Herakleides of Klazomenai

Herakleides of Klazomenai was a Greek from the Klazomenai in Asia Minor who was resident in Athens at the time of the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC) , who, due to the services he provided to the people of Athens in assisting an embassy to the Persian court and in particular in the fight against the thirty tyrants , received the Athenian citizenship and held important state offices. His exact life dates are not known.

At the beginning of the reign of the Persian great king Darius II (423 BC) Herakleides must have held a position of trust at the Persian court. He may have worked there as an interpreter or doctor. In this function he was able to help an Athenian delegation led by nobleman Epilykos , the uncle of the later speaker Andokides , who came to the Persian capital Susa at this time , in the conduct of negotiations.

One can assume that Herakleides, soon after the conclusion of the confirmation of the peace treaty between Athens and Persia, which came about with his help, around 420 BC. Moved to the Attic capital. There he lived for many years as a privileged citizen ( Metöke ). Since Herakleides apparently repeatedly boasted of his earlier important role at the Persian royal court, he was nicknamed Basileus ("King") by the Athenians .

After the defeat of the Athenians against Sparta and the establishment of an oligarchic government, the metocs living in Athens were exposed to brutal persecution by the so-called "Thirty Tyrants", including the family of the speaker Lysias , who reported on it in his speech against Eratosthenes , had to suffer. Like others of his class, Herakleides also went into exile during this time and joined the democratic emigration there. He supported their leaders as much as possible, who fought the rulers from Piraeus . For the services acquired in this way Herakleides was awarded 403 BC. The re-established democracy granted Athens citizenship to the city, an honor which Lysias, who also escaped into exile, was denied. The stone on which Herakleides was carved as a citizen was found again during excavations on the Acropolis in Athens in the 19th century.

After being accepted into the citizenship, Herakleides, who apparently had no lack of ambition, joined the leaders of extreme democracy. That connection and his talents brought him up quickly.

The philosopher Plato mentions Herakleides in his dialogue Ion , where Socrates instructs the skeptical rhapsodist Ion that foreigners can occupy important positions in Athens. In addition to Herakleides, Socrates mentions Apollodorus the Cyclic, who served Athens as military leader, and Phanosthenes of Andros, who, like Herakleides, had attained important state offices in Athens, as examples of immigrants who achieved offices, fame and prestige in the Attic capital.

literature

• Ulrich Köhler : Herakleides the Klazomenier . In: Hermes 27/1, 1892, pp. 68–78 ( online )

Remarks

1. ^ Plato, Ion 541.