Eurybotas ( grc, Ευρυβώτας) of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

was the toxarch (τοξάρχης), meaning captain of the archers, in the army of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

,Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander, 1.8.4
/ref> a position to which he may have been summoned already by the

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

, when he planned his Asiatic campaign. Eurybotas was killed, along with seventy of his men, in the Siege of Thebes in 335 BC. His successor appears to have been Ombrion (Ὀμβρίον) of Crete. Cretan archers were highly skilled and were an essential part of Greek military tactics. The Cretan archers were generally mercenaries.

References

*Who's Who in the Age of Alexander the Great by Waldemar Heckel 4th-century BC Greek people 335 BC deaths Ancient Cretan generals Generals of Alexander the Great Generals of Philip II of Macedon Ancient Greek archers Military archers Year of birth unknown {{AncientGreece-bio-stub