Philoi

Philoi (Ancient Greek: φίλοι; plural of φίλος philos "friend") was a title to the royal friends, advisors of the king (basileus) in ancient Macedonia. They were the personal choice of the king and they might have come from anywhere in the Greek world. The title became common among the Hellenistic kingdoms. In the Seleucid Empire a number of ranks can be traced; Protoi Philoi, First Friends and Timomenoi Philoi, Honoured Friends organized in various orders. In inscriptions the phrase the King, his Friends and the army signifies their important role.

References

• The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol. 8: Rome and the Mediterrean to 133 B.C., 2nd ed., ed. by F. W. Walbank (1989), p. 417, ISBN 978-052-1234-48-1
• The Greek World After Alexander, 323-30 B.C. by Graham Shipley (2000), p. 76, ISBN 0-415-04618-1