Onesilus: Difference between revisions
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| ⚫ | '''Onesilus''' or '''Onesilos''' ({{lang-el|Ὀνήσιλος}} ''"useful one"''; died 497 BC) was the brother of king Gorgos (Gorgus) of the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] city-state of [[Salamis, Cyprus|Salamis]] on the island of [[Cyprus]]. He is known only through the work of [[Herodotus]] (''Histories'', V.104–115). |
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Cyprus was a part of the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian Empire]], but, when the [[Ionian Revolt|Ionians rebelled from Persian rule]], Onesilus captured the city of Salamis and usurped his brother’s throne. He was able to win over every city on the island except for the Graeco-Phoenician city-state of [[Amathus]], which stayed loyal to the Persians. |
Cyprus was a part of the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian Empire]], but, when the [[Ionian Revolt|Ionians rebelled from Persian rule]], Onesilus captured the city of Salamis and usurped his brother’s throne. He was able to win over every city on the island except for the Graeco-Phoenician city-state of [[Amathus]], which stayed loyal to the Persians despite being beseiged by Onesilus' troops. |
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In 497 BC, the Persians |
In 497 BC, the Persians mounted an attack on Cyprus with the help of the [[Phoenicia]]n navy. Some of the Ionian colonies sent ships to assist Onesilus, and in the ensuing battle they were able to defeat the Phoenician navy. Onesilus then led an army against the Persian general, Artybius. Although Artybius himself died in the battle, the Persians were victorious and Onesilus was also killed. As a result, the Ionian fleet retreated from Cyprus and five months later the Persians regained control of the island. Onesilus’ brother, Gorgus Chersides, was then reinstated by the Persians as king of Salamis. |
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Herodotus also reports that in retaliation for Onesilus' siege of Amathus, the townspeople cut off his head after his death and hung it above the town gates as a trophy, and later observed that his dessicated skull had been occupied by a swarm of bees and their honeycomb (a phenomenon similar to [[bugonia]]). To ward off the effects of this ill omen they were advised to take down the head and bury it, making sacrifice to Onesilus as a hero.<ref>{{cite book |last=Herodotus |first= |date= |title=The Histories |url= |location=London;New York |publisher=Penguin Books |page=5.112-5.114 |isbn= |author-link= }}</ref> |
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==In Popular Culture== |
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The story of the bees in the skull is the subject of ''histories: onesilos'', a poem by German poet [[Jan Wagner (poet)|Jan Wagner]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Wagner |first=Jan |date= |title=HISTORIES: ONESILOS; IN THE WELL |url=https://www.kenyonreview.org/kr-online-issue/2017-julyaug/selections/jan-wagner-763879/ |location= |publisher=The Kenyon Review (July/Aug 2017) |page= |isbn= |author-link= }}</ref> |
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==References== |
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Revision as of 21:57, 8 June 2018
Onesilus or Onesilos (Greek: Ὀνήσιλος "useful one"; died 497 BC) was the brother of king Gorgos (Gorgus) of the Greek city-state of Salamis on the island of Cyprus. He is known only through the work of Herodotus (Histories, V.104–115).
Cyprus was a part of the Persian Empire, but, when the Ionians rebelled from Persian rule, Onesilus captured the city of Salamis and usurped his brother’s throne. He was able to win over every city on the island except for the Graeco-Phoenician city-state of Amathus, which stayed loyal to the Persians despite being beseiged by Onesilus' troops.
In 497 BC, the Persians mounted an attack on Cyprus with the help of the Phoenician navy. Some of the Ionian colonies sent ships to assist Onesilus, and in the ensuing battle they were able to defeat the Phoenician navy. Onesilus then led an army against the Persian general, Artybius. Although Artybius himself died in the battle, the Persians were victorious and Onesilus was also killed. As a result, the Ionian fleet retreated from Cyprus and five months later the Persians regained control of the island. Onesilus’ brother, Gorgus Chersides, was then reinstated by the Persians as king of Salamis.
Herodotus also reports that in retaliation for Onesilus' siege of Amathus, the townspeople cut off his head after his death and hung it above the town gates as a trophy, and later observed that his dessicated skull had been occupied by a swarm of bees and their honeycomb (a phenomenon similar to bugonia). To ward off the effects of this ill omen they were advised to take down the head and bury it, making sacrifice to Onesilus as a hero.[1]
In Popular Culture
The story of the bees in the skull is the subject of histories: onesilos, a poem by German poet Jan Wagner.[2]
References
- ^ Herodotus. The Histories. London;New York: Penguin Books. p. 5.112-5.114.
- ^ Wagner, Jan. HISTORIES: ONESILOS; IN THE WELL. The Kenyon Review (July/Aug 2017).
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