Amyntas of Macedonia
Encyclopedia
Amyntas was a Macedon
ian officer in Alexander the Great's army, son of Andromenes from Tymphaia. After the battle of the Granicus
, 334 BC, when the garrison of Sardis
was quietly surrendered to Alexander, Amyntas was the officer sent forward to receive it from the commander, Mithrenes
. Two years after, 332, we again hear of him as being sent into Macedonia to collect levies, while Alexander after the siege of Gaza
advanced to Egypt
; and he returned with them in the ensuing year, when the king was in possession of Susa
.
After the execution of Philotas
on a charge of treason, 330 BC, Amyntas and two other sons of Andromenes (Attalus
and Simmias
) were arrested on suspicion of having been engaged in the plot. The suspicion was strengthened by their known intimacy with Philotas, and by the fact that their brother Polemon
had fled from the camp when the latter was apprehended, or according to Curtius
, when he was given up to the torture. Amyntas defended himself and his brothers ably, and their innocence being further established by Polemon's reappearance, they were acquitted. Some little time after, Amyntas was killed by an arrow at the siege of a village. It is doubtful whether the son of Andromenes is the Amyntas mentioned by Curtius as commander of a portion of the Macedonian troops at the battle of Issus
, 333 BC; or again, the person spoken of as leading a brigade at the forcing of the Cilician Gates
(now called the Gülek Pass), 331 BC. But Amyntas appears to have been a common name among the Macedonians.
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
ian officer in Alexander the Great's army, son of Andromenes from Tymphaia. After the battle of the Granicus
Battle of the Granicus
The Battle of the Granicus River in May 334 BC was the first of three major battles fought between Alexander the Great and the Persian Empire...
, 334 BC, when the garrison of Sardis
Sardis
Sardis or Sardes was an ancient city at the location of modern Sart in Turkey's Manisa Province...
was quietly surrendered to Alexander, Amyntas was the officer sent forward to receive it from the commander, Mithrenes
Mithrenes
Mithrenes was an Armenian commander of the Persian force which garrisoned the citadel of Sardis....
. Two years after, 332, we again hear of him as being sent into Macedonia to collect levies, while Alexander after the siege of Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
advanced to Egypt
Ptolemaic Egypt
Ptolemaic Egypt began when Ptolemy I Soter invaded Egypt and declared himself Pharaoh of Egypt in 305 BC and ended with the death of queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and the Roman conquest in 30 BC. The Ptolemaic Kingdom was a powerful Hellenistic state, extending from southern Syria in the east, to...
; and he returned with them in the ensuing year, when the king was in possession of Susa
Susa
Susa was an ancient city of the Elamite, Persian and Parthian empires of Iran. It is located in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris River, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers....
.
After the execution of Philotas
Philotas
Philotas was the eldest son of Parmenion, Alexander's most experienced and talented general. When Alexander became king of Macedonia with Parmenion's support Philotas (in Greek, Φιλώτας, died October 330 BC) was the eldest son of Parmenion, Alexander's most experienced and talented general. When...
on a charge of treason, 330 BC, Amyntas and two other sons of Andromenes (Attalus
Attalus of Macedonia
Attalus , son of Andromenes the Stymphaean, and one of Alexander's officers, was accused with his brothers, Amyntas and Simmias, of having been engaged in the conspiracy of Philotas, 330 BC, but was acquitted, together with his brothers...
and Simmias
Simmias
Simmias may refer to:*Simmias of Thebes follower of Socrates*Simmias of Macedon general of Alexander the Great*Simmias of Rhodes poet and grammarian *Simmias of Syracuse student of philosophy...
) were arrested on suspicion of having been engaged in the plot. The suspicion was strengthened by their known intimacy with Philotas, and by the fact that their brother Polemon
Polemon (general)
For other uses, see PolemonPolemon , son of Andromenes the Stymphaean, was a Macedonian officer in the service of Alexander the Great...
had fled from the camp when the latter was apprehended, or according to Curtius
Quintus Curtius Rufus
Quintus Curtius Rufus was a Roman historian, writing probably during the reign of the Emperor Claudius or Vespasian. His only surviving work, Historiae Alexandri Magni, is a biography of Alexander the Great in Latin in ten books, of which the first two are lost, and the remaining eight are...
, when he was given up to the torture. Amyntas defended himself and his brothers ably, and their innocence being further established by Polemon's reappearance, they were acquitted. Some little time after, Amyntas was killed by an arrow at the siege of a village. It is doubtful whether the son of Andromenes is the Amyntas mentioned by Curtius as commander of a portion of the Macedonian troops at the battle of Issus
Battle of Issus
The Battle of Issus occurred in southern Anatolia, in November 333 BC. The invading troops, led by the young Alexander of Macedonia, defeated the army personally led by Darius III of Achaemenid Persia in the second great battle for primacy in Asia...
, 333 BC; or again, the person spoken of as leading a brigade at the forcing of the Cilician Gates
Cilician Gates
The Cilician Gates or Gülek Pass is a pass through the Taurus Mountains connecting the low plains of Cilicia to the Anatolian Plateau, by way of the narrow gorge of the Gökoluk River. Its highest elevation is about 1000m....
(now called the Gülek Pass), 331 BC. But Amyntas appears to have been a common name among the Macedonians.