Philip III Arrhidaios

Names as rulers of Egypt
Karnak relief with Philip III. in pharaoh costume
Horus name	Wadj-taui W3ḏ-t3.w (j) Who allows the two countries to flourish,
Sideline	Heka-chasti Ḥq3-ḫ3s.tj ruler of foreign / desert countries
Gold name	Meri-rechit Mr.y-rḪyt The beloved of the people / subjects
Throne name	Setep-en-ka-Re-meri-Amun Stp-n-k3-Rˁ-mr.j-Jmn Chosen of the Ka des Re , loved by Amun
Proper name	Philippos P (h) ilipws

Philip III Arrhidaios ( Greek Φίλιππος Γ 'Αρριδαίος) (* 352 BC ; † December 25, 317 BC ), King of Macedonia from June 11, 323 BC. Until December 25, 317 BC. BC, was the son of Philip II and Philinna of Larissa , a concubine of the ruler. His birth name was Arrhidaios; when he succeeded Alexander the great after the death , he took the name Philip.

The moon crater Ariadaeus and the Rima Ariadaeus are named after him.

Suitability for government and claim to the throne of Arrhidaios

Philip III was apparently thought to be insane. According to Plutarch , the reason for his illness was poisoning by Olympias , the widow of Philip II, who wanted to eliminate the possible rival of Alexander the great. However, this seems questionable and there is no other evidence to support it. Alexander treated him amicably and took him on his campaigns to protect him and prevent him from serving as a hostage to gain the throne. After the untimely death of Alexander Arrhidaios was elected king by the army assembly in Asia. However, he was only king in terms of his title and the character of the powerful generals.

Because of his illegitimate origins, he never seems to have been a real threat to Alexander's claim to the throne of Macedon. When the satrap of Caria Pixodaros in 337 BC BC offered his eldest daughter to Arrhidaios as a wife, Alexander prevented this. Nothing is known about his stay in the following period, but he had no authority.

Accession to the throne

On June 11, 323 BC On the day of Alexander's death, Arrhidaios was in Babylon . He was the next candidate for successor. A succession dispute broke out between Perdiccas , leader of the cavalry, and Meleager , leader of the phalanx . Perdiccas wanted to wait to see if Alexander's pregnant widow, Roxane , would give birth to a son, but Meleager wanted Arrhidaius as Alexander's next relative as heir to the throne. After Meleagros was killed, a compromise was reached : Philip III. Arrhidaios was elected king, and if the Roxane child were a boy, he would be made co-ruler. Thus, Alexander IV. Aigos crowned immediately after birth, but Perdikkas assumed the regency.

When Kynane , the daughter of Philip II, learned that Arrhidaios had come to the throne, she decided to travel to Asia to give him her daughter Eurydice as his wife. But Perdiccas wanted to prevent this and had Kynane killed by his brother Alketas . However, the murder led to unrest within the army , so that Perdiccas finally had to consent to the marriage. From now on Philip was under the influence of his dominant wife Eurydice.

Diadoch Wars

After the diadochi had sealed the end of Perdiccas, Peithon and Arrhidaios succeeded him. At the conference of Triparadeisos 320 BC Chr. Eurydice was able to depose this again, Antipater became ruler of Macedonia. This went to Macedonia and forced Philip III. and his wife to accompany him. In the following year Antipater died and left the reign not to his son Kassander but to his friend Polyperchon . This led to the second Diadoch War . 317 BC Chr. Kassander expelled Polyperchon from Macedonia. Eumenes replaced Antigonus I Monophthalmos , the most powerful ally of Polyperchons, and became general of the troops in Asia. Eurydice allied herself with Kassander and caused her husband Philip to appoint him regent. When Cassander left Macedonia, Eurydice took full control of the country.

Death of Philip III.

In the same year Polyperchon, Olympias and Aiakides , the king of Epirus , united and marched against Macedonia. Since Alexander IV, the son of Alexander the great, was there, the Macedonian troops refused to fight them, and Philip III. and Eurydice could only flee. However , they were caught and imprisoned in Amphipolis . Since Philip continued to pose a threat, he was killed on December 25, 317 BC. Executed; his wife was forced to commit suicide. The following year Cassander retook Macedonia; he had Philip and Eurydice buried appropriately in Aigai and organized funeral games in their honor .

Philip III grave

In 1977 a two-chamber grave of a king was discovered near Vergina , which contained a very well-preserved skeleton of a man. Manolis Andronikos identified the dead as Philip II. But this is highly controversial and much suggests that it is Philip III. Arrhidaios acts. On the one hand, the architectural style of the burial chamber fits more into the time around 320 BC. On the other hand, the corpse has no injuries, as one would suspect a warrior. Furthermore, it is believed that such a well-preserved skeleton is only possible through dry cremation . Here, the corpse is burned a long time after death, as it was with Philip III. was the case.

Barque chapel in the Karnak temple

Construction activity in Egypt

Philippos Arrhidaios had the barrow of the temple of Amun at Karnak and the great pillared hall of the temple of Thott at Hermopolis / Asmunein built. He is also attested in the temple of Onuris- Shu in Sebennytos.

swell

• Junianus Justinus , Historiarum Philippicarum libri XLIV 9.8; 13.2; 14.5.
• Pausanias , travels in Greece 1, 6, 2–3; 1,10,1; 1,11,3-4; 1,25,3; 1,25,6; 8.7.7.

literature

• Elizabeth D. Carney: The Trouble with Philip Arrhidaeus. In: The Ancient History Bulletin. Volume 15, No. 1-2, 2001, pp. 63-89.
• Thomas Schneider : Lexicon of the Pharaohs. Albatros, Düsseldorf 2002, ISBN 3-491-96053-3 , p. 196.
• Julius Kaerst : Arridaios 4 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume II, 1, Stuttgart 1895, Col. 1248 f.

Web links

Commons : Philip III. Arrhidaios  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Jonah Lendering: Philip Arrhidaeus . In: Livius.org (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Alexander III the great	King of Macedonia 323-317 BC Chr.	Alexander IV Aigos
Alexander III the great	Pharaoh of Egypt Greco-Roman Period (Egypt)	Alexander IV Aigos