Callimachus ( ''Kallímakhos'') was the Athenian polemarch at the

Battle of Marathon The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens (polis), Athens, aided by Plataea, and a Achaemenid Empire, Persian force commanded by Datis and Artaph ...

, which took place during 490 BC. According to

Herodotus Herodotus (; BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey), under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the '' Histori ...

, he was from the

Attica Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...

deme In Ancient Greece, a deme or (, plural: ''demoi'', δήμοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Classical Athens, Athens and other city-states. Demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside existed in the 6th century BC and earlier, bu ...

of Aphidna.

The Battle of Marathon

As polemarch, Callimachus had a vote in military affairs along with the 10 '' strategoi'', including

Miltiades Miltiades (; ; c. 550 – 489 BC), also known as Miltiades the Younger, was a Greek Athenian statesman known mostly for his role in the Battle of Marathon, as well as for his downfall afterwards. He was the son of Cimon Coalemos, a renowned ...

. Miltiades convinced Callimachus to vote in favour of a battle when the ''strategoi'' were split evenly on the matter. Miltiades is supposed to have said to Callimachus just before the polemarch cast his vote: "Everything now rests on you." During the battle, as polemarch, Callimachus commanded the right wing of the Athenian army as was the Athenian custom at that time. The right and left wings (the left wing commanded by the Plataeans) surrounded the Persians after a seemingly suicidal charge by the centre line. Although the Greeks were victorious, Callimachus was killed during the retreat of the Persians while he was chasing them to their ships.

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

, in his work: ''Moralia. Greek and Roman Parallel Stories'' mentions that Callimachus was pierced with so many spears that, even when he was dead, he continued to be in an upright posture. There was a custom at Athens that the father of the man who had the most valorous death in a battle should pronounce the funerary oration in public. So, after the battle of Marathon, the father of Callimachus and the father of Cynaegirus had an argument about who of their sons were the bravest. Callimachus was portrayed among the Athenian gods and heroes on the wall-paintings of the

Stoa Poikile The Stoa Poikile (, ) or Painted Portico was a Doric stoa (a covered walkway or portico) erected around 460 BC on the north side of the Ancient Agora of Athens. It was one of the most famous sites in ancient Athens, owing its fame to the paint ...

. The Athenians erected a statue in honour of Callimachus, the " Nike of Callimachus". According to some sources, before the battle, Callimachus promised that if the Greeks won, he would sacrifice to

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

Agrotera as many goats as the number of Persians killed at the battlefield. Athenians kept his promise, in spirit, and every year sacrificed 500 goats, because they didn't have enough goats for every single Persian who was killed at the battle (6,400).

The statue of the "Nike of Callimachus"

After the battle of Marathon, Athenians created a statue in honour of Callimachus. The statue was the "'' Nike of Callimachus''" and it was erected next to the Parthenon (not the

Parthenon The Parthenon (; ; ) is a former Ancient Greek temple, temple on the Acropolis of Athens, Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the Greek gods, goddess Athena. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of c ...

that we can see today, but the previous temple which was destroyed by the Persians) on the

Acropolis of Athens The Acropolis of Athens (; ) is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens, Greece, and contains the remains of several Ancient Greek architecture, ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, ...

. The surviving fragments of the statue, depicting the goddess Nike atop a large column and made of Pentelic and Parian

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

, are now housed in the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

The Battle of Marathon

The statue of the "Nike of Callimachus"

See also

References

Further reading