The Floating Warhorses of Alexander the Great: The Menacing Mount of the Macedonians
The rider must have a firm seat when going at full speed over all sort of ground
and must also be able to use his weapons well on horseback. (Xenophon, On Horsemanship, 8)
When Philip II came to the throne of ancient Macedon in the turbulent days of 359 BC, the nation was besieged. Illyrians were amassing to the north, Greeks occupied the major coastal cities, Thracian tribes and Persian gold were vying to topple the state to install a puppet regime. The young Macedonian king had three survival options: marry daughters of hostile warlords to forge new alliances, bribe his way out of trouble, or develop an army that could repel any foreign menace. Philip’s holistic strategy employed all three.
