Stater, (ca. 340-328 B.C.), Amphipolis; Av: Head of Apollin...

Macedonia, Philip II (359-336 B.C.) and successors, Stater, (ca. 340-328 B.C.), Amphipolis; Av: Head of Apollo in laurel wreath to right; Rw: Rider in bidze to right, below ivy leaf, in section ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ; Le Rider Amphipolis II, plate 76, item 74, SNG Cop. 523; gold, 18.4 mm, 8.50 g; very nice coin, with clear mint luster.
Philip II ascended to the throne of Macedonia in 359 BC. In just a few years, using diplomacy, stealth and military power, he repelled threats both internal and external. He united small tribal states under his autocratic rule. He expanded the army and improved the battle tactics used by the Greek infantry. As a result, he had a formidable fighting force - he could mobilize an infantry force of thirty thousand and a superbly trained cavalry force of two thousand in a short period of time. The Macedonian army far outnumbered the army of any of the Greek polis in numbers and combat power. Only united they could oppose Philip, while individually they were powerless, so the Macedonians conquered them one by one.
The focal point of resistance to Philip was Athens. The Athenians, along with a Beotian contingent, clashed with the Macedonian army at Cheronea in 338 BC. The forces of the two sides were almost equal, but thanks to superior tactics, Philip won a complete victory. The battle was so fierce that the elite Theban Holy Host was slaughtered to the bone, and according to accounts, more than two hundred and fifty good hoplites were killed. At the Corinthian peace congress, in 337 B.C., all the Greek polities, with the exception of Sparta, recognized the supremacy of the Macedonian king. The parties formed the Corinthian Union, after which they began to prepare for a campaign against Persia, which had already been led by Philip's son, Alexander III, called the Great. For Philip was assassinated on the eve of the expedition to the east, during the wedding festivities of his daughter Cleopatra.