3 – He Lost an Eye During a Siege
Before he became a calmer and more cerebral commander, Philip was known for his bravery and routinely led from the front on the battlefield. In some ways, it is remarkable that he survived so many fights because he was known for his utter recklessness in the heat of battle, a trait shared with Alexander. His obsessive desire for conquest and an unwillingness to contemplate defeat meant that Philip practically ignored the growing scars and disfigurements that came at the hands of his enemy.
His gravest battle wound came during the Methone siege in 354 BC. Interestingly, it is said that the injury, the loss of his right eye, was foretold by the Oracle at Delphi. Philip was apparently guilty of spying on his wife, a crime punishable by a loss of sight. During the siege, the king was inspecting sheds that housed the Macedonian siege machinery. At that moment, an enemy sniper spotted the king and hit Philip’s right eye with an arrow. According to Pliny the Elder, the king came into the field dressing station with the projectile protruding from his eye.
Philip was exceptionally fortunate because if the arrow had hit him head-on, he would have died instantly. It is likely that the king was wearing his iron helmet which was tipped back at the time the arrow struck him. The arrow deflected off the iron and turned a probable direct hit into a glancing blow. The king remained alive but the arrow did ensure he became blind and disfigured in his right eye.
The king was treated by the royal surgeon, a man named Critobulus. The medic managed to remove the arrowhead from the king’s eye socket without completely disfiguring his face. He stitched the eye socket shut but it became infected. Critobulus gave Philip some medicine to aid the healing process and also ordered that the dressing was changed every day for several weeks. Methone fell to the Macedonians a few days later and Philip quickly returned home to tend to his wound. According to Demetrius, Philip was extremely sensitive about the wound and flew into a rage if it was ever mentioned in his presence.