Achillas

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Achillas († 48 BC ) was a general of the royal troops of the Egyptian king Ptolemy XIII. He fought in 48 BC BC against Gaius Julius Caesar during his stay in Alexandria and was executed on the orders of Arsinoë IV , the king's sister.

Position of power

Since after the death of the Egyptian king Ptolemy XII. Neos Dionysus (51 BC) whose son Ptolemy XIII. When he came to the throne as a minor, three powerful men exercised the reign for him: at the head was the eunuch Potheinos , next to the Egyptian Achillas acted as general of the royal troops and Theodotus of Chios as the young king's teacher. This group also pushed through the expulsion of the sister and co-regent of Ptolemy XIII, the famous Cleopatra VII (autumn 49 BC), because she wanted to rule alone.

Assassination of Pompey

Cleopatra recruited mercenaries in Syria and then marched against the Egyptian border post at Pelusion ; apparently they wanted militarily to regain their rule Ptolemy XIII. went to meet her with his three advisers and the Ptolemaic army. Achillas' troops numbered about 20,000 men. They camped not far from Cleopatra's army when the Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus appeared on the Egyptian coast, fleeing after his defeat in the battle of Pharsalus , and asked for admission. However, Potheinos decided at a meeting of the Regency Council to have Pompey murdered in order not to make the victor Gaius Julius Caesar an enemy and to keep Egypt out of the Roman power struggle. Achillas carried out this assignment. He drove with a couple of faithful to Pompey's fleet in a boat. He was persuaded by the Roman tribune Lucius Septimius, whom he knew from previous wars, to get into Achillas' boat, where he was stabbed.

Role and death of Achillas in the Alexandrian War

But when Caesar appeared before Alexandria two days later (on July 27, 48 BC according to the Julian calendar) , he was not satisfied and marched into the city with his soldiers. Ptolemy XIII and Potheinos did go to Caesar, but left Achillas with his army ready for action at Pelusion. Cleopatra was able to reach Caesar and win him over, so that the influence of Potheinos and his allies had to wane. The eunuch therefore called Achillas of Pelusion to Alexandria with justified confidence in the strength of the Ptolemaic army, which outnumbered Caesar's troops five times. The Alexandrians received Achillas enthusiastically and supported him as much as they could; thus began the Alexandrian War . Caesar, surprised, had to hide in the palace quarter and took the royal family hostage. Cleopatra's younger sister, Arsinoë IV , managed to escape to Achillas' troops with her tutor Ganymedes . The king's daughter wanted above all to strengthen her own position with the Egyptians and therefore get rid of the previous general. Potheinos supported Achillas with messengers, but was executed by Caesar for it. Ganymedes, in turn, achieved the execution of Achillas with the help of the Arsinoe and took over the further fight against Caesar.

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ Huss: Egypt in the Hellenistic Period. (2001), pp. 707 and 709; Hölbl: History of the Ptolemaic Empire. (1994), pp. 205f.
  2. ^ Appian : Civil Wars II 84; Strabo : XVII 1, 11.
  3. ↑ Caesar: Civil Wars III 103, 2f .; among others
  4. ↑ Plutarch : Pompeius 77ff .; Caesar: Civil Wars III 104.
  5. ↑ Description of the strength and composition of Achillas' troops: Caesar: Civil Wars III 110.
  6. ↑ [Caesar]: Alexandrian War 2f.
  7. ↑ Caesar: Civil Wars III 112, 11f .; Alexandrian War 4; Cassius Dio XLII 39f.
personal data
SURNAME Achillas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION General of the Egyptian king Ptolemy XIII.
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd century BC BC or 1st century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 48 BC Chr.