Philip and Olympias: A Novel of Ancient Macedon

by Peter Messmore

  Eventually, Archlus took the prince to an inner room that surrounded the gymnasium. There he met the director of the facility. He was given instructions about his physical training program and was told to return tomorrow. The director noted that Philip was in extremely poor physical condition. He said that if he were willing to work hard, his appearance and general health would improve. Philip left the gymnasium, knowing that a new phase of his captivity had begun. He resolved to improve his physical condition so that his military training could begin. This was to be his most valuable Theban instruction so far. He didn't need what the Pythagoreans attempted to teach him.

  Surprisingly, Philip's conditioning took over two months. His captivity atop the Cadmea had taken its toll, not only on his spirit, but also on his physical health. He experienced an immediate weight gain from eating more meat, and, for a time, eating was more important to him than his conditioning program. After several weeks he began to apply himself to his training regimen and his natural athleticism began to show. He excelled at wrestling. His tall, muscular body was made for the sport. A large chest, broad shoulders, and strapping arms made him the victor in most of his matches. Only older, more experienced Theban soldiers could compete with him. He also was introduced to boxing, but the sport required agility and quickness that he lacked. He much preferred the close in grappling that allowed his brute strength to dominate his opponent.

  Although satisfied with his physical training, Philip was disappointed that no one mentioned military training. He was approaching six months as a hostage, and the war tactics that he so craved seemed distant. He had also been kept ignorant of social, political or military events in Macedonia. Every attempt to learn more about his homeland had met with failure. One day after a particularly bloody and trying wrestling match that he had eventually won, his hoplite guard approached him. The guard told him that he was to bathe and go to the assembly hall. Epaminondas awaited him there. Philip bathed hurriedly and, after having a doctor treat a bad cut above his left eye, walked to the agora with Archlus and his guard.

  The assembly hall was part of a collection of government buildings bordering the agora. His guard led the way up well-formed stairs to a large, windowless building. The trio entered and were met by a hoplite officer. Philip's guard spoke briefly to the officer, and then Philip was commanded to enter the chamber. The assembly hall was grand in its architectural simplicity. Theban art surrounded him. Most of it depicted their military victories and the rich literary heritage of Thebes. Magnificent examples of stone sculptures, the Olympian gods, and Corinthian columns met his eye with every glance. Pella’s royal palace was only beginning to look like this.

  Arriving at the main council chamber, he stood looking down at a tiered row of seats. They surrounded a central floor, where a solid stone rectangular table was placed. Standing beside the table was Epaminondas and several other Thebans Philip didn't recognize.

  "Philip of Macedonia," Epaminondas announced as he saw the youth. "Come down here. I want to speak with you." The leader's tone was more cordial than during their last encounter.

  The other assembly members left the floor as Philip made his way down the steep stairs where Epaminondas waited. He sensed that this was to be an important meeting with the leader of Thebes. His heartbeat increased with every step.

  "I've learned from your Pythagorean tutors that you have succeeded as a student. You have a lucid mind, even though they tell me that you don't really embrace the ideas they taught. Your physical conditioning has also gone well. Everyone who watched you wrestle has been impressed with your physical prowess."

  "Thank you," Philip responded, wondering what lay ahead.

  "The conditions of your captivity are about to change," Epaminondas offered quizzically. "You are not aware of the events in your homeland. We have kept you ignorant for good reasons. You are to remain ignorant about those events for the immediate future. Yet the time has come for you to learn military tactics. Pelopidas, most of the assembly, and I all feel that Thebes has a potential ally in you. Most of us maintain that you now value what Thebes values. Even though you're not yet sixteen, events force you to mature. We hope that we have given you a Theban view of Greece and the northern lands. It's time for you to learn how Thebans fight. We have developed tactics and strategies for the more effective use of men in battle. You'll learn these military lessons from our best soldiers, and then you'll accompany me on an expedition to northern Sparta. It will begin in four months. If you apply yourself, you'll be ready."

  "General Epaminondas, I've waited for this moment since I first arrived in Thebes. Macedonians are experienced soldiers. Fighting is a way of life among our people. My father, Amyntas, fought many battles but could never prevail over his enemies. I want to learn everything I can about men in battle. That knowledge will help my brother and me bring peace and unity to Macedonia." Philip was speaking so quickly that he could barely be understood.

  "We expect you one day to do just that," Epaminondas answered with a suspicious smile. "The time is still distant when you will be allowed to return, but while you're here, you'll develop your military knowledge. Thebes expects that what you learn will help ensure the development of a stable friendship between us. If we don't befriend your country, Athens will dominate you as she has dominated the rest of Greece. This will benefit neither Thebes nor Macedon."

  "I've little understanding of politics. I just want to become Macedonia's best general. We need protection from our enemies. Hostile tribes threaten us from our west and north. I agree that Thebes should meet Athenian aggression forcefully. Macedon will never be able to counter Athens directly. Thebes must be our protector."

  "Tomorrow I'll lead the army in exercises outside the city," Epaminondas said. "Ride to the encampment with Pelopidas. He will begin your instruction. After that, my tactics captain will take you. Instruction will be mostly in the field, but you'll also learn how battles are won and lost on parchment. My planners work hard in the command tent before battle. You'll learn how it all comes together."

  "I await tomorrow eagerly. You have my word, as a member of the Macedonian royal family, that I'll absorb everything you teach me. I'll be proud to ride with you to Sparta and hope that I might contribute to a Theban victory there."

  Epaminondas snickered. Then he dismissed his hostage and left to join Pelopidas in the bathhouse.

  Philip returned to the Cadmea and the home of Pammenes. He approached his host and told him of Epaminondas' plans. The old man conversed briefly with him and then asked to be left alone. Philip bid him goodbye and retired to his small room to study a military training manual that a Theban captain had given him.

  Walking alone in his garden, Pammenes considered what he had just been told. His head was bowed. His hands were clasped behind his back. He questioned the wisdom of giving a potential northern barbarian king the priceless military training that Epaminondas had developed at the cost of so many Theban lives. He had been around Philip the most, and he saw in him a dangerous potential adversary. He would express his concern to Epaminondas, but he knew the decision had been made. Philip would begin military training the next day. Pammenes knew that neither Macedonia nor any other northern barbarian province could threaten Thebes during his lifetime. Yet life in Greece was unpredictable, often dangerous. Thebes must exercise caution if she were to retain her dominant military position. Pammenes decided that he would do everything in his power never to let Philip return to Macedonia. He was sure that the young prince would make an excellent hoplite. He smiled as he visualized the Macedonian prince leading a charge into some heavily defended enemy line. Let the Spartans and the gods handle this situation, he resolved.

  For the first time in half a year, Philip left Thebes. He was escorted by Pelopidas and ten Sacred Band hoplites. Pelopidas told Philip that he was the captain of the Sacred Band and had been responsible for its formation. He explained that the group numbered around three hundred, and that the pairs had been chosen from only the
best Theban families. "Each pair has sworn lifelong allegiance to each other and to the Theban army. We are lovers as well as friends. This relationship forms an inseparable bond in life and in battle. The union is unshakable. It's a shame punishable by death to return from battle alive when your partner has been killed. Each member is a professional soldier. Their only purpose is to defend and project the power of Thebes. Epaminondas is my counterpart and our example sets the standard for the others."

  "How do you maintain your high level of readiness?" Philip asked.

  "We train constantly," Pelopidas responded. "We're unlike other hoplites in our army. They're merely citizens and part time soldiers. We don't return to other jobs as farmers, hunters, merchants, or teachers when the fighting is over. Most of our wars are short, and common hoplites are not needed all year. They're used only when war is imminent and then they're given limited training. The Band is the core of our army. We're kept at the highest state of preparedness."

  The men rode eight stadia from Thebes, however Philip could still see the guard towers of the walled city. As they ascended a hill and started down the other side, he saw an army of several thousand men gathered on a plain. The soldiers appeared to have just established their camp. The group approached one large tent. It was more colorful than the others and had impressive arrays of unit flags flying in a light breeze. Groups of Sacred Band hoplites guarded the tent’s perimeter. It was clearly the headquarters of Epaminondas. Pelopidas ordered Philip to remain outside, and he entered with three of the highest-ranking Sacred Band officers. Soon Epaminondas, Pelopidas, and a retinue of Band members emerged from the tent. Epaminondas approached Philip.

  "Today you begin your military training," he said. "Report to our quartermaster. He'll outfit you and give you basic training in hoplite fighting. You should do well with your wrestling ability. When he's satisfied that you can occupy a position in the line without jeopardizing your fellow hoplites, you'll be given to my tactics captain. After that you’ll return to me. I'll teach you the special tactics I've taught the Theban army. Don't consider escape now that you are outside Thebes’ walls. Your guard has orders to kill you if you try. Go now. Return when you have learned our fundamentals."

  Philip thought that Epaminondas had been reading his mind. He had expected such a warning about escaping, and he resolved to remain alert for any lapse in Theban security. He would not risk his life unnecessarily, but an opportunity might present itself during maneuvers. If he couldn't escape, he would learn everything that the Thebans wanted to teach him about the effectiveness of the greatest army in Greece. It was this army that had defeated ten thousand Spartans with only six thousand of their number four years earlier. Excitedly, Philip left the tent of Epaminondas.

  He was taken to the fringes of the camp, where he saw scores of hoplites unpacking tents and cooking containers as they organized the camp. Slaves were repairing battle gear and polishing shields and helmets. Another group fed and groomed the horses. The camp had the smell of men who had not fully bathed in several days. A sense of exhilaration swept through the youth. He remembered the single military expedition that he had experienced in Macedonia. This is why he had been born. The smell of it, the dusty field conditions, and the power of masses of men working toward a common objective stimulated his senses. Let the Pythagoreans teach their lofty ideals to other weak-kneed students. True leaders of the Greek world came from the organized mayhem that surrounded him.

  Philip received his Theban battle gear the next day after morning mess. It consisted of a short spear and sword, a large shield, a rusty helmet, and poorly fitting body armor. He knew that the surly quartermaster that threw the gear in his face had identified him as a Macedonian. A common Theban recruit would have been treated with more respect. But Philip accepted the coarse veteran’s behavior in silent contempt. At last, he was on the path to becoming a soldier. The only way he could have been more proud was if he had been in Macedonia, being outfitted in Macedonian battle gear. He knew he was superior to the grizzled quartermaster. He would trade for better fitting armor and his helmet would be finely polished before the army marched into Sparta.

  The next three weeks were spent learning what was expected of a hoplite. These foot soldiers were the backbone of Thebes' army. They were heavily armed and armored to carry out their mostly defensive function. Battle strategy before Epaminondas featured opposing hoplites massing on either side of a predetermined battle line and then simply charging into each other. Nearly all fighting was hand-to-hand and chaos ruled. The side that suffered the least number of deaths won the battle.

  Victory was often as costly in human life as was defeat. The carnage was so great that these battles were nearly always brief. Epaminondas had retained the hoplite as the Theban army's backbone but had changed its prior offensive role to one of defense. He further revolutionized warfare when he created the elite Sacred Band and used it as an offensive weapon. The planning of the staff behind Epaminondas and Pelopidas held the battle strategy together. Every city-state became aware of Thebes' military brilliance when their army under Epaminondas had defeated previously invincible Sparta at the Battle of Leuctra. As it had been for centuries, power in Greece was still decided by the city-state's army that dominated on the battlefield.

  Philip's hoplite instruction saw him shoulder to shoulder with other hoplites. The depth of the line of which he was a member often numbered fifty or more. Each soldier carried a spear, a small sword and a large, circular shield. Emblazoned on each shield was the crest of Thebes. Every man wore a bronze helmet that covered his head and face. Space was left only for eye slits and an area around the mouth. Covering the entire chest and back was a molded piece of armor. It was held in place by leather laces along the sides. Each hoplite's legs were protected with bronze greaves. They covered the lower leg from knee to ankle.

  The hoplite captain whom Philip served under led his squad through a series of close-order maneuvers that lasted most of the day. Philip learned how to move with scores of other heavily armed hoplites. Each man was shoulder to shoulder, pressed close to each other on the front and back. The captain's commands were given with hand signals, since voice commands in the carnage and confusion of battle wouldn't be heard. Philip's regiment learned both slow and quick-marching. They practiced how to retreat in a cohesive, orderly manner. Then, gloriously, they learned how to break ranks and mount the final bloody charge. This allowed the Sacred Band and cavalry to encircle the enemy.

  The Macedonian prince was in his element. This was his destiny. He rejoiced at the camaraderie in the hoplite ranks and was soon accepted by most of his peers. He wanted to spend the remainder of his captivity as a hoplite, but he knew that would end when Epaminondas learned of his progress.

  One morning after mess, Philip was approached by a Sacred Band officer and commanded to report to Epaminondas. When he arrived at the headquarters tent of Epaminondas, he saw the general, Pelopidas, and several staff captains around a long, wooden table. Maps covered the table and men were engrossed with their details.

  "Come here," Epaminondas directed. Philip went to the table and Epaminondas pointed and began speaking. "Soon the army marches to Sparta. Events there have accelerated my plans. You'll join us and fight as a hoplite. Let me show you how the Theban army plans its military maneuvers. They start here."

  Philip studied the maps and listened to the leader of Thebes. Epaminondas told him that they had been created during two previous expeditions to Sparta. Traitorous Spartans who were now spies for Thebes had recently updated the maps. He told Philip that most battles were won at the battle table, before the first arrow flew.

  The lessons continued for three days. Occasionally Epaminondas taught Philip some obtuse military principle directly. But most of the time he just expected Philip to observe Epaminondas and his officers at work.

  Five days later, Epaminondas commanded his twelve-thousand-man army to break camp and begin its move south to Sparta. Philip never felt more alive
. The glory that Thebes would gain, in a small way, would be his. The life that he was now living was what the gods intended. There could be no other life for Philip of Macedon.

  The third Theban expedition to the Peloponnese in four years was uneventful because the main Spartan army retreated deep into Laconia. Except for two brief skirmishes, Epaminondas's massive army experienced little resistance. Pelopidas led the Sacred Band on two reconnaissance missions, but the main army didn't participate in these actions. Philip distinguished himself in two skirmishes. He killed two Spartan hoplites individually and helped kill others. The victories seemed easy, and he marveled at the efficiency of Epaminondas' tactics.

  After only a month in Laconia, with winter approaching, Epaminondas returned to Thebes. Philip was asked to ride with Epaminondas while the army began its trek north to Boeotia. The general began telling Philip of recent events in Macedonia and Philip's heart grew heavy.

  "Ptolemy still serves as regent for your brother, Perdiccas," Epaminondas related. "It seems that he, or one his henchmen, has killed your sister. We only learned that ourselves in recent days."

  Philip gulped but showed no feelings. He sensed the alarm of Epaminondas while he studied his face in silence.

  "But Ptolemy let us know that he isn't going to surrender the regency when Perdiccas reaches maturity. Furthermore, Athens is reestablishing a second Panhellenic Confederacy. That would upset the balance that I've worked so hard to establish."

  Philip was stunned. This was the first news that he had gotten from his homeland since his captivity started. His sister had been eliminated and Perdiccas was in great danger. The Macedonian prince remained silent, staring straight ahead at the dusty road.

  "This may mean that you will be returned to Macedonia earlier than I had thought."

  Philip looked at Epaminondas. He knew the Theban wanted a reaction. There was none.