Karanos 3, 2020 59-83 Philia Networks in the Macedonian Court and the Long Accession of Alexander the Great* by Julius Guthrie University of Exeter
[email protected] ABSTRACT This paper revaluates key moments in the court politics of Alexander the Great’s reign through the introduction of philia-networks governed by gift-exchange as a template for explaining the relationships between key participants. This approach makes it clear that Alexander initially held a passive role in the political life of his own court and was dependant on others for his succession. These dynamics shifted in the opening years of the Asian expedition as Alexander sought to break these philia- networks, building his own and surrounding his person with philoi of his own choosing. KEYWORDS Alexander the Great, philia, Aristotle, court politics, conspiracies. To be a ruler in the ancient world was to be involved in a never-ending game of political chicanery with the elite. The Argead family of Macedonia, although the ruling house from at least the turn of the sixth into the fifth century, were no exception, and neither was the household’s most famous name: Alexander III the Great.1 Alexander, when his father, Philip II, died in 336 was by no means assured of succession to the Macedonian kingship. That Alexander did succeed was due to his support from prominent men – especially Antipater and Parmenio– who controlled vast networks of philoi. The recognition of the role played by prominent political factions in Alexander’s court is itself nothing new and most recently Waldemar Heckel has argued for the existence of political factions centred on both Antipater and Parmenio at Alexander’s court2.