Philip III of Macedon

Philip III
Gold stater struck in Babylon sometime during Philip's reign. Obv.: helmeted head of Athena facing right; rev.: Nike standing left, holding wreath and stylis.
King of Macedonia
Reign323–317 BC
PredecessorAlexander III
SuccessorAlexander IV
Co-rulersAlexander IV (323–317)
Pharaoh of Egypt
Reign323–317 BC
PredecessorAlexander III
SuccessorAlexander IV
Horus name
kꜢ-nḫt mrj-mꜢꜤt
Kanakht merymaat
The strong bull, beloved of Maat
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E1
D40
mAatmr
Nebty name
ḥḳꜢ-ḫꜢswt
Heqakhasut
The ruler of foreign countries
G16
HqAq
Y1
N25
N25
N25
Golden Horus
mrjw
Meriu
The beloved one
G8
mriwZ2ss
Nomen
plwpwysꜣ
Pelupuisa
Philippos
G39N5
p
E23
p
Z7
iiAa18
King of Persia
Reign323–317 BC
PredecessorAlexander III
Successor
  • Alexander IV
BornArrhidaeus
c.  357 BC
Died317 BC
SpouseAdea Eurydice
DynastyArgead dynasty
FatherPhilip II
MotherPhilinna of Larissa
ReligionAncient Greek religion

Philip III Arrhidaeus (Ancient Greek: Φίλιππος Ἀρριδαῖος, romanizedPhílippos Arrhidaîos; c. 357 BC – 317 BC) was king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia from 323 until his execution in 317 BC. He was a son of King Philip II of Macedon by Philinna of Larissa, and thus an elder half-brother of Alexander the Great. Named Arrhidaeus at birth, he assumed the name Philip when he ascended to the throne.

As Arrhidaeus grew older it became apparent that he had mild learning difficulties. Plutarch was of the view that he became disabled by means of an attempt on his life by Philip II's wife, Queen Olympias, who wanted to eliminate a possible rival to her son, Alexander, through the employment of pharmaka (drugs/spells); however, most modern authorities doubt the truth of this claim.[1]

Alexander was fond of Arrhidaeus and took him on his campaigns[citation needed], both to protect his life and to prevent his use as a pawn in any prospective challenge for the throne. After Alexander's death in Babylon in 323 BC, the Macedonian army in Asia proclaimed Arrhidaeus as king;[2] however, he served merely as a figurehead and as the pawn of a series of powerful generals.[3]

  1. ^ Elizabeth Donnelly Carney (2006). Olympias: mother of Alexander the Great. Taylor & Francis. pp. 24–25. ISBN 978-0-415-33316-0. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
  2. ^ Siculus, Diodorus. Bibliotheca Historica, 18.2.1-4.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).