323-317 BCE
AR Drachm 4.26g 16mm
Head of Herakles right, wearing lion’s skin headdress /
Zeus Aëtophoros seated left, holding sceptre; rose in left field, monogram below throne.
Price P106
Even back in the ancient times, Philip III provoked some controversy. While the general feeling is that he was mentally incapacitated to such a degree that he couldn’t rule, some historians like Quintus Curtius Rufus have portrayed him more as a baffling idiot. To what degree did he have a say in things?
At the very least, he wasn’t mentally capable enough to cause Alexander the Great to worry. He brought his older brother along with him on his adventures, most likely to prevent him from being a political pawn in the Game of Thrones. However, anyone who was a threat to Alexander politically was removed from the equation, so the very fact that Philip III was left alive says something.
There’s also the general feeling that his wife Eurydike ruled in his place. Diodorus Siculus says this directly. She was the one behind the scenes at the Treaty of Triparidisus, and she led an army (unsuccessfully) against Olympias in Macedon. I’ve been tempted to include her on this page, since any coin with the name of Philip is really hers.
Philip III also met his end with his wife. While Eurydike felt she could move the Macedonian soldiers to victory, they had to take only one good look at Olympias in her regalia to refuse to attack Alexander’s mother. It was a bloodless battle, since everyone defected to her side.
Philip III and Eurydike were caught escaping to Amphipolis by Olympias’ troops. Eurydike was present at Philip III’s death, and it appears that she comforted him during this scary moment. Afterwards, Olympias presented Eurydike with several options for death – including a rope, a dagger, and poison. Instead, she hung herself on her own girdle.
Sadly, during his entire life Philip III was little more than a pawn. On the positive side, a number of beautiful coins were minted in his name.