Amyntas (son of Andromenes)

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Amyntas ( Greek : Ἀμύντας; † 330 BC ) was a companion ( hetairos ) and general of Alexander the Great .

Amyntas was the eldest of four sons of Andromenes, his brothers were Simmias , Attalus and Polemon . The brothers had already been brought to the Macedonian court in Pella by King Philip II , where they were given important positions. Attalus even became one of the king's bodyguards ( somatophlax ) and was one of those who died in 336 BC. Killed the assassin Pausanias . Amyntas himself became one of the youth companions ( syntrophoi ) of King Amyntas IV , who was ousted from the rule and who was later murdered by Alexander. He made friends with Philotas , among others . In 335 BC He is mentioned for the first time as the leader ( taxiarchos ) of a division of the pezhetairoi Alexander in the war against Thebes . During the Asia campaign was Amyntas, the v in 334th The fortress was handed over by Mithrenes , the Persian commander of the fortress of Sardis , besieged by the Macedonians . He then fought in the Battle of Issus . In 332 BC Alexander, who was in Gaza, sent Amyntas to Macedonia to recruit new troops. In the late year 331 BC Amyntas arrived in Susa with 6,000 Macedonian infantry and 500 cavalry, as well as 3,500 Thracians on foot and 600 on horseback, 4,000 Peloponnesian mercenaries on foot and 380 on horseback, and 50 new pages .

330 BC In the course of the " Dimnos Affair " , Amyntas and his brothers came under suspicion of high treason from Alexander. The distrust of the king against the brothers was additionally by a letter of Olympias nourished, was warned in the Alexander before them, because of their friendship with Philotas. The flight of the youngest brother Polemon from the army camp in Phrada (now Farah ) reinforced this suspicion. However, Amyntas defended himself and his brothers so convincingly that Alexander was convinced of their innocence, and Polemon soon returned as well. Arrian reports that a little later Amyntas was fatally wounded by an arrow while besieging a town.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Diodorus 16, 94, 4.
  2. ^ Curtius Rufus 7, 1, 11.
  3. ↑ Arrian, Anabasis 1, 14, 2.
  4. ↑ Arrian, Anabasis 2, 8, 4; Curtius Rufus 3, 9, 7
  5. ^ Curtius Rufus 5, 1, 42; Diodorus 17, 65, 1.
  6. ^ Curtius Rufus 7, 1, 12.
  7. ↑ Arrian, Anabasis 3, 27, 1-3.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Amyntas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Macedonian general
DATE OF BIRTH 4th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 330 BC Chr.