Serapion (strategist)

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Serapion († 41 BC ) was during the reign of Cleopatra VII. 43 BC. BC strategist of Cyprus . Against the will of the Egyptian queen he supported Gaius Cassius Longinus in the Roman civil war and was therefore killed in 41 BC. Executed. He could be identical with that Serapion who 48 BC Should negotiate for Gaius Iulius Caesar with the Egyptian general Achillas .

Life

After Caesar settled in the throne dispute between Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XIII. had put Cleopatra's side, the minister called Potheinos in the autumn of 48 BC. To help Achillas, who marched with a strong army from Pelusion against Alexandria . Since Caesar could not get involved in an open battle due to insufficient military strength, he forced Ptolemy XIII to send high-ranking negotiators to Achillas. Serapion and Dioscorides were selected for this task, who had already been chosen for Ptolemy XII. had been diplomatically active in Rome and should now show Achillas that the fight against Caesar was not in the spirit of Ptolemy XIII. be. But the Egyptian general realized that the young king had only been forced to convey this message. Therefore Achillas incited his soldiers against Serapion and Dioscorides, one of whom was killed, but the second was only thought to be dead and seriously injured by his companions.

The sources do not record which of the two ambassadors survived. If it was Serapion, it is very likely that he is identical to the Cypriot strategist of the same name, who was in this function for the year 43 BC. Is attested. At that time, a year after Caesar's murder, his supporters and opponents waged a bitter war against each other. Cleopatra took the side of the Caesarians and therefore dismissed Cassius, who among other things had sent them a request for support, with a hesitant answer. Serapion, however, delivered a fleet contingent to the Caesar murderer without consulting his mistress, who, among other things, with this military help the Caesarian Publius Cornelius Dolabella in July 43 BC. BC could defeat decisively. Cleopatra was extremely angry with the arbitrary act of her strategist.

The historian Michael Grant seems to recognize from Serapion action that the Cypriot strategist at that time in exile in the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus living Arsinoe IV. Support against their with her estranged older sister Cleopatra and perhaps even wanted to make the new Egyptian ruler. When Cleopatra had won over the triumvir Marcus Antonius after the victory of the Caesarians , she avenged herself in 41 BC. Over the power of the Romans to unpopular people. Besides Arsinoë, their victims also included Serapion, who fled to Tire . Serapion had to be handed over to the Ptolemaic queen on Antony's orders, who - most likely - had him executed. In Cyprus he was replaced by Demetrius .

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ Gaius Iulius Caesar, Civil Wars 3, 109, 1-5; Titus Livius , Ab urbe condita , book 112, fragment 48 in Adnot. super Lucan , Pharsalia 10, 471; Cassius Dio 42, 36, 2-37, 2; on this Werner Huss : Egypt in the Hellenistic Period 332–30 BC Chr . CH Beck, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-47154-4 , p. 714 f .
  2. ↑ Walter Ameling : Serapion 2). In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 11, Metzler, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-476-01481-9 , Sp. 444.
  3. ^ Appian , Civil Wars 4, 61, 262.
  4. ^ Chr. Schäfer, Cleopatra , p. 118.
  5. ^ M. Grant, Cleopatra , p. 146.
  6. ↑ Appian, Civil Wars 5, 9, 35.
  7. ↑ For example M. Grant, Cleopatra , p. 172 and Chr. Schäfer, Cleopatra , p. 131.
  8. ^ Cassius Dio , Roman History. 48, 40, 6.
personal data
SURNAME Serapion
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Strategist of Cyprus 43 BC Chr.
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd century BC BC or 1st century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 41 BC Chr.