Timonides of Leukas

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Timonides of Leukas ( Greek  Τιμωνίδης Timōnídēs ; * probably in the early 4th century BC in Leukas ) was a Greek officer and historian . He took part in the fighting that led to the overthrow of the tyrant Dionysius II of Syracuse , and wrote about it in records that have not survived.

Life

Syracuse in antiquity with the offshore island of Ortygia

Timonides came from the city of Leukas, which was located near today's city of Lefkada on the island of the same name in the Ionian Sea . He was a friend of the politician Dion of Syracuse and was one of his closest confidants. Dion was exiled by the tyrant Dionysios II of Syracuse and was living in exile in Greece. There he recruited mercenaries and raised a force for a campaign to overthrow the tyrant. In this project Dion received support from members of the academy , the school of the philosopher Plato , with whom he was friends. In 357 he dared to attack; from the island of Zakynthos he set out with around 800 men on five ships for Sicily. Timonides took part in the entire campaign as one of the most important commanders. After landing in Sicily, Dion was joined by numerous opponents of the tyrant and he was able to take Syracuse easily as the city population rose against the tyrant rule. The city fortress on the island of Ortygia initially remained in the hands of Dionysius. After a surprise attack by the tyrant's mercenaries, heavy fighting broke out in the city. When Dion had to withdraw temporarily from the fight because of a sustained wound, he handed over command to Timonides. The attack by the mercenaries could be repulsed.

Activity as a historian

Plato's nephew Speusippos , a friend and ardent supporter of Dion and a prominent member of the Platonic Academy, had remained in Athens . He received a letter from Timonides to inform him about the course of the campaign. Timonides thus had contact with the academy; presumably he even belonged to her and was then a student of Plato. The historian of philosophy Diogenes Laertios mentions a Simonides who wrote "history books" ( historíai ) about Dion's deeds and dedicated them to Speusippus. What is meant is Timonides; apparently it is a typo, because a historian named Simonides is unknown at this time. It is unclear whether the historíai work that has not survived is identical to the report by letter to Speusippos. Plutarch , who refers to Timonides in two places in his biography of Dion, had information from his letter to Speusippus. His presentation of Dion's deeds is based, among other things, on information from Timonides, whom he considered trustworthy. It is uncertain whether Plutarch himself had the description of Timonides at hand or only obtained information from it indirectly (via a "source of funds" that has not been preserved). Timonides was well informed as an eyewitness, but his report was evidently strongly influenced by his support for Dion. The hypothesis that Ephorus von Kyme also used the account of Timonides in his universal history lacks convincing justification.

literature

  • Richard Goulet: Timonidès de Leucade. In: Richard Goulet (ed.): Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques. Volume 6, CNRS Éditions, Paris 2016, ISBN 978-2-271-08989-2 , p. 1236 f.
  • Eugenio Manni: Timonide e la vita plutarchea di Dione . In: Eugenio Manni: Sikelikà kaì Italiká. Scritti minori di storia antica della Sicilia e dell'Italia meridionale . Volume 2, Bretschneider, Rome 1990, ISBN 88-7689-054-8 , pp. 545-549
  • Federicomaria Muccioli: Osservazioni sull'uso di Timonide nella Vita di Dione di Plutarco . In: Ancient Society 21, 1990, pp. 167-187

Remarks

  1. ↑ Plutarch, Dion 30:10.
  2. ^ Wilhelm Capelle : Timonides of Leukas . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Altertumswwissenschaft (RE), Vol. VI A 2, Stuttgart 1937, Col. 1305 f .; Kai Trampedach : Plato, the Academy and contemporary politics , Stuttgart 1994, p. 111.
  3. ↑ Diogenes Laertios 4.5.
  4. ^ Wilhelm Capelle: Timonides of Leukas . In: Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswwissenschaft (RE), Vol. VI A 2, Stuttgart 1937, Sp. 1305 f., Here: 1306.
  5. ↑ Plutarch, Dion 31.3 and 35.4.
  6. ↑ On the extent of Plutarch's Timonides use, see Federicomaria Muccioli: Osservazioni sull'uso di Timonide nella Vita di Dione di Plutarco . In: Ancient Society 21, 1990, pp. 167–187, here: p. 170 and notes 9 and 10.
  7. ↑ Federicomaria Muccioli: Osservazioni sull'uso di Timonide nella Vita di Dione di Plutarco . In: Ancient Society 21, 1990, pp. 167-187, here: pp. 167 f. Note 2, p. 170 Note 8 and the literature cited there.
  8. ↑ Helmut Berve : Dion. Wiesbaden 1957, p. 8 f .; Gustav Adolf Lehmann : Dion and Herakleides. In: Historia 19, 1970, pp. 401-406; Kai Trampedach: Plato, the academy and contemporary politics , Stuttgart 1994, p. 104 and p. 113, note 88. Leonardo Tarán doubts the authenticity of Timonides' report: Speusippus of Athens , Leiden 1981, p. 219; see. in addition Federicomaria Muccioli: Osservazioni sull'uso di Timonide nella Vita di Dione di Plutarco . In: Ancient Society 21, 1990, pp. 167–187, here: p. 170 note 8.
  9. ↑ See Leonardo Tarán: Speusippus of Athens , Leiden 1981, p. 219, note 23, and Federicomaria Muccioli: Osservazioni sull'uso di Timonide nella Vita di Dione di Plutarco . In: Ancient Society 21, 1990, pp. 167–187, here: p. 168 note 4 and the literature cited there.
personal data
SURNAME Timonides of Leukas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Τιμωνίδης (Greek)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Greek officer and historian
DATE OF BIRTH 5th century BC BC or 4th century BC Chr.
PLACE OF BIRTH Leukas
DATE OF DEATH 4th century BC BC or 3rd century BC Chr.