KINGS of MACEDON Alexander III the Great 336-323 BC

Balakros ( el, Bάλακρoς), also Balacrus, the son of Nicanor, one 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 ...

's "

Somatophylakes ''Somatophylakes'' ( el, Σωματοφύλακες; singular: ''somatophylax'', σωματοφύλαξ) were the bodyguards of high-ranking people in ancient Greece. The most famous body of ''somatophylakes'' were those of Philip II of Macedon a ...

" (bodyguards), was appointed

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 cons ...

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern co ...

after the

Battle of Issus The Battle of Issus (also Issos) occurred in southern Anatolia, on November 5, 333 BC between the Hellenic League led by Alexander the Great and the Achaemenid Empire, led by Darius III. It was the second great battle of Alexander's conquest of ...

, 333 BC. He succeeded to the last

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 ...

satrap of Cilicia,

Arsames Arsames ( peo, 𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠𐎶 Aršāma, modern Persian:،آرسام، آرشام‎ Arshām, Greek: ) was the son of Ariaramnes and the grandfather of Darius I. He was traditionally claimed to have briefly been king of Persia during the ...

Career

Balakros completed the conquest of

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 ...

together with Calas, satrap of

Hellespontine Phrygia Hellespontine Phrygia ( grc, Ἑλλησποντιακὴ Φρυγία, Hellēspontiakē Phrygia) or Lesser Phrygia ( grc, μικρᾶ Φρυγία, mikra Phrygia) was a Persian satrapy (province) in northwestern Anatolia, directly southeast of ...

, and Antigonus, satrap of

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; grc, Φρυγία, ''Phrygía'' ) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empir ...

. It was probably this Balacrus who married

Phila Phila may refer to a shortened name for the City of Philadelphia, U.S. It may also refer to: * Phila of Elimeia, sister of Derdas and wife of Philip II of Macedon *Phila (daughter of Antipater), wife of Balacrus, Craterus and Demetrius Poliorcete ...

, the daughter of

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 ...

, and subsequently the wife of

Craterus Craterus or Krateros ( el, Κρατερός; c. 370 BC – 321 BC) was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great and one of the Diadochi. Throughout his life he was a loyal royalist and supporter of Alexander the Great.Anson, Edward M. (20 ...

. He was probably supervised by

Menes Menes (fl. c. 3200–3000 BC; ; egy, mnj, probably pronounced *; grc, Μήνης) was a pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period of ancient Egypt credited by classical tradition with having united Upper and Lower Egypt and as the founder of the ...

from 331 BC, who held the position of ''Hyparch'' or ''Strategoi'' for the area from

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

to the satrapies of Syria, Phoenicia, and Cilicia. He fell in battle against the Pisidians in the lifetime of Alexander. His death is variously placed circa 328 BC or 323 BC.

Coinage

Balacrus is among several Hellenistic satraps who continued to use an Achaemenid type for their coinage, complete with the local deity of Tarsus,

Baal Baal (), or Baal,; phn, , baʿl; hbo, , baʿal, ). ( ''baʿal'') was a title and honorific meaning "owner", "lord" in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during antiquity. From its use among people, it came to be applied t ...

. His coinage bore his name, and later only his initial "B". This coinage is said to have influenced Alexander's imperial coinage, which was initially minted in the same mints. The Imperial coinage of Alexander is often said to have been started in Tarsos circa 333–327, under the rule of either Balacrus or

. File:CILICIA, Tarsos. Balakros. Satrap of Cilicia, 333-323 BC.jpg, Coin of Balacrus, as Satrap of

Tarsos Tarsus ( Hittite: 𒋫𒅈𒊭 ; grc, Ταρσός, label=Greek ; xcl, Տարսոն, label= Armenian ; ar, طَرسُوس ) is a historic city in south-central Turkey, inland from the Mediterranean. It is part of the Adana-Mersin metropolita ...

, 333-323 BC. ''

Baaltars Baaltars (combination of "Baal" and " Tarsus"; Aramaic: בעלתרז ''B‘LTRZ'') was the tutelary deity of the city of Tarsus in the Persian Empire. His depiction appears on coins of the Persian governors (satraps) of Cilicia at Tarsus befor ...

'' in Aramaic to right on the obverse, letter "B" on the reverse. File:CILICIA, Issos. Balakros. Satrap of Cilicia, 333-323 BC, overstruck on a stater of Tiribazos from Tarsos.jpg, Coin of Balacrus, as Satrap of

. Issus, 333-323 BC. Overstruck on a coin of Achaemenid satrap

Tiribazus Tiribazus, Tiribazos or Teribazus (Old Iranian: ''Tīrībāzu'') (c.440 BC-370 BC) was an Achaemenid satrap of Western Armenia and later satrap of Lydia in western Anatolia. Satrap of Western Armenia He was highly regarded by the Persian King Ar ...

minted in Tarsos. Letter "B" on the obverse. File:CILICIA, Tarsos. Balakros. Satrap of Cilicia 333-323 BC.jpg, Coin of Balakros, Satrap of Cilicia, with letter "B". Tarsos. 333-323 BC File:CILICIA, Tarsos. Balakros. Satrap of Cilicia, 361-0-334 BC.jpg, Possible coinage of Balakros, with the letters "B-A".

References

* Smith, William; ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/ biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 ...

''
"Balacrus (1)"
,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, (1867)

Notes

Somatophylakes Ancient Macedonian generals Ancient Greek generals Satraps of the Alexandrian Empire 4th-century BC deaths 4th-century BC Greek people 4th-century BC Macedonians Year of birth unknown {{AncientGreece-writer-stub