Theodotos Hemiolios

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Theodotos Hemiolios († after 217 BC) was a general of the Seleucid king Antiochus III.

Life

After the Median satrap Molon started a rebellion against the young Antiochus III, who had just come to power. had instigated, the Chancellor Hermeias ensured that not the king himself, but Theodotos Hemiolios and Xenon were entrusted with the fight against the rebellious satrap. The two generals marched in 222 BC. BC against Molon, but had to retreat from its strong troops and withdrew to the city of Seleukeia on the Tigris . Only after Antiochus III. 220 BC Chr. Personally intervened, he could decisively defeat Molon.

As Antiochus III. 219 BC In the course of the Fourth Syrian War , which he fought against the Egyptian king Ptolemy IV , took the city of Seleukeia Pieria , he sent Theodotos Hemiolios with a strong army to occupy the passes leading to Koile Syria to protect against an attack by to be protected from this side. In the same year the Seleucid king decided, at the request of the defector Theodotus of Aetolia , to conquer all of Koile Syria from the Ptolemies. He moved to the fortress Gerrha , which Theodotos Hemiolios had meanwhile probably taken, and was able to achieve some successes in the further course of the campaign; Sidon , however, remained in the hands of the Ptolemies. With the approach of winter Antiochus III withdrew. Returned to Seleukeia Pieria, but stationed Syrian occupation troops in the territories he had subjugated and placed them under the command of Theodotos Hemiolios.

In the spring of 218 BC New military conflicts began. Antiochus III. pushed south on the coastal road and sent Theodotos Hemiolios and Nikarchos ahead with a contingent of troops to occupy the bottleneck at the Lykos River (now Nahr el-Kelb ). In the combined land and sea battle that the Seleucid king fought south of the mouth of the Damuras River (today Nahr ad-Damur ) against Nikolaos , the Ptolemaic governor of Koilesyria, Theodotos Hemiolios played a major role in Antiochus' victory. This enabled the bolt position established by Nikolaos to be broken.

Since a siege of Sidon would have been too long an undertaking, Antiochus III went. now to conquer cities inland. But this was only partially successful. In the city of Rabbat-Ammon (now part of Amman ), Ptolemaic soldiers offered fierce resistance. Theodotos Hemiolios and Nikarchos received the order to erect siege machines in two suitable places in front of the city in order to use them to shoot the city wall ready for storm. Both men did their best to complete the task set for them quickly and were indeed able to break through the wall unexpectedly quickly, but the conquest of the city only succeeded after it had been cut off from the drinking water supply. This was Antiochus III's last military enterprise. in the year 218 BC Chr.

In June 217 BC The decisive battle of Raphia was fought , in which not only the Seleucid king, but also Ptolemy IV personally took part. On the Seleucid side, Theodotos Hemiolios again commanded the 20,000-strong phalanx together with Nikarchus in the center . That these two generals of Antiochus III. Subject to the Ptolemaic phalanx, which was under the orders of Minister Sosibios , and decided the battle in favor of the Egyptians. The Seleucid king wanted to make peace quickly and sent around July 217 BC. His nephew Antipater and Theodotos Hemiolios with an embassy to Ptolemy IV to open peace negotiations. In the end, the Egyptian king did not make too tough demands on his defeated opponent.

Theodotos Hemiolios is later no longer mentioned in the sources.

Theodotos Hemiolios is easily confused with Theodotos of Aetolia , who was in the service of Antiochus at the same time. Since Polybios often mentions the name without an addition, the assignment of the respective acts is not always clear.

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ Theodotos' nickname Hemiolios ("the one and a half times") is explained differently in the ancient world; see. Fritz Geyer: Theodotos 10). In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume VA, 2, Stuttgart 1934, Sp. 1954. and W. Huss, 2001, p. 391, note 43.
  2. ↑ Polybios 5, 42f.
  3. ↑ Polybios 5:59, 2.
  4. ↑ Polybios 5, 61, 3.
  5. ↑ Polybios 5:66, 2-6.
  6. ↑ Polybios 5, 68, 9--5, 69, 9.
  7. ↑ Polybios 5, 71, 4-10.
  8. ↑ Polybios 5, 79, 5 and 5, 83, 3.
  9. ↑ Polybios 5, 87, 1-5.
personal data
SURNAME Theodotos Hemiolios
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Seleucid general
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH after 217 BC Chr.