Archeptolis ( grc, Ἀρχέπτολις), also Archepolis, was a Governor of

Magnesia on the Maeander Magnesia or Magnesia on the Maeander ( grc, Μαγνησία ἡ πρὸς Μαιάνδρῳ or ; la, Magnesia ad Maeandrum) was an ancient Greek city in Ionia, considerable in size, at an important location commercially and strategically in th ...

Ionia Ionia () was an ancient region on the western coast of Anatolia, to the south of present-day Izmir. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionian ...

for the

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest em ...

circa 459 BCE to possibly around 412 BCE, and a son and successor of the former Athenian general

Themistocles Themistocles (; grc-gre, Θεμιστοκλῆς; c. 524–459 BC) was an Athenian politician and general. He was one of a new breed of non-aristocratic politicians who rose to prominence in the early years of the Athenian democracy. A ...

."The history and coinage of Themistokles as lord of Ionian Magnesia ad Maeandrum and of his son and successor, Archepolis, is illustrated by among other things, coins of Magnesia." in

Governor of Magnesia

Archeptolis minted silver coinage as he ruled Magnesia, just as his father had done, and it is probable that part of his revenues were handed over to the

Achaemenid The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...

s in exchange for the maintenance of their territorial grant. Archeptolis is said to have married his half-sister Mnesiptolema (daughter of Themistocles from his second wife), homopatric (but not homometric) marriages being permitted in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. Themistocles and his son formed what some authors have called "a Greek dynasty in the Persian Empire". Archeptolis had several sisters, named Nicomache, Asia, Italia, Sybaris, and probably Hellas, who married the Greek exile in Persia

Gongylos Gongylos ( grc, Γογγύλος), from Eretria in Euboea, was a 5th-century Greek statesman who served as an intermediary between the Spartans and Xerxes I of the Achaemenid Empire, and was a supporter of the latter. After the defeat of the ...

and still had a fief in Persian Anatolia in 399/400 BC as his widow. He also had three brothers, Diocles, Polyeucteus and Cleophantus, the latter possibly a ruler of

Lampsacus Lampsacus (; grc, Λάμψακος, translit=Lampsakos) was an ancient Greek city strategically located on the eastern side of the Hellespont in the northern Troad. An inhabitant of Lampsacus was called a Lampsacene. The name has been transmitt ...

. One of the descendants of Cleophantus still issued a decree in Lampsacus around 200 BC mentioning a feast for his own father, also named Themistocles, who had greatly benefited the city. Later,

Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to: *Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium'' *Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC * Pausanias of Sicily, physician of t ...

wrote that the sons of Themistocles "appear to have returned to Athens", and that they dedicated a painting of Themistocles in the

Parthenon The Parthenon (; grc, Παρθενών, , ; ell, Παρθενώνας, , ) is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the goddess Athena during the fifth century BC. Its decorative sculptures are considere ...

and erected a bronze statue to Artemis Leucophryene, the goddess of Magnesia, on the

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

: They may have returned from

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

in old age, after 412 BC, when the Achaemenids took again firm control of the Greek cities of Asia, and they may have been expelled by the Achaemenid

satrap A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic empires. The satrap served as viceroy to the king, though with consid ...

Tissaphernes Tissaphernes ( peo, *Ciçafarnāʰ; grc-gre, Τισσαφέρνης; xlc, 𐊋𐊆𐊈𐊈𐊀𐊓𐊕𐊑𐊏𐊀 , ; 445395 BC) was a Persian soldier and statesman, Satrap of Lydia and Ionia. His life is mostly known from the works of Thucy ...

sometime between 412 and 399 BC. In effect, from 414 BC,

Darius II Darius II ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ), also known by his given name Ochus ( ), was King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 423 BC to 405 or 404 BC. Artaxerxes I, who died in 424 BC, was followed by h ...

had started to resent increasing Athenian power in the Aegean and had Tissaphernes enter into an alliance with

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

against

, which in 412 BC led to the Persian conquest of the greater part of

Coinage

File:IONIA, Magnesia ad Maeandrum. Archepolis. Circa 459 BC.jpg, Coin of Governor of Magnesia Archeptolis, son of Themistocles, circa 459 BC. This coin type is similar to the coins issued by Themistocles himself as Governor of Magnesia. The obverse design could be a portrait of Themistocles. File:IONIA, Magnesia ad Maeandrum. Archepolis helmetted. Circa 459 BC.jpg, Coin of Archeptolis. Helmeted male and Athenian owl. Circa 459 BC File:IONIA, Magnesia ad Maeandrum. Archepolis portrait and eagle. Circa 459 BC.jpg, Coin of Archeptolis. Portrait (Zeus?) and eagle. Circa 459 BC File:IONIA, Magnesia ad Maeandrum. Archepolis diademed head and eagle. Circa 459 BC.jpg, Coin of Archeptolis. Diademed head and eagle. Circa 459 BC File:IONIA, Magnesia ad Maeandrum. Archepolis, c. 459 BC.jpg, Coin of Governor of Magnesia Archeptolis, son of Themistocles, circa 459 BC.Classical Numismatic Group
/ref> File:IONIA, Magnesia ad Maeandrum. Archepolis coin Circa 459 BC.jpg, Archepolis coin Circa 459 BC.jpg

References

External links

* {{Achaemenid rulers 5th-century BC Greek people Achaemenid satraps of Lydia Ancient Greek emigrants to the Achaemenid Empire

Governor of Magnesia

Coinage

See also

References

External links