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Fredricksmeyer World of the Ancient Greeks Hellenic Disarray and Philip II of Macedonia (403-336) Spartan hegemony (404-371) Spartan Realpolitik before and after the Peloponnesian War Treatment of helots Bargain with Persia Brutal decarchies (ten-men juntas) backed by Spartan garrisons Exaction of tribute Support of oligarchic coup of the Thirty Tyrants in Athens (403) its eventual collapse and the execution of Socrates Conflicts between Athens, Sparta, and Thebes in various alliances, with Persia playing all sides King’s Peace (386 BCE) imposes order with terms most favorable to Sparta Alliance between Athens, Thebes and others, and the new “Second Athenian Confederation” and “Boeotian Federation” Theban hegemony (371-62) Battle of Leuktra (371)-Spartan infantry defeated by Thebes! Pelopidas, and Epaminondas who packs one infantry wing “Sacred Band” of Thebans (378-338) homosexual couples military unit perhaps inspired by Plato’s Symposium (Plutarch) Theban mismanagement and a decade of mostly indecisive land- and sea-battles Battle of Mantineia (362) Thebes wins vs. alliance of Athens and Sparta, but Pyrrhic victory: Epaminondas killed; Pelopidas too had died in 364 Greek states again relapse into separatism and chaos Cultural metamorphosis and the triumph of individualism High classical period (450-400) and the “anxiety of influence” Athenian law of 386 Aristotle’s Poetics and Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex Yet, brilliance in cultural areas other than attic drama, including mathematics, astronomy, law, literary criticism, sculpture, rhetoric, philosophy At the same time, chaos and disarray of the Greek political world reinforced by these cultural trends, as seen for example in philosophy: legacy of sophists (Protagoras: “man is the measure of all things”):anthropocentrism>individualism Aristippus and the pleasure principle Antisthenes and the rejection of worldly affairs In short, for socio-political, military, and cultural reasons, the Greek world especially vulnerable to external threat The Rise of Philip II of Macedonia (382-336) Macedonia traditionally limited by habits of its aristocracy: hunting, drinking, sex, court intrigue and assassinations Philip’s family, the Argeads, had emerged as premier warlords Philip’s two older brothers strengthen and stabilize Macedonian army the “Foot Companions” Philip’s ascends throne in 359 Philip’s military innovations: elite shock troops, called the Guards Brigade increases depth and flexibility (with light-weight armor) of Foot Companions phalanx replaces doru (short thrusting spear) and hoplon (massive shield/knee to chin) with sarissa (ca. 15 foot pike) and pelte (small shield strapped onto forearm, since size of sarissa requires two hands) that create a virtually impenetrable hedge of points slantwise battle formation: left and center held back as right pushes forward Macedonian-style phalanx remained the premier infantry force in the Western World until the more flexible Roman maniple implements expansionist foreign policy-military aggression and diplomacy Demosthenes Philippics starting in 351 Isocrates calls for Pan-hellenic league led by Philip to invade Persia Philip takes Chalcidic peninsula by 348 Peace of Philocrates (348) Philip enters Sacred War Athenian/Theban alliance that faces Philip at Chaeronea Battle of Chaeronea (338) with his 18-year old Alexander as the general who delivered the coup de grace Philip II and League of Corinth plans to invade Persia encouraged by the March of the Ten Thousand as led and recounted by Xenophon in the Anabasis that had occurred in 401, in which a relatively small force of Greeks had marched deep into Persian territory, defeated a much larger Persian force, and returned home safely Philip assassinated perhaps as orchestrated by Alexander and Olympias Alexander becomes the King of Macedonia and the commander-in-chief of most lethal military force on earth at the age of 20