Philip II of Macedonia, by Ian Wortington

New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008. Pp. xxv, 303. Illus., maps, chron.,. append, notes, index. $35.00. ISBN:0300120796.

The father of a more famous son, Philip II (r., 382?336 BC) was a politician, statesman, organizer, and commander of no mean ability, creating the foundations on which Alexander the Great built his vast empire. 

In Philip II of Macedonia Prof. Worthington, of the University of Missouri-Columbia, who has worked extensively in the period, gives us a detailed, nuanced life of Philip, placing him and his accomplishments within the framework of his times.   In the process the author explores the often very convoluted cultural, political, military, tribal, and other complexities of fourth century Greece , as well as Philip?s impact on events, and the image of Philip in history and even popular culture down to the present. 

An important book, it is likely to become the standard history of Philip, and is of value for anyone interested in Greece , the Hellenistic age, and the roots of the West.

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