Lysimachus of Acarnania

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Lysimachus was a 4th century BC. Living Greek pedagogue who was one of the most important educators of Alexander the great .

Life

Lysimachus, who came from Acarnania , made the young Alexander familiar with Greek education, in particular with the epics of Homer . He called the boy a young Achilles . This may have contributed to the fact that Alexander identified with this hero of Greek mythology. Lysimachus referred to himself as Phoinix and Alexander's father Philip II as Peleus . The biographer Plutarch claims that Lysimachus had no special spiritual gifts and that by naming the young prince as Achilles he skillfully flattered himself in his favor.

Alexander held his teacher Lysimachos in high regard, who later also accompanied the Macedonian king on his Persian campaign. According to the report of the Alexander historian Chares of Mytilene , the Macedonian conqueror undertook a military expedition against the Arabs living in anti- Lebanon during the long siege of Tire (332 BC) and took Lysimachus with him at his insistence. When the old educator could no longer keep up with the pace due to exhaustion, Alexander took care of him and risked his life because he was cut off from his main force and only had to spend a cold night in the company of his teacher and less loyal friends in the immediate vicinity of his enemies . In order to be able to warm himself by a fire, the Macedonian king is said to have sneaked up to an opposing troop and stabbed two guards and returned with a captured torch; a counterattack had been repelled.

The further fate of Lysimachus is not known.

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ Plutarch, Alexander 5, 8; on this Siegfried Lauffer, Alexander the Great , p. 24f.
  2. ↑ Chares von Mytilene, FGrH 125 F 7 in Plutarch, Alexander 24, 10-14; on this Robin Lane Fox, Alexander the Great , German 3rd edition Stuttgart 2005, p. 232.
personal data
SURNAME Lysimachus of Acarnania
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Educator of Alexander the Great
DATE OF BIRTH 5th century BC BC or 4th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 4th century BC BC or 3rd century BC Chr.