Alexander ( el, Αλέξανδρος) (d. 330 BC), son of Aeropus of Lyncestis, was a native of the upper Macedonian district called Lyncestis, whence he is usually called Alexander of Lynkestis or Alexander Lyncestes. Justin makes the singular mistake of calling him Alexander's brother, while in other passages he uses the correct expression.

Background

Alexander was a contemporary of

Philip III of Macedon Philip III Arrhidaeus ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος Ἀρριδαῖος ; c. 359 BC – 25 December 317 BC) reigned as king of Macedonia an Ancient Greek Kingdom in northern Greece from after 11 June 323 BC until his death. He was a son of King P ...

and

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

. He had two brothers,

Heromenes Pausanias of Orestis ( grc, Παυσανίας ἐκ τῆς Ὀρεστίδος) was a member of Philip II of Macedon's personal bodyguard (''somatophylakes''). He assassinated Philip in 336 BC, possibly at the behest of Philip's wife Olym ...

and

Arrhabaeus Arrhabaeus ( el, Ἀρραβαῖος) or ''Arrhibaeus'' may refer to: *Arrhabaeus, the king of Lynkestis, who claimed Corinthian aristocratic (Bacchiadae) origin.Strabo, ''Geography'', 7.7: "The Lyncestae were under Arrhabaeus, who was of the ra ...

; all three were under suspicion of involvement in the

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

Philip II of Macedon Philip II of Macedon ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 382 – 21 October 336 BC) was the king ('' basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ...

, in 336 BC.

, on his accession, put to death all those who had taken part in the murder, and Alexander the Lyncestian was the only one who was

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

ed, because he was the first who did homage to Alexander the Great as his king.

Career

Moreover, King Alexander not only pardoned him, but even made him his friend and raised him to high honors. He was first entrusted with the command of an army in

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...

, and afterwards received the command of the

Thessalian cavalry The army of the Kingdom of Macedon was among the greatest military forces of the ancient world. It was created and made formidable by King Philip II of Macedon; previously the army of Macedon had been of little account in the politics of the Gre ...

. In this capacity he accompanied Alexander on his eastern expedition. In 334, when Alexander was laying at Phaselis, he was informed that the Lyncestian was carrying on a secret correspondence with King Darius III of Persia, and that a large sum of money was promised, for which he was to murder Alexander. The bearer of the letters from Darius was taken by Parmenion and brought before Alexander, and the treachery was considered proven. Yet Alexander the Great, dreading to create any hostile feeling in

Antipater Antipater (; grc, , translit=Antipatros, lit=like the father; c. 400 BC319 BC) was a Macedonian general and statesman under the subsequent kingships of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. In the wake of the collaps ...

, the regent of Macedonia, whose daughter was married to Alexander Lyncestes, thought advisable not to put him to death, and had him merely deposed from his office and kept in custody. In this manner Alexander was dragged about for three years with the army in Asia, until in 330, when, Philotas having been executed for similar crime, the Macedonians demanded that Alexander Lyncestes should likewise be tried and punished accordingly. Alexander the Great gave way, and as the traitor was unable to exculpate himself, he was put to death at

Alexandria Prophthasia Alexandria Prophthasia ( el, Αλεξάνδρεια η Προφθασία) also known as Alexandria in Drangiana was one of the seventy-plus cities founded or renamed by Alexander the Great. The town was founded during an intermediate stop betwee ...

, the capital of Drangiana.

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...

, xvii. 32, 80 Alexander's likely motive originally, was to gain possession of the throne of Macedonia, which previous to the reign of

Amyntas III of Macedon Amyntas III (Greek: Αμύντας Γ΄ της Μακεδονίας) (420 – 370 BC) was king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia in 393 BC and again from 392 to 370 BC. He was the son of Arrhidaeus and grandson of Amyntas, one of the sons ...

had for a time belonged to his family.

References

External links

pothos.org
{{authority control 4th-century BC births 330 BC deaths Generals of Alexander the Great Ancient Greek generals Ancient Macedonian generals Executed ancient Macedonian people Ancient Lyncestians Conspirators against Alexander the Great People executed by Alexander the Great

Background

Career

See also

References

External links