Philip II, the Father of Alexander the Great: Themes and Issues

Review\n"Meticulously researched and argued, with copious references to and discussions of primary and secondary sources ... For interested students of both Philip and Alexander ... this volume (with four maps, a chronology―which includes a useful discussion of the problems of accurate dating―notes and a comprehensive bibliography) is undoubtedly an important addition to the shelves." - Classics for All\nPhilip II was not only the father of Alexander the Great, but in many respects was also the father of his son's incredible career. It was the father who unified Macedonia into the first European nation and who created the army with which his son conquered the Persian Empire and inaugurated the Hellenistic Age.\nThis volume is not the standard biography, but rather an examination of the major controversies concerning his life and reign. How did Philip in roughly twenty years transform a divided territory and little more than a geographical conception into a national state? How did he change the very nature of ancient Western warfare? How did he transform this formerly exploited region into the master of the Greek world?\nEach chapter discusses one of the major academic controversies surrounding this transformative figure, bringing new clarity to the career of a man whose reputation has been so overshadowed by his illustrious son.