22 Persia and Macedon 359 333 BC

T hanks to Artaxerxess military and diplomatic skills, the Persian Empire remained supreme over the Greeks for much of the 4 th century B. C. But all that changed suddenly with the rise of a new power: the kingdom of Macedon and its rulers Philip and Alexander. Philip devoted attention to his military, creating an infantry of pikemen, organizing and drilling his cavalry, and coordinating the actions of his troops. When Alexander took the throne, he almost immediately launched this army against the Persians, forcing them to ght for the very survival of their empire.