenaries in Persian service, the liberation of Asia Minor's cities, Athens under Alexander, the Lamian War, and the gap between Macedonian language and practice.Open →
• Alexander, his army and his CompanionsRecall questions on the contingents of 334 BC and the allied Greeks as hostages, the Companions' right of free speech and Persian ceremonial, Parmenion, Craterus and Hephaestion and their rivalry, the burning of the baggage, the changing make-up and rewards of the army, the Hyphasis and Opis compared, Craterus and the veterans, the dispute at Babylon, and the mixed phalanx.Open →
• Alexander and the Persians: Darius' family, the satraps and the EpigonoiRecall questions on the treatment of the royal women, the safeguards on Persian governors, the adoption of Persian dress, the thirty thousand trained youths, the Susa marriages, and the fusion debate.Open →
• The ancient sources for Philip and Alexander and their reliabilityRecall questions on the lost contemporary accounts, Arrian and his use of Ptolemy and Aristobulus, Plutarch, Diodorus, Curtius, Justin and Pompeius Trogus, the vulgate tradition, Demosthenes and Aeschines, stereotypes of Greeks, Macedonians and Persians, the coins of Philip II, Lysimachus and Ptolemy I, the Porus Medallion, and the Alexander Sarcophagus.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take The Rise of Macedon, c.359–323 BC further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Peace of Philocrates vs League of Corinth

  Peace of Philocrates: the bilateral treaty of 346 BC between Athens with her allies and Philip, settled on the basis that each side kept what it held when the oaths were sworn. League of Corinth: The common alliance of 337 BC binding the Greek states together, its council deciding policy while Philip stood outside it with command of its forces.

• Third Sacred War vs Fourth Sacred War

  Third Sacred War: the conflict of 356–346 BC against Phocis for seizing Delphi and spending the sanctuary's treasures, closed by a settlement that gave Philip the Phocian votes on the Amphictyonic Council. Fourth Sacred War: The quarrel of 339 BC over land cultivated by Amphissa, which had Philip appointed Amphictyonic commander and gave him a lawful reason to march into central Greece.

• Battle of Issus vs Battle of Gaugamela

  Battle of Issus: the encounter of 333 BC on a coastal plain too narrow for the Persians to deploy their greater numbers or to outflank the Macedonian line. Battle of Gaugamela: The encounter of 331 BC in northern Mesopotamia, on open ground Darius had chosen and levelled so that his cavalry and scythed chariots could tell.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What disaster brought Philip II to the Macedonian throne?

   Model answer

   His brother Perdiccas III was killed, along with a large part of the Macedonian army, in battle against the Illyrians under Bardylis in 360/359 BC.

2. 2

   Name the two rival claimants to the throne Philip had to remove in 359 BC, and who was backing each.

   Model answer

   Argaeus, who was backed by Athens, and Pausanias, who was backed by a Thracian king.

3. 3

   How did Philip neutralise the Paeonian and Thracian threats in his first year without fighting?

   Model answer

   He bought them off with gifts and bribes, which bought him time to deal with his enemies one at a time.

4. 4

   What concession did Philip make to Athens in 359 BC, and what did he gain by it?

   Model answer

   He withdrew his garrison from Amphipolis and renounced his claim to the city, which detached Athens from the pretender Argaeus.

5. 5

   Why did Philip release the Athenian volunteers captured with Argaeus without asking a ransom?

   Model answer

   He wanted peace with Athens while he turned on the Illyrians, and generosity to Athenian citizens was the cheapest way to buy it.

6. 6

   Explain the significance of Philip's defeat of Bardylis in 358 BC.

   Model answer

   It broke Illyrian domination of the western frontier and allowed Philip to recover Upper Macedonia, which had been slipping out of Argead control for a generation.

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The Rise of Macedon, c.359–323 BC revision questions

What does The Rise of Macedon, c.359–323 BC cover in OCR A-Level Ancient History?

26 subtopics: philip's accession and the securing of macedon, 359–357 bc, the reform of the macedonian army and its siege technology, philip's court, his patronage and his marriages, the expansion of macedon and the organisation of the new territories, thessaly, the third sacred war and philip's place in greek institutions, the peace of philocrates and the prospect of a common peace, thrace, perinthus and byzantium, chaeronea, the league of corinth and the hegemony, alexander's accession and the reassertion of control over greece, the crossing to asia: troy, the granicus and halicarnassus, gordium, issus and the conquest of the levant and egypt, gaugamela and the occupations of babylon and persepolis, the pursuit of darius, the fall of bessus and the war in bactria and sogdiana, conspiracy and opposition: philotas, cleitus and callisthenes, alexander's foundation cities and their role, the indus valley campaign and the rulers of the punjab, the mutiny at the hyphasis, the mallians and the crossing of the gedrosian desert, the return from the east: the purges, the marriages at susa and the mutiny at opis, the exiles' decree, the death of hephaestion and the last months at babylon, the aims of philip and alexander: continuity and change, philip's character: diplomacy, warfare and the treatment of the defeated, alexander's character, the gods and his own divinity, philip, alexander and the greek states, alexander, his army and his companions, alexander and the persians: darius' family, the satraps and the epigonoi and the ancient sources for philip and alexander and their reliability. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is The Rise of Macedon, c.359–323 BC organised?

By the OCR H407 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.