Who Killed Philip? Midterm Paper Assignment

Write a 5-page “legal brief” explaining who you believe murdered Philip II.

1. Organize your paper using the “primary source” information provided in the Sourcepack.

You are welcome to cite discussion of modern scholars, such as the articles linked here. Ultimately, your paper must be based on the available primary source evidence.

2. Give “page” or “slide” references to the ancient authors you cite to build your argument (Justin, slide 36; Plutarch, slide 12, etc).

You can put the references in footnotes or simply in parenthesis at the end of the sentence. For example, Plutarch shows that Olympias furnished multiple horses (Plutarch slide 9). You can also abbreviate the names of the sources, so long as your abbreviations are self evident and consistent (e.g., Plut. for Plutarch). For example, ‘Justin (slide 12) demonstrates that Olympias’ anger with Philip led her to furnish Pausanias with horses: Thus, angered by these developments both Olympias and Alexander are believed to have urged Pausanius to do the deed, after he complained to them about the manner in which his violation had gone unpunished. It is certain that Olympias had arranged to have horses waiting for the fleeing assassin.’ Be sure to italicize your text quotations or to put them in quotations.

Three places requiring page citations:

1. Any mention of an Author by name

2. All Direct quotations

3. Any documented detail crucial to your argument

3. You must build a coherent argument and document evidence to support it. When suitable, support your argument using quotations from the primary source texts. Let the evidence speak for itself.

4. Stick to one culprit and “follow the money.” If you decide to accuse Darius, you will need to discuss his connections to Demosthenes, Attalus, etc., and ultimately all the available evidence to show how he “got” to Pausanias. In this instance you would NOT need to discuss evidence for Olympias or Amyntas, however. Don’t try to cover the entire playing field as you will be penalized for omitting information in every instance. Exhaust the available evidence for your particular culprit and the manner in which he or she formed a plausible conspiracy. Follow the leads and show how it was possible for him or her to have committed the crime.

5. DO NOT OMIT EVIDENCE THAT CONTRADICTS YOUR SCENARIO. Include it and argue it away (explain that the source is unreliable, etc.). For example, if you decide to write that Pausanias acted alone, you must include and dismiss all the available evidence that argues to the contrary (the multiple horses, the statements that his teacher, Alexander, and Olympias urged him to do the deed, etc.). In other words, present the case in full.

6. Create a persuasive argument showing how your “culprit” is the one most likely to have done the deed. Try to demonstrate Motivation, Opportunity, and Execution.

7. There is no upper page limit to the length of the paper. Generally, we have found that the assignment can be done in 5 double-spaced pages. If it takes longer, we will read it. Complete the argument, follow the paper trail, cite the evidence. Length of paper is not the issue.

PAPERS DUE Friday MAR. 24, 5:00 PM. Send it as an attached file to rauhn@purdue.edu. BE SURE TO PUT YOUR NAME OR INITIALS IN THE FILE NAME

PLEASE PUT YOUR NAME ON THE PAPER AND INITIALS IN THE FILE NAME. PAPERS WITHOUT IDENTIFICATION WILL NOT BE GRADED UNTIL AFTER THE AUTHOR IS IDENTIFIED.

Late Mid-Term Take Home Papers will be penalized.