Menon (son of Kerdimmas)

Menon ( Greek  Μένων ; † probably after 331 BC), son of Kerdimmas, was a governor of Alexander the Great .

After Alexander after his victory in the battle of Issus in 333 BC. Chr. Cilicia had conquered and along the Syrian coast to Tire had marched, he lifted a province (on his way satrapy ) between the Syrian gates and Phenicia one. He left contingents of troops there to defend the hinterland against those Persians who had escaped at Issus. The historian Arrian reports for the autumn of 333 BC. That Menon, son of Kerdimmas, was installed in the office of a satrap of Koilesyria . In all likelihood Arrian was wrong in naming the province, since Koilesyria means "lower Syria", that is, the country south of Phenicia, which at that time had not yet been conquered. The year 333 BC However, the province established in BC included the land north of Phenicia, that is, "Upper Syria", which in its scope should have roughly corresponded to the current state of Syria .

Koile Syria was after the siege of Tire in 332 BC. Conquered by Parmenion and entrusted to the satrap Andromachos , who was soon killed in an uprising by the Samarians . Curtius Rufus reports for the spring of 331 BC That Alexander threw down the Samarians and appointed a certain "Memnon" as the new satrap of Koile Syria. Recent historical research largely agrees that this person actually meant Menon, son of Kerdimmas. It is unclear, however, whether Menon had to give up his post in "upper Syria" in favor of "lower Syria" or whether he now administered both provinces in personal union.

Ultimately, Arrian reports that Alexander was still alive in the late summer of 331 BC. Shortly before his arrival in Thapsakos on the Euphrates the satrap of Syria, "Arimmas", replaced by Asklepiodoros . It is possible that this Arimmas was Menon's successor in "upper Syria" after he had moved to "lower Syria". However, in this information there could also have been a spelling mistake by the author for "Kerdimmas", with which the replaced satrap could be identified with Menon, son of Kerdimmas, and Asklepiodoros was able to take over official authority in the two Syrian provinces, especially since neither Menon, son des Kerdimmas, another Arimmas afterwards are mentioned in the traditions.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Diodorus 17.48.5–6; Curtius Rufus 4.1.34, 4.5.13.
2. ↑ Arrian, Anabasis 2.13.7.
3. ↑ Curtius Rufus 4.8.9-11.
4. ↑ Arrian, Anabasis 3.6.8.

literature

• AB Bosworth: The Government of Syria under Alexander the Great. In: The Classical Quarterly . New Series Vol. 24, No. 1, 1974, pp. 46-64, JSTOR 638226 .