Reading Check
What is a
By 338 B. C., Greece had a new ruler, Philip II of Macedonia. Macedonia was a small, mountainous country north of Greece. Most Macedonians were farmers. They cared little for the Greeks and had fought them in the Persian Wars. Macedonian kings, however, were of Greek descent and admired Greek culture.
Philip became ruler of Macedonia in 359 B. C. During his youth, he was a hostage (hos' tij), or a person held by an enemy until
Certain promises are carried out, for three years in Thebes. In those hostage?
CHAPyftR12 THE HELLENISTIC PERIOD
Years, he learned to love Greek culture. However, he learned to dislike the weaknesses of the Greek form of government.
Philip believed it was his destiny to unify the Greek city-states and spread Greek culture. As soon as he became ruler of Macedonia, he set out to fulfill that destiny. It took him a little over 20 years.
¦y Reading Check
Why was a phalanx powerful?
Demosthenes
383 B. C.-322 B. C.
Greek Orator
Demosthenes, born into a wealthy Athenian family, was a great speaker and politician. He is most famous for a series of speeches called "Philippics," in which he warned the Greek people about King Philip of Macedonia. By 338 B. C., however, Philip had conquered Greece, and the city-states had lost their independence.
Philip went about reaching his goal in many ways. For example, until his time, the Macedonian army was made up of volunteers, who fought only in the summer. Philip turned this part-time volunteer army into a year-round, well-organized, professional one.
Philip developed an infantry formation called a phalanx (fa' langks). Foot soldiers formed a solid body some 16 rows deep. Those in each line stayed so close together that their shields overlapped. This gave them added protection. The phalanx charged as a group, which gave it more striking power.
Philip also armed his soldiers with spears that were 14 feet, or over 4 meters, long. This was twice as long as ordinary spears. He
DEMOSTHENES Demosthenes worked to preserve the freedom of the Greek city-states. He was known for his ability as a public speaker. It is said he trained himself by shouting above the roar of the ocean waves with his mouth full of pebbles. What did Demosthenes try to tell the Greeks about Philip of Macedonia?
Added soldiers trained in the use of slingshots and bows and arrows. These soldiers could fight in hilly areas where the phalanx was not able to go.
Philip flattered local Greek officials and gave them gold. He found ways to cause disagreements among Greek city-states. Then, when city-states were weak from fighting each other, his army moved in and conquered them.
WJ Reading Check
How did Philip 11 use alliances?
What is an orator?
Philip made treaties with Greek leaders only to break them when the Greeks let down their guard. He saw marriage as a way of forming political alliances (uh lr' uhn siz), or partnerships. He married six or seven times for this reason.
Demosthenes (di mahs' thuh nez), an Athenian orator (iar' uh ter), or public speaker, tried to warn the Greeks that Philip was dangerous, but most would not listen. They were unhappy with their local governments and thought Philip would improve things.
When Philip led his soldiers into central Greece in 338 B. C., Thebes and Athens raised a small army to stop the invasion. The Greek army, however, was not strong enough and was defeated at the Battle of Chaeronea (ker uh ne' uh). Having gained control of Greece, Philip began preparing for a campaign against Persia. However, in 336 B. C., in the middle of his preparations, he was killed, and his son Alexander took over the throne.
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Section 1 Assessment
Rule of Philip II would describe him as a ruler?
1. Define: hostage, phalanx, alliances,
Orator. Graphic Organizer Activity
2. Why was Philip able to defeat the Greek 5. Use a web diagram like the one shown
City-states? to list the achievements of Philip II.
3. Who was Demosthenes?
4. Making Inferences How do you
Think a Greek citizen living under the
SECTION 2
World History
