Tra Macedoni e Persiani: Ermia di Atarneo

Starting from a passage of Demosthenes’ Fourt Philippics, the essay examines the career of Hermias of Atarneus, and in particular the controversial issue of his relationship with Philip II of Macedonia. In this regard, an attempt is made to refute the thesis that Aristotle's arrival at Hermias was desired by Philip in order to secure a bridgehead for the expedition to Asia, whereas there is no reason to believe that this expedition had already been planned in the first half of the Forties. In fact, it is reasonable to think that the relationship with Hermias, which probably began after Aristotle's arrival at the Macedonian court in 343, was of no particular importance to Philip.