The kingdom of Macedonia was located in the area of modern-day northern Greece, and existed at least from the seventh century B.C.E, where it was founded by the Argead dynasty according to ancient historians. The symbol of the 16-rayed sun is closely connected to the Argeads, and is commonly regarded as the symbol of Macedonian royalty. Until Philip II of Macedonia assumed the throne, the kingdom was a typical small state caught in the power struggles of the major players, and was even under Persian rule for a short period. The invasion of the Phocians in Thessaly provided Philip with the opportunity to enter the third sacred war, and extend his influence to Greece. After defeating the Phocians at the battle of crocus field, Macedonia entered the Amphictyonic League, which was a major step in being recognized as equal by the other Greek states. The growth of Macedonian power in central Greece led to a conflict with Athens, which led to the battle of Chaironeia. Here Philip defeated the allied forces of Athens and Thebes and established a firm Macedonian dominance over the rest of Greece.
After the assassination of Philip II, his son Alexander III of Macedon, who was later called the great, assumed the throne. His campaign against Persia saw Macedonia at the height of their power, with their controlled territory reaching as far as Egypt and to the borders of India. However the empire of Alexander was short-lived, and shortly after his death it was divided into multiple kingdoms fighting for control of the complete conquered territory. At the end of the wars of the Diadochi, the Antigonid dynasty established themselves as the new rulers of Macedonia. At this point the kingdom had lost a huge part of its territory, and the remainder of the dominance over Greece was less than certain. The Macedonian kings spent the better part of the third century B.C.E. to regain their influence in Greece and to strengthen their position. In the late third century, a conflict with the Republic of rome escalated into the Roman-Macedonian wars, which ended in the year 168 B.C.E. with the dissolution if the kingdom of Macedonia and the establishment of four Macedonian republics under Roman control. Macedonia became an official Roman province in the year 146 B.C.E.
Philip II was born in the year 382 B.C.E. ans spent his youth as a hostage in Thebes, where he studied the new military tactics of Epaminondas. He ascended the throne of Macedonia after the death of his brother Perdikkas in 359. He defeated the Illyrians and Paionians and accepted the title of king. In the year 357 he conquered Amphipolis, and one year later the cities of Pydna and Poteidaia. In this time he was allied with Athens and Chalkidike, to prevent war on multiple borders of his empire. In 356 he defeated an Illyrian-Thracian coalition, which was supported by Athens, which allowed him to gain control over the mount Pangaion with its rich silver mines.
Philip now turned his attention to Greece. He conquered Thessaly and defeated the Phocian king Onomarchos in 352, and established a Macedonian garrison in Pagasai. At the same time he sought to expand his influence over Illyria and Thrace. In the year 348 B.C.E. Philip completed his conquest of the Chalkidike by taking the city of Olynthos. Philip then sought to strengthen his position in central Greece. He subdued Phokis and negotiated the peace of Philokrates with Athens. He was named Archon of Thessaly for life, and was again looking to expand his power in Thrace. In the year 338 B.C.E. he won a decisive victory over a coalition of Athens and Thebes in the battle of Chaironeia. Philip established the league of Corinth, and was named its Hegemon. With his position in Greece firmly established, he went on to prepare his campaign against the Persians.
The Hypaspists were an elite unit with aristocratic roots in the army of Philip II of Macedonia. The name literally translated to shield-bearer, and their mentions in ancient Texts, and use as a guard of honour, might suggest that they developed from the personal bodyguards of the Macedonian kings. Under Alexander The great, the Hypaspists grew to 3,000 men and formed a unit, which was usually deployed on the right flank of the center phalanx. Their role was to protect the vulnerable flanks of the phalanx and keep in contact with the cavalry, which was again deployed to the right of the Hypaspists.
The backbone of the Macedonian army was the Phalanx, an improved version of the traditional Greek phalanx, that was equipped with longer lances and fought in a tighter formation. The men serving in the phalanx regiments were called Phalangites or Pezhetairoi (Greek: companions on foot). Their equipment was tailored to their way of fighting. The wielded the famous Sarissa, a lance with more than twice the length of the Dory carried by Classical Hoplites. Consequently they had to carry smaller shield, which enabled them to use two hands to control the Sarissa. The longer reach of the Sarissa compensated for the lowered protection of the small shield. For additional protection they carried a helmet, a torso armour, and greaves.
