Philip of Macedon

When Thebes was supreme, Epaminondas hosted the young Macedonian prince Philip as a hostage. Philip received excellent training. Macedon was north of Greece; though rulers spoke Greek, common people were different, so Macedonians were excluded from the Amphictyonic Council. When Philip's brother died leaving a half-witted infant, Philip escaped and became king at eighteen. He planned to make Macedon the foremost kingdom. He trained his army using Epaminondas's methods and invented the Macedonian phalanx—soldiers with locked shields and layered spears. He worked gold mines and bought allies, saying "A fortress can be taken if a mule laden with gold can get inside." When drunk, he wrongly judged a widow; she cried "I appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober!" He retried the case and freed her.