Philippides, son of Philomelos, of Paiania was an

Athenian Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

aristocratic oligarch. He is identified with the Philippides prosecuted by Hypereides in 336/5 B.C. who proposed honours for Macedonians after the Battle of Chaeronea, among them

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

. The trial speech by Hypereides against Philippides lasted just over thirty minutes and is taken from the papyrus where epilogue is preserved in its entirety. It states that Philippides campaigned with King

Philip II of Macedon Philip II of Macedon ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 382 – 21 October 336 BC) was the king ('' basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ...

, which was his most serious offense, and did everything in the service of the Macedonians which Hypereides detested. Philippides was known as saying, "We must honor Alexander for all those that died at his hand". Hypereides attacks Philip and Alexander during the first half of the speech, the second half he turns his attack on Philippides. A reference suggest that Philip was alive at the time of the trial. Philippides was also involved in embassies to King

Cassander Cassander ( el, Κάσσανδρος ; c. 355 BC – 297 BC) was king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia from 305 BC until 297 BC, and ''de facto'' ruler of southern Greece from 317 BC until his death. A son of Antipater and a conte ...

. In 294/3 B.C.

Stratocles Stratocles son of Euthydemos of Diomeia ( el, Στρατοκλῆς Εὐθυδήμου Διομεεὺς), was an Athenian politician during the third and fourth centuries BCE. He was a member of a family from the deme of Diomeia. At some time, ...

moved a decree in honour of Philippides, who had been active under the late government. In Olympiodoros' second year as

eponymous archon In ancient Greece the chief magistrate in various Greek city states was called eponymous archon (ἐπώνυμος ἄρχων, ''epōnymos archōn''). "Archon" (ἄρχων, pl. ἄρχοντες, ''archontes'') means "ruler" or "lord", frequentl ...

, the

archon basileus ''Archon basileus'' ( grc, ἄρχων βασιλεύς ') was a Greek title, meaning "king magistrate": the term is derived from the words ''archon'' "magistrate" and ''basileus'' "king" or "sovereign". Most modern scholars claim that in Classical ...

was Philippides of Paiania, a wealthy elder statesman of nobility. He took part in the established Athenian coalition government with military leader Olympiodoros and pro-

Macedon Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled ...

ian democrat Stratocles. Philippides of Paiania was one of the richest Athenians in the age of Lycurgus of Athens. In 293/2 B.C., Philippides was honoured with a gold crown for his excellence in the interests of the people, and as king.

References

{{reflist 4th-century BC Athenians 3rd-century BC Athenians