Documents for "Ancient History, Greece: Biographies":

• Agesilaus II c.444-360 BC, king of Sparta. After the death of Agis I (398? BC), he was brought to power by Lysander, whom he promptly ignored. After the Peloponnesian War the Greek cities in Asia Minor had not...

• Agis name of four Spartan kings. Agis I, fl. late 10th cent. BC, was the traditional founder of the Agiad dynasty, one of the two ruling dynasties of Sparta, which had a dual kingship. The other dynasty, the Eurypontids, fathered the...

• Alcibiades c.450-404 BC, Athenian statesman and general. Of the family of Alcmaeonidae, he was a ward of Pericles and was for many years a devoted attendant of Socrates. He turned to politics after the Peace...

• Alcmaeonidae Athenian family powerful in the 7th, 6th, and 5th cent. BC Blamed for the murder of the followers of Cylon, the would-be tyrant (c.632 BC), they were considered attainted and were exiled. They...

• Alexander 1893-1920, king of the Hellenes (1917-20), second son of Constantine I. After his father's forced abdication, he succeeded to the Greek throne with the support of the Allies, who distrusted the sympathies...

• Alexander III king of Macedon: see Alexander the Great.

• Alexander of Pherae d. 358 BC, tyrant of the city of Pherae in Thessaly after 369 BC He was opposed by other Thessalian cities and by the Thebans. Pelopidas failed (368 BC) in one expedition against him and was briefly imprisoned. Returning in 364 BC, Pelopidas destroyed Alexander's power in the battle of Cynoscephalae, though he himself was killed...

• Alexander the Great or Alexander III, 356-323 BC, king of Macedon, conqueror of much of Asia.

• Antigonus I (Antigonus the One-Eyed or Antigonus Cyclops) , 382?-301 BC, general of Alexander the Great and ruler in Asia. He was made (333 BC) governor of Phrygia, and after the death of Alexander he was advanced by the friendship of Antipater , who with Ptolemy I and Craterus, supported Antigonus in 321 against Perdiccas and Eumenes. In the wars of the Diadochi , Antigonus was the leading figure because he seems to have had the best chance to re-create Alexander's empire. He had control of Asia Minor, Syria, and Mesopotamia at the time (316) when Eumenes...

• Antigonus II (Antigonus Gonatas) , c.320-239 BC, king of Macedon, son of Demetrius I. He took the title king on his father's death (283) but made good his claim only by defeating the Gauls in Thrace and by taking Macedon in 276...

• Antigonus III (Antigonus Doson) , d. 221 BC, king of Macedon. On the death of Demetrius II he became regent for Demetrius' son Philip ( Philip V ). He married the widow of Demetrius, and in 227 he proclaimed himself king. The attacks of Cleomenes III on the Achaean League caused its leader, Aratus, to request help from Antigonus, who led his troops south in 224. In 222, Antigonus crushed Cleomenes at Sellasia in Laconea and took Corinth as his reward. Meanwhile he...

• Antipater d. 319 BC, Macedonian general. He was one of the ablest and most trusted lieutenants of Philip II and was a friend and supporter of Alexander the Great. When Alexander went on his Asian campaign, Antipater was left as regent (334-323 BC) in Macedon. He resisted the attempt of Olympias to gain the regency and governed ably except that his policy of...

• Apollonius of Tyana fl. 1st cent. AD, Greek philosopher, b. Tyana, Cappadocia. A philosopher of the Neo-Pythagorean school, he traveled widely and became famous for his wisdom and reputed magical powers. He was...

• Aratus d. 213 BC, Greek statesman and general of Sicyon, prime mover and principal leader of the Second Achaean League. His objective at first was to free the Peloponnesus from Macedonian domination, and he is credited with bringing into the confederation many of the principal cities of Greece. But he was blamed...

• Aristides d. c.468 BC, Athenian statesman and general. He was one of the 10 generals who commanded the Athenians at the battle of Marathon (490 BC) and in the next year became chief archon. In 483 he was...

• Aristogiton see Harmodius and Aristogiton.

• Aspasia fl. mid-5th cent. BC, Athenian courtesan. A woman of great beauty and intelligence, she became the mistress and, according to some poets, adviser of Pericles after he divorced (445 BC) his wife. She...

• Callias fl. 449 BC, Athenian statesman; he was related to Cimon and also to Aristides. He distinguished himself at the battle of Marathon (490 BC) and was a three-time winner of the Olympic chariot races...

• Callias d. c.370 BC, Athenian leader, one of the generals of the Peloponnesian War. In his old age Callias was one of the ambassadors sent to Sparta with Callistratus to negotiate a peace treaty in 371 BC...

• Callistratus d. c.360 BC, Athenian statesman and orator. Believing Thebes to be more dangerous to Athens than Sparta, he favored a peace with Sparta. He and Callias in 371 BC were the delegates to negotiations on an ineffective peace treaty. His failure to check Thebes led to his impeachment in 366 BC, but he saved himself with his brilliant defense—an oration...

• Cassander 358-297 BC, king of Macedon, one of the chief figures in the wars of the Diadochi. The son of Antipater, he was an officer under Alexander the Great, but there was ill feeling between them. After his father's death, Cassander engaged in vigorous warfare against Antipater's...

• Chilon 6th cent. BC, one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece. He was a Spartan and brought greater strictness to Spartan training. As an ephor (c.556 BC) he strengthened the power of that position, and for the first time the ephors directed policy with the...

• Cimon d. 449 BC, Athenian general and statesman; son of Miltiades. He fought at Salamis and shared command (with Aristides) of the fleet sent to rescue the Asian Greek cities from Persian domination...

• Clearchus d. 401 BC, Spartan officer, celebrated as the leader of the Ten Thousand. Sent in 410 to govern Byzantium, he made himself unpopular by his harsh discipline, and Alcibiades took the city in 408 BC...

• Cleisthenes fl. 510 BC, Athenian statesman. He was the head of his family, the Alcmaeonidae , after the exile of Hippias, and with Spartan help had made himself undisputed ruler of Athens by 506 BC He established a more democratic constitution by weakening the clan system and the local...

• Cleomenes I d. c.489 BC, king of Sparta after 518 BC In accordance with Sparta's policy of helping oligarchies in other states at the expense of the tyrants or the people, Cleomenes joined the Athenians in...

• Cleomenes III c.260-219 BC, king of Sparta (235-221 BC). He was probably the most energetic king Sparta ever had, a conscious imitator of Agis III (see under Agis ). In his determined effort to restore the prestige of the city, he began (227 BC) a war against the Achaean League and was successful in many battles. At home his reforms were revolutionary: the kingship was made the supreme power, the ephorate was abolished, and the citizenship was widely extended, apparently...

• Cleon d. 422 BC, Athenian political leader. The son of a tanner, he had little education; nevertheless, he was a gifted speaker. He began his political career with a series of relentless attacks on Pericles. He was antagonistic to Sparta and successfully opposed (425 BC) Sparta's peace proposals. In the same year he was given command of the Athenian force blockading Sphacteria (an island at the mouth...

• Clisthenes see Cleisthenes.

• Critias c.460-403 BC, Athenian political leader and writer. A relative of Plato, he was an aristocrat and had early training in philosophy with Socrates and wrote poems and tragedies. He is best...

• Croesus d. c.547 BC, king of Lydia (560-c.547 BC), noted for his great wealth. He was the son of Alyattes. He continued his father's policy of conquering the Ionian cities of Asia Minor, but on the whole...

• Demetrius I (Demetrius Poliorcetes) , c.337-283 BC, king of Macedon. The son of Antigonus I , he proved himself a very able commander in his father's wars, particularly against Ptolemy I. Though Ptolemy defeated him at Gaza in 312 BC, Demetrius was able to expel Cassander from Athens; he...

• Demetrius II d. 229 BC, king of Macedon (239-229 BC), son of Antigonus II. His reign was a confusion of wars and invasions, mostly concerned with possession of Epirus. The Aetolian League and the Achaean League...

• Demetrius Phalereus [Lat.,=of Phalerum], d. c.280 BC, Athenian orator. One of the first Peripatetics , he wrote extensively in history, rhetoric, and literary criticism. He was governor of Athens (317-307 BC) under Cassander. In 307 BC, when Demetrius I took Athens, Demetrius Phalereus was overthrown. Escaping to Egypt, he rose in the favor of Ptolemy I, to whom he is said to have suggested a library. On the accession...

• Demosthenes 384?-322 BC, Greek orator, generally considered the greatest of the Greek orators. He was a pupil of Isaeus, and—although the story of his putting pebbles in his mouth to improve his voice is only...

• Dion of Syracuse 409?-354? BC, Sicilian Greek political leader, brother-in-law of Dionysius the Elder, tyrant of Syracuse. He became interested in philosophy through his acquaintance with Plato. Opposed to...

• Dionysius the Elder c.430-367 BC, tyrant of Syracuse. Of humble origin, he entered politics as a supporter of the poorer classes. Having prompted (400 BC) a measure to elect truly democratic generals, he secured for...

• Dionysius the Younger fl. 368-344 BC, tyrant of Syracuse, son of Dionysius the Elder. He ended the war with Carthage and enlisted the support of the professional army. Neither gifted nor trained for administration or...

• Epaminondas d. 362 BC, Greek general of Thebes. He was a pupil of Lysias the Pythagorean, but his early life is otherwise obscure. As the Theban delegate to the peace conference of 371 BC he refused to...

• Epimenides fl. 6th cent.? BC, Cretan prophet and miracle worker. According to one story, he was called to Athens to purify the city after the murder of Cylon on the Acropolis. Many poems, oracles, and...

• Eumenes c.361-316 BC, secretary to Philip II of Macedon and to Alexander the Great. A Thracian Greek, he was capable, diplomatic, and eloquent and proved himself able as a general as well as a secretary...

• Evagoras d. c.374 BC, despot of Cyprus. Exiled in his youth, he returned (411 BC) and made good his claim as ruler of Salamis. By 410 BC he had spread his control over the whole island. Friendly to Athens,...

• Gelon d. 478 BC, Greek Sicilian ruler. As tyrant of Gela, his native city, he interfered in the struggle for power in Syracuse (485 BC) and made himself the leader of the popular party there. From that...

• Harmodius and Aristogiton d. c.514 BC, Athenian tyrannicides. Provoked by a personal quarrel, the two friends planned to assassinate Hipparchus and his brother, the tyrant Hippias. The plans miscarried; Hipparchus was killed, but Hippias was not hurt. Harmodius was killed on the spot, and Aristogiton was executed. In spite of their mixed motives, they were soon made heroes...

• Hiero I 5th cent. BC, Greek Sicilian ruler, tyrant of Syracuse (478-467 BC). He succeeded his brother Gelon. A noted patron of literature, Hiero had Simonides, Pindar, and Aeschylus at his court. Some of...

• Hiero II d. c.215 BC, Greek Sicilian ruler, tyrant of Syracuse (c.270-c.215 BC). He showed such ability and distinction after Pyrrhus left Sicily (275 BC) that he was made commander in chief of the Syracusans and was later chosen (c.265 BC) tyrant or king. Against the Mamertines, who had taken possession of Messana, Hiero's...

• Hipparchus c.555-514 BC, Athenian political figure, son of Pisistratus. After the death of his father, he was closely associated with his brother Hippias, tyrant of Athens, in ruling the Athenian city-state. Under Hippias he was a patron of the arts and sponsored the...

• Hippias tyrant (527 BC-510 BC) of Athens, eldest son of Pisistratus. Hippias governed Athens after the death of his father. His younger brother Hipparchus was closely associated in office with him until Hipparchus was assassinated in 514 BC At first Hippias...

• Isocrates 436-338 BC, one of the Ten Attic Orators. He was a pupil of Socrates and of the Sophists. Perhaps the greatest teacher in Greek history, he taught every younger orator of his time. He did not...

• Leonidas d. 480 BC, king of Sparta. He succeeded (c.491 BC) his half brother, Cleomenes I. When the Persians invaded Greece under Xerxes (480 BC), Leonidas with 300 Spartans and 5,000 auxiliaries was given...

• Lycurgus traditional name of the founder of the Spartan constitution. The earliest mention of him is in Herodotus. Nothing is known of his life—when he lived or if he was a real man, a god, or a mythical...

• Lycurgus c.396-c.325 BC, one of the Ten Attic Orators of the Alexandrian canon; pupil of Isocrates. A capable and honored public official, he administered the state finances from 338 to 326 BC and led (with...

• Lysander d. 395 BC, Spartan naval commander and statesman. Toward the end of the Peloponnesian War he was made admiral and built up the Spartan fleet so that it defeated (407 BC) the Athenians off Notium. Later he was responsible for the capture (405 BC) of the Athenian fleet at the mouth of the...

• Lysias c.459-c.380 BC, Attic orator; son of Cephalus, a Syracusan. After the capture (404 BC) of Athens by the Spartans, the Thirty Tyrants caused the arrest of Lysias and his brother Polemarchus, who...

• Lysimachus c.355-281 BC, Thessalian general of Alexander the Great. He was a commander in Alexander's fleet on the Hydaspes as well as his bodyguard. On Alexander's death (323 BC) Lysimachus took control of...

• Miltiades d. 489 BC, Athenian general who commanded at Marathon. He succeeded his uncle as ruler (c.524 BC) of an Athenian dependency in the Gallipoli Peninsula. He accompanied (c.513) Darius in the Persian...

• Nearchus fl. 324 BC, Macedonian general, b. Crete; friend of Alexander the Great. In 325 BC, Alexander, about to leave India, had a fleet built in the Indus to transport part of the army home. Nearchus was put in command. They sailed up the Persian coast and rejoined (324 BC)...

• Nicias d. 413 BC, Athenian political leader and general. After Pericles' death he emerged as the primary rival of Cleon and his war party. He was a moderate democrat, not an oligarch, and he wanted peace...

• Olympias d. 316 BC, wife of Philip II of Macedon and mother of Alexander the Great. She did not get on well with Philip, who had other wives, but the story that she murdered him is probably false. She reputedly had great influence in molding her son and in giving him an interest...

• Parmenion d. 330 BC, Macedonian general. He served under Philip II. On Philip's death Parmenion was largely responsible for the adherence of the army in Asia to Alexander the Great. He and the young king were warm friends, and at Issus and Gaugamela in Asia Minor, Parmenion commanded the left wing while Alexander himself led the right. When Alexander was pushing eastward in...

• Pausanias d. c.470 BC, Spartan general; nephew of King Leonidas. He was the victorious commander at Plataea (479) near Thebes in the Persian Wars and followed up the battle with expeditions to Cyprus and...

• Peisistratus see Pisistratus.

• Pelopidas d. 364 BC, Theban general. When the Spartans seized the citadel of Thebes (now Thívai) in 382, he fled to Athens and prepared the coup that recovered the city (379). He fostered and commanded the...

• Perdiccas d. 321 BC, Macedonian general under Alexander the Great. After the death of Alexander (323) he ruled as regent from Babylon. He strove in vain to hold the empire together, but was opposed by...

• Periander d. 585 BC, one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece , tyrant of Corinth. His rule raised his city to a high state of prosperity, and he established friendly relations with other rulers. He established colonies at Potidaea and probably at Apollonia...

• Pericles c.495-429 BC, Athenian statesman. He was a member of the Alcmaeonidae family through his mother, a niece of Cleisthenes. He first came to prominence as an opponent of the Areopagus (462) and as one of the prosecutors of Cimon , whom he replaced in influence. From then on he was the popular leader in Athens. As strategos, or military commander, c.454 he campaigned unsuccessfully against Sicyon and Oeniadae, and his plans...

• Perseus c.212-166 BC, last king of Macedon (179-168 BC), son and successor of Philip V. He intrigued against his younger brother, Demetrius, eventually bringing about the latter's execution by Philip V. As...

• Pheidippides fl. 490 BC, semilegendary Athenian courier sent to Sparta to request help when the Persians landed at Marathon. He ran 150 miles in two days. At the conclusion of the battle, he ran the 22 mi (35...

• Philip II 382-336 BC, king of Macedon (359-336 BC), son of Amyntas II. While a hostage in Thebes (367-364), he gained much knowledge of Greece and its people. He was appointed regent for Amyntas, young son...

• Philip V 238-179 BC, king of Macedon (221-179), son of Demetrius II, successor of Antigonus III. He won fame in a war in Greece (220-217), in which he sided with the Achaean League against the Spartans and...

• Philopoemen c.252-183 BC, Greek statesman and general, b. Megalopolis. For years he fought as a mercenary in Crete. In 209 he became commander of the Achaean cavalry, with which he defeated the Aetolians and...

• Phocion c.402-318 BC, Athenian general. He served successfully against the forces of Philip of Macedon—in Euboea (now Évvoia; 348 BC) and at Byzantium (339), when he forced Philip to abandon his siege of...

• Pisistratus 605?-527 BC, Greek statesman, tyrant of Athens. His power was founded on the cohesion of the rural citizens, whom he consolidated with farseeing land laws. His coup (c.560 BC) was probably not...

• Pittacus c.650-c.570 BC, Greek statesman and military leader; one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece. He helped to overthrow the tyrant of Mytilene in Lesbos and became the lawgiver there, ruling for 10 years. A moderate democrat, Pittacus prevented the nobles in exile (among them Alcaeus) from...

• Polycrates d. c.522 BC, tyrant of Samos. He established Samian naval supremacy in the Aegean Sea and tried to control the archipelago and mainland towns of Ionia. He dominated the E Aegean, capturing the...

• Pyrrhus c.318-272 BC, Molossian king of Epirus. He fought at Ipsus in Asia Minor in the service of Demetrius Poliorcetes (later Demetrius I ) of Macedon, and by the aid of Ptolemy I he became (297 BC) joint king of Epirus with Neoptolemus. He removed (295) Neoptolemus from the throne, but before his kingdom was consolidated he went to...

• Pytheas Greek mariner and geographer, fl. late 4th cent. BC A native of the Greek colony of Massilia (modern Marseilles), he explored the Atlantic coasts of Spain and France, circumnavigated Britain, and...

• Roxana or Roxane , d. 311 BC, wife of Alexander the Great. She was the daughter of Oxyartes, a Bactrian baron, and Alexander married her (327) to consolidate his power in Persia. She and Alexander's posthumous son, Alexander IV, were, after Alexander's...

• Solon c.639-c.559 BC, Athenian statesman, lawgiver, and reformer. He was also a poet, and some of his patriotic verse in the Ionic dialect is extant. At some time (perhaps c.600 BC) he led the Athenians...

• Themistocles c.525-462 BC, Athenian statesman and naval commander. He was elected one of the three archons in 493 BC In succeeding years many of his rivals were eliminated by ostracism and he became the chief figure of Athenian politics. He persuaded the Athenians to build up their navy, foreseeing that the Persians, defeated at Marathon, would send another and stronger force...

• Theramenes c.455-404? BC, Athenian statesman. He helped to establish (411 BC) the oligarchical Four Hundred but was later active in overthrowing them. He fought in the Peloponnesian War, notably in the...

• Thrasybulus d. c.389 BC, Athenian statesman. A strong supporter of the democratic and anti-Spartan party, he successfully opposed (411 BC) the oligarchical Four Hundred and later had Alcibiades recalled. In the Peloponnesian War he fought at Cyzicus (410; now in Turkey) and Arginusae (406). Banished by the Thirty Tyrants , he obtained the help of exiles in Thebes, marched with his force from Phyle to Piraeus, and overthrew (403) the Thirty. He was leading a campaign in a new war against Sparta when the excesses of...

• Timoleon d. after 337 BC, Greek statesman and general, noted as the scourge of tyrants. A Corinthian, he went (344) with a small army to Syracuse in answer to the appeal of the Syracusans to their mother...