MACEDONIAN KINGDOM. Philip II (359-336 BC). AR tetradrachm (25mm, 14.30 gm, 7h). NGC AU★ 5/5 - 4/5. Posthumous...
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MACEDONIAN KINGDOM. Philip II (359-336 BC). AR tetradrachm (25mm, 14.30 gm, 7h). NGC AU★ 5/5 - 4/5. Posthumous issue, Amphipolis, ca. 315-294 BC. Laureate head of Zeus right / ΦΙΛΙΠ-ΠΟΥ, nude youth on horseback advancing right, palm branch in right hand, reins in left; Λ above race torch below horse, HMΓ monogram below raised left foreleg. Le Rider pl. 47, 20. SNG ANS 8, 784-787. Sherbet toning.Ex Heritage Auctions, Auction 3106 (17 January 2023), lot 33018.
Philip II, king of Macedon from 382 - 336 BC, laid the foundation of the Macedonian Empire that would see its largest extent under his son and successor, Alexander the Great. After the assassination of his brother, Alexander II, in 368 BC, Philip was sent as a hostage to Illyria and then Thebes, where he received diplomatic and military training. He was returned four years later only for his other brother, Perdiccas III, then king, to die in battle against Illyria. Before his death, Perdiccas had appointed Philip as regent for his infant son, but Philip, sensing the opportunity, took the throne for himself. Philip would go on to defeat the Paeonians, Thracians, and Athenian hoplites by 359 BC. He would then conquer parts of Illyria and take numerous cities controlled by Athens, including Methone - the siege in which Philip would lose his right eye. He would later become leader of the Thessalian league after his defeat of the Phocians during the Third Sacred War (356-346 BC), leading him to expand his territory once again. For the next ten years, Philip would continue to conquer eastward. However, his reign would end in October 336 BC when, while in Macedon celebrating his daughter's wedding, he was fatally stabbed by Pausanias of Orestis, one of his personal bodyguards. The reason for the assassination remains debated, however Aristotle states it was due to a personal familial offense. Philip's death would cause Macedon to lose its edge on the Achaemenids, and Macedonian armies would be defeated near Magnesia shortly after. Fortunately, Philip's successor, Alexander the Great, would eventually triple the size of the Macedonian Empire within only thirteen years.
Auction Info
2026 February 1 Spotlight: Ancient Art - Star, Fine Style, and Toned Ancient Coins Showcase Auction #61593 (go to Auction Home page)
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