Artabazos II.

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Artabazos ( Persian : Artavazdâ, Greek  Ἀρτάβαζος ; * around 390 BC; † around 325 BC) was a high Persian nobleman and one of the closest Persian confidants of Alexander the Great .

Life

Artabazos was the younger of two sons of Pharnabazos and Apame , a daughter of the Persian great king Artaxerxes II. Mnemon . His family on his father's side ( Pharnacids ) themselves formed a side branch of the Achaemenids , descended from Pharnakes , the uncle of the Great King Darius I the Great . For generations, his family exercised the de facto hereditary office of satrap in Daskyleion on the Hellespont (Hellespontian Phrygia , today northwestern Turkey). The elder of the brothers, Ariobarzanes , took part in the years 370–362 BC. In the so-called "great satrap revolt" of the Datames against the great king Artaxerxes II and paid for it with his life. Artabazos remained loyal to the great king during this time, appeared as his general against Datames in Cappadocia and was thus able to around 362 BC. To succeed his brother as satrap in Daskyleion.

After the death of the great king in 358 BC Artabazos committed around 356 BC. BC itself a revolt against the new great king Artaxerxes III. Ochos . With the support of the Athenian general Chares and his mercenaries, he defeated 355 BC. An army of the great king, which Chares' victory represented the Greek world as a "second marathon ". But when the great king increased his maritime pressure on Athens , the Attic mercenaries withdrew from Asia Minor. Artabazos hurriedly recruited 5,000 Theban troops under the command of Pammenes . Nevertheless, Artabazos was around 352 BC. Beaten by the great king, whereupon he had to flee to Macedonia . His family lost their rule on the Hellespont, which was now given to Arsites . At the court of King Philip II in Pella , Artabazos probably made the acquaintance of Aristotle and the young Prince Alexander.

Artabazos was married to a sister of the Rhodian generals Mentor and Memnon , who allegedly bore him eleven sons and ten daughters. Mentor was also married to Artabazos' daughter Barsine , and Memnon had accompanied Artabazos to the Macedonian exile. Mentor came to a high degree of influence at the Persian court and reached around 342 BC. At Artaxerxes III. the pardon for Artabazos. Around 340 BC Mentor died and Barsine married his brother Memnon.

Later Artabazos belonged to the court suite of the Great King Darius III. Kodomannos on. His son Pharnabazos fought since 334 BC. BC together with Memnon in Asia Minor against the advancing Alexander the Great. After the defeat in the Battle of Gaugamela (October 1, 331 BC) Darius withdrew to Ekbatana. Alexander's rapid advance against this city apparently led to conflicts in the entourage of the great king, as Artabazos and the Greek mercenary leader Patron, among others, were of the opinion that Dareios should face the fight with the Macedonian conqueror, while Bessus and Nabarzanes spoke out in favor of an evasion to the east and by their departure with the Bactrian troops compelled Darius to follow them with the rest of the soldiers. Artabazos sought to defuse the tensions that had arisen between the great king and Bessos. Since the Bessos party gained the upper hand during the escape, Artabazos, loyal to the king, was unable to prevent Darius from being captured, but, like the Greeks, separated from the rebel and joined him after Darius' murder (summer 330 BC) nine of his sons in Hyrcania over to Alexander's side. Artabazos' daughter Barsine already lived in the entourage of the Macedonian king. After the death of Memnon, she became the mistress of the conqueror and became the mother of Heracles .

End of 330 BC Chr. Artabazus took along with the generals Erigyius and Karanos the fight against the satrapy of Aria sunken Satibarzanes part which it fell. After Bessus was expelled from Bactria in 329 BC. Artabazos was appointed by Alexander as the new satrap of Bactria because of his earlier loyalty to Darius. Early 328 BC He led one of a total of five independent army groups that invaded Sogdia . Shortly afterwards, Artabazos resigned from his governorship for reasons of age. He was initially replaced by Kleitos and, after his early death, by Amyntas . Artabazos' year of death has not been recorded; he probably died a few years after his resignation from the satrap office.

Of Artabazos' sons, those known by name, Pharnabazos, Kophen, Arsames, Ariobarzanes and Ilioneos, continued to follow Alexander. Besides Barsine , the names of two other daughters are known; they were called Artakama and Artonis and were both born in 324 BC. Married at the mass wedding of Susa to two close friends of Alexander, Artakama with Ptolemaios , the later king of Egypt, and Artonis with the secretary and later warlord Eumenes . A granddaughter, unknown by name, a daughter of Barsine and Mentors, was also married to Alexander's Admiral Nearchus at this mass wedding .

literature

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Cf. Plutarch , Artaxerxes 27, 4; Xenophon , Hellenika 5, 1, 28; among others
  2. ↑ Diodor , Bibliothéke historiké 15, 91.
  3. ↑ Diodor , Bibliothéke historiké 16, 22, 1; Demosthenes , Orationes 4, 19 and 4, 24 with Scholien and Scholion zu 3, 31; Isokrates , Orationes 8, 42ff .; Plutarch, Aratos 16, 3.
  4. ↑ Diodor, Bibliothéke historiké 16, 34, 1f .; see. Polyainos , Strategika 5, 16, 2 and Frontinus , Strategemata 2, 3, 3.
  5. ↑ Diodor, Bibliothéke historiké 16, 52, 3; see. Athenaios , Deipnosophistai 6, 256 de.
  6. ↑ Diodor, Bibliothéke historiké 16, 52, 3f.
  7. ^ Curtius Rufus , Historiae Alexandri Magni Macedonis 5, 8, 6 - 9, 17; on this Lauffer: Alexander the Great. 3. Edition. 1993, p. 108 f.
  8. ^ Curtius Rufus, Historiae Alexandri Magni Macedonis 5, 9, 12f .; 5, 10, 10f.
  9. ↑ Arrian , Anabasis 3, 21, 4; 3, 23, 7; Curtius Rufus, Historiae Alexandri Magni Macedonis 5, 12, 18; 6, 5, 2-6.
  10. ↑ Arrian, Anabasis 3, 28, 2; Curtius Rufus, Historiae Alexandri Magni Macedonis 7, 3, 2.
  11. ↑ Arrian, Anabasis 3, 29, 1; Curtius Rufus, Historiae Alexandri Magni Macedonis 7, 5, 1.
  12. ↑ Arrian, Anabasis 4, 16, 2f .; see. Curtius Rufus, Historiae Alexandri Magni Macedonis 8, 1, 1.
  13. ↑ Arrian, Anabasis 4, 17, 3; Curtius Rufus, Historiae Alexandri Magni Macedonis 8, 1, 19.
  14. ↑ Arrian, Anabasis 7, 4, 5f.
personal data
SURNAME Artabazos II.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Artavazdâ, Ἀρτάβαζος
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Satrap of Daskyleion and Bactria
DATE OF BIRTH 4th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH around 325 BC Chr.