Other Suspects

Disaffected Macedonian
Nobles?
– The Macedonian noble Antipater was the first person to
acclaim Alexander as the new King. He had advised
Alexander in 340 BC when he was regent. Many
Macedonian nobles had recently been alienated by
Philip’s actions which suggested that he considered
himself to have divine status. Philip had built the
Philippeum, a circular building with god-like statues of
members of his family, at Olympia following his victory
at Charonea. On the day of his murder he had a statue
of himself carried along with statues of the 12 gods.
Greeks outside Macedonia?
– Angry at their defeat at Charonea in 338
BC, and uncomfortable with the
Macedonian domination of the League of
Corinth, many non-Macedonian Greeks
very much disapproved of Philip.
Demosthenes of Athens was particularly
anti-Philip.
 The Persian King?
– Philip had publicly stated his intention to invade
Persia. In a letter from Alexander to Darius after the
Battle of Issus in 333 BC, Alexander implied that the
Persians had claimed credit for the assassination of
Philip in 336 BC. Also, when Alexander visited the
oracle at Siwah in 331 BC, he asked whether the
murderers have been punished, suggesting that he
still did not know who was responsible.
 Brothers?
When Alexander became King, he blamed the Lyncestian
brothers, Arrhabaeus and Heromenes. They were members
of the royal family from Lyncetis and their father, Aeropus,
had been exiled by Philip in 334 BC for the crime of
consorting with a flute-girl instead of appearing on parade.

Alexander arrested and executed two of the three Lyncestian

brothers shortly after his acclamation as King. (Perhaps these
were the two men who were waiting with Pausanias’ horse as
he tried to escape?)

The third brother, Alexander Lyncestian, was spared,

apparently because he was the first person to acclaim
Alexander as King. (This in itself is a matter of controversy.)