One of the Heraclids,[1] he gathered an army from Greece and went into Macedonia, which at that time was an obscure place. He ruled there and handed down the rule so that it proceeded in succession all the way down to Philip.[2] Amyntas, the father of Philip, married Eurydike, an Illyrian woman, and had the following children: Alexandros, Perdikkas, and Philip, whom some claim were spurious children that Eurydike introduced. After a war with the Thebans, [Amyntas] gave them as a hostage Philip, who was still young, and a Theban named Pammenes became his lover, or so they say. When Amyntas died, Pausanias, who had been driven into exile by him earlier, returned and seized power, forcing out the sons [of Amyntas]. But Eurydike formed an alliance with a general of the Athenians who was operating in the vicinity of Macedonia and expelled Pausanias. Up to that point, then, rule passed to the eldest, and nothing unusual happened. Philip came to power at the age of twenty-two and conquered many peoples, both barbarians and Greeks, and he took Amphipolis from the Athenians and made Thessaly subject to his authority along with the thirty-two cities of the Chalcidian league, of which the Olynthians were the leaders. He took Potidaia from the Athenians, and then deceitfully made a gift of it to them. Similarly the Athenians sent forty ships as aid [to Olynthos] with Chares as general. But Chares was hit by a storm, and Euthykrates and Lasthenes betrayed Olynthos, so [Philip] removed the population of Olynthos and captured the other cities. The Athenians granted citizenship to those who were rescued. He lost an eye while fighting against the Methonians who live near Thrace; a certain Aster hit him with an arrow. Aster had written on the arrow, "Aster sends this death-dealing arrow to Philip," in return for which Philip had written and sent on an arrow the following: "Philip, if he catches Aster, will kill him." Later, while offering peace he demanded [Aster] and once he got hold of him, he hanged him. He also captured Kersobleptes, a Thracian king and an ally of the Athenians, and he captured [the island of] Halon(n)esus,[3] and other cities; and after this the Phocian war arose.