Philip and Olympias: A Novel of Ancient Macedon

Home > Other > Philip and Olympias: A Novel of Ancient Macedon > Page 40
Philip and Olympias: A Novel of Ancient Macedon Page 40

by Peter Messmore


  and politician.

  Iphenia— Mistress of Demosthenes;

  friend of Nikesipolis.

  Iphicrates— (I fik’ ra tez) Athenian naval

  commander and envoy to

  Macedon.

  Isocrates— (I soc’ rah tez) Aging Athenian

  pedagogue, statesman and

  pamphleteer; corresponded

  regularly with Philip; urged

  Greek unity.

  Kynna— Daughter of Philip and Eurydice.

  Lagus— Questionable father of Ptolemy.

  Langarus— King of Illyria; befriended and

  gave sanctuary to Prince Alexander.

  Lanice— Prince Alexander’s and

  Kleopatra’s wet nurse; sister of Cleitus.

  Laomedon— Brother of Erigyius; Royal

  Page who studied at Mieza

  with Aristotle.

  Leochares— Athenian sculptor

  commissioned by Philip to

  build a shrine at Olympia called

  the Philippeum.

  Leonidas— Prince Alexander’s & Kleopatra’s

  first life-tutor; an uncle of Olympias from Epirus.

  Leonnatus— Royal Page who studied at

  Mieza with Aristotle.

  Lysicles— Athenian general at

  Chaeronea.

  Lysimachus— (Li sim’ a kus) Prince

  Alexander’s second life-tutor

  from Acarnania.

  Makarios— Hoplite who fought with Philip

  in Elimea.

  Mantias— Athenian admiral.

  Marsyas— Royal Page who studied at

  Mieza with Aristotle.

  Mausolus— (Maw’ so lus) King of Caria.

  Meda— A Danubian princess; daughter

  of Cothelas; Philip’s concubine.

  Memnon— Mercenary captain from

  Rhodes; found asylum at Philip’s court in Pella.

  Menalaus— One of three royal family

  pretenders (with Archelaus and

  Arrhidaeus) at the time of

  Philip’s accession.

  Mieza— Location of Aristotle’s Royal

  Pages School. It was in the

  Eastern foothills of the

  Bermium mountain range,

  surrounded by the ancient

  Gardens of Midas. Today, near

  the northern Greek city of

  Naoussa; famous for its red wine.

  Nausicles— Athenian general at the

  Thermopylae Pass.

  Nearchus— Royal Page who studied at

  Mieza with Aristotle.

  Neoptolemus— I (Ne op tol e mus) Father of

  Olympias/Myrtle.

  Neoptolemus— Greek actor at Philip’s

  deification banquet.

  Nikesipolis— (Ni ke sip’ o lus) Philip’s

  Thessalian concubine; mother

  of Thessalonica; friend of Iphenia.

  Oentius— Philip’s marriage negotiator.

  Olympias/Myrtle— Princess of Epirus; wife of

  Philip of Macedon; mother of Prince Alexander and

  Kleopatra.

  Onomarchus— (O no mar’ kus) Co-commander

  of the Phocian forces during the prolonged

  Sacred War.

  Pammenes— Theban general; host of Philip

  during his captivity.

  Parmenio— Philip’s leading general and

  trusted aid. Father of Philotas, one of Prince Alexander’s friends.

  Passaron— Capitol of the Molossian

  dynasty in Epirus; home of young Myrtle before her

  marriage to Philip.

  Partrious— Philip’s chief engineer at Amphipolis.

  Pausanius— Captain of Philip’s personal

  bodyguard; assassin of Philip.

  Pausanius of Lyncestis— Macedonian who twice

  attempted to seize the throne of Macedon.

  Pelopidas— Theban general; founded the

  Sacred Band; lover of Epaminondas.

  Perdiccas— (Per dik’ as) King of Macedon

  briefly; Philip’s oldest brother.

  Perthian— Olympias’s chief priest in Pella.

  Philinna— Concubine of Philip; mother of Aridaios.

  Philip II— King of Macedon (Macedon is the political unit, Macedonia is

  the land); husband of Olympias; father of Prince Alexander and Kleopatra.

  Philocrates— A leading Athenian boule and assembly member; a leader of

  the peace party.

  Philomelus— (Fi lom’ e lus) Phocian inhabitant of Ledon;

  commander of the Phocian forces during the prolonged

  Sacred War.

  Philotas— (Fi lo tas) Son of Parmenio.

  Protias— Phalangite who served with Philip in many battles.

  Ptolemy of Alorus— Regent of Macedon during Philip’s early Theban captivity;

  lover of Eurydice, Philip’s mother; killed one of Philip’s brothers; eliminated by Perdiccas,

  Philip’s older brother.

  Ptolemy— Possible half-brother of Alexander; member of Alexander’s inner circle;

  A Royal Page who studied with Aristotle at Mieza. Established a dynasty in Egypt.

  Stratocles— Athenian general at Chaeronea.

  Tharyps— King of Molossus; Myrtle’s great-grandfather; introduced

  the Greek language into the royal Molossian family in Epirus.

  Theagenes— (Thee ag’ a nez) Theban Sacred Band commander at Chaeronea.

  Themistocles— (The mis’ to klez) Athenian general and statesman;

  fortified the Athenian harbor at Piraeus; began Athens’s development as a sea power.

  Timotheus— (Ti mo the us) Naval commander and early Athenian envoy to Pella.

  Xenophon— (Zen o fon) Greek historian and general; author of Anabasis;

  led an early Greek expedition into Persia.

  Xerxes— (Zurk’ sez) Persian Great King who invaded Greece before the time of Philip.

  GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND CONCEPTS FOR PHILIP & OLYMPIAS: A NOVEL OF ANCIENT MACEDON

  Abaton: The ceremonial, symbolic underground home of the Cabiri gods.

  Agora: Originally, a marketplace; it evolved into a place of political and social assembly.

  Aramaic: The official court language of Persia.

  Archon: A high official in Athens who was elected annually.

  Bacchae: A play by Euripides.

  Bacchoi: Women devotees of Bacchus.

  Bathra: A confession stone in religious ceremonies.

  Boeotarch: The chief executive officer in Thebes and Boeotia; elected annually.

  Boule: The council of 500 that directed Athens's government.

  Cabiri: Mystery cult gods of the underworld.

  Cadmea: Thebes's high citadel.

  Cella: The inner room of an ancient Greek and Macedonian temple.

  Chiton: A tunic worn next to the skin by both sexes.

  Chthonian: Gaea's adjunct gods; forced underground by Zeus; worshipped by poor Greeks, Macedonians and Epirotes.

  Cornel: A hard Macedonian wood used for spear-making and other purposes.

  Cuirass: Chest armor made of small metal plates.

  Daric: Persian coin of the realm.

  Dromos: A covered practice area in many Greek athletic complexes.

  Ecclesia: Athens's democratic assembly.

  Etesian winds: Northern Aegean winds that blew from south-to-north in the summer and north- to-south in the winter.

  Gaea: The worship of the earth as mother of life; Gaea worship predated veneration of the Olympian gods.

  Grand Vizier: The chief officer and counselor to the Persian Great King.

  Greaves: Lower leg armor.

  Guslas: An ancient musical instrument with a round, concave body and one string.

  Hegemon: The highest military leader of a unified Greece.

  Hetairai: Cultured prostitutes (singular is hetaera).
>
  Himation: A mantle or cloak worn over the shoulders during cold weather.

  Hipparchs: Government officials of Olynthus.

  Hoplite: A heavily armed foot soldier.

  Kantharos: Macedonian two-handled drinking cup; used mostly for wine.

  Lustration: An act of purification during a Greek religious ceremony.

  Maenads: Women worshippers of Dionysus.

  Metics: Athenian residents of foreign birth. They had no rights as citizens and made up the working and commercial class

  Mystai: Worshippers who are being initiated into a religious mystery cult.

  Peplos: A robe made of cotton or wool and worn by Greek and Macedonian women.

  Phalangite: A soldier who is a member of the famed Macedonian phalanx, the military formation developed by King Philip. It featured foot soldiers carrying overlapping shields and using sarissas of varying length.

  Philippeum: A shrine dedicated to King Philip at Olympia in western Peloponnese.

  Polis: (plural. poleis) A Greek city-state.

  Proskynesis: The Persian hand or body gesture to show reverence or respect.

  Rhyton: An ornate container used to hold wine; often in the shape of an animal.

  Sarissa: The variable length Macedonian spear used by the phalanx.

  Satrap: A provincial Persian governor.

  Selloi: Zeus's high oracles at the Dodona, Epirus shrine.

  Sigloi: Silver coins that King Philip minted bearing his likeness.

  Sphaira: A rugby-like game played in Greece and Macedonia.

  Strategos: The Athenian commander-in-chief.

  Sybil: Apollo's oracle priestess at the Delphi shrine.

  Synhedrion: The council that King Philip established to govern a united Greece.

  yona takabara: Expression the Persians used for Macedonian soldiers; It means: "Greeks who wear shields on their heads".

  Tholos: A religious shrine at Delphi. —also—A circular, interior room in Greek and Macedonian palaces.

  Trireme: The galley ship of the Greek world with three banks of oars.

  Xyston: The short Macedonian cavalry spear.

  ASPECTS OF MACEDONIAN AND GREEK LIFE

  Measurement

  Stadia

  3 miles = 25 stadia

  1 mile = 8.33 stadia

  1/2 mile = 4.16 stadia

  Cubit

  The length of the forearm from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow; @ 17 - 22 inches (average 19.5 inches)

  Macedonian & Greek Months

  Macedonian and Greek months were not identical. Attic Greek months are used in this novel to avoid confusion. Modern months in parentheses are approximations.

  Hekatombaion (July) 7. Gamelion (January)

  Metageitnion (August) 8. Anthesterion (February)

  Boedromion (September) 9. Elaphebolion (March)

  Pyanepsion (October) 10. Mounychion (April)

  Maimakterion (November) 11. Thargelion (May)

  Poseidon (December) 12. Skirophorion (June)

  The Gods and Goddesses of Greece

  1. Zeus - King of the gods.

  2. Hera - Wife of Zeus; goddess of marriage and childbirth.

  3. Ares - God of war; son of Zeus and Hera; lover of Aphrodite.

  4. Apollo - God of light, healing, music, poetry, prophecy and manly beauty.

  5. Poseidon - God of the sea, earthquakes, streams and horses; unruly brother of Zeus.

  6. Hades - God of the underworld.

  7. Demeter - Goddess of agriculture, protectress of marriage and social order.

  8. Dionysus - God of wine, song and merriment.

  9. Artemis - Goddess of wild animals and childbirth; sister of Apollo.

  10. Athena - Goddess of war, patroness of arts and crafts and wisdom.

  11. Hermes - The messenger of the gods; protector of travelers; escorted dead to Hades.

  12. Aphrodite -The goddess of love, beauty and fertility.

  TIME LINE FOR PHILIP AND OLYMPIAS

  369-367 BC Philip is a hostage in Thebes.

  367 BC Philip returns to Macedon.

  359 BC Philip’s accession as king.

  355 BC Philip & Olympias meet on the island of Samothrace.

  357 BC Philip marries Myrtle in Pella.

  356 BC Alexander is born on either 20 or 26 July.

  354 BC Philip establishes Philippi.

  353 BC Methone falls to Philip.

  351 BC Artabazus & Memnon given refuge in Pella.

  348 BC Philip contracts pneumonia in Thrace.

  Aristotle leaves Athens.

  346 BC Athenian delegation goes to Pella

  342 BC Philip removes Arybbas from the

  throne of Epirus; installs Alexander of Epirus.

  341 BC Aristotle goes to Pella, then Mieza as

  Prince Alexander’s & the Royal Pages’ tutor.

  340 BC Hermias abducted, tortured, and killed.

  338 BC Athens declares war against Macedon.

  337 BC The great battle of Chaeronea on 2 August.

  (Spring) Philip returns to Macedon

  and marries Kleopatra-Eurydice.

  (Spring/Summer)

  336 BC Exile of Prince Alexander &

  Olympias. Alexander returns to

  Macedonia.

  (Spring) Parmenio, Attalus, &

  advance Macedonian forces cross

  into Asia Minor.

  Alexander of Epirus marries Philip’s

  daughter, Kleopatra.

  Philip, King of Macedon, is

  assassinated in June at the theatre in

  Aegae.

  Alexander becomes king of

  Macedon.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Peter Messmore was a university professor at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. He taught in higher education in the College of Education. His academic specialty is literacy education. He is a past president of The Florida Reading Association and the author of many education and professional materials and articles. He is a member of the International Reading Association and other professional organizations. He completed his academic career as executive director of an experimental teacher education program, the Genesis Teacher Education Project.

  Philip and Olympias: A Novel of Ancient Macedon is Peter's first novel. Meticulously researched and written over ten years, it is the product of scholarly and recreational reading about the ancient world. Over two hundred books, articles and related sources were reviewed in the preparation of Philip and Olympias. In May 1995, the author visited historical locations, ancient history museums and archaeological sites in Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Macedonia described in Philip and Olympias. These sites included: Athens, Thessaloniki, Pella and Vergina (Aegae) in Greece and Ephesus (Turkey) and Cairo (Egypt).

  Peter is also a poet and has completed three other books. They include:

  1. Alexander the King: The Sequel to Philip and Olympias (Paperback and eBook at Amazon/Kindle)

  http://www.amazon.com/Alexander-the-Kingebook/dp/B007SRTZOU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380723940&sr=81&keywords=Alexander+the+King%2C+Messmore%2C+Peter

  2. Emergia: A Chronicle of the Future (Available as an eBook only at Amazon/Kindle).

  http://www.amazon.com/Emergia-A-Chronicle-Future-ebook/dp/B004OR1NGA/ref=sr_1_3?s=digitaltext&ie=UTF8&qid=1380729197&sr=1-3&keywords=Peter+Messmore

  3. Pherick Morton: A Life and Beyond (Available as an eBook only at Amazon/Kindle).

  http://www.amazon.com/Pherick-Morton-Life-Beyond-ebook/dp/B00FEGFD48/ref=sr_1_1?s=digitaltext&ie=UTF8&qid=1380729197&sr=1-1&keywords=Peter+Messmore

  View Peter Messmore’s personal web page to view his books and hear him reading samples from his novels.

  http://www.drpetermessmore.com/

  Electronic edition produced by

  www.antrikexpress.com

 

&
nbsp;

 


‹ Prev