Clitus the Black
Encyclopedia
Cleitus the Black (ca. 375 BC - 328 BC) was an officer of the Macedonian army led by Alexander the Great. He saved Alexander's life at the Battle of the Granicus
and was killed by him in a drunken quarrel several years later. Cleitus was son of Dropides and brother of Alexander's nurse, Lanike
.
in 334 BC, when Alexander was personally under attack by Rhoesaces
and Spithridates
, Cleitus chopped off Spithridates
' arm before the Persian satrap
could bring it down on Alexander and saved his life.
resigned his satrapy of Bactria
, and Alexander gave it to Cleitus. On the eve of the day on which he was to set out to take possessions of his government, Alexander organized a banquet in the satrapial palace at Maracanda (what is now the town of Samarkand
). At this banquet an angry dispute arose, the particulars of which is are variously reported by different authors.
Most of the members were rather drunk, and Alexander announced a reorganization of commands. Specifically, Cleitus was given orders to take 16,000 of the defeated Greek mercenaries
who formerly fought for the Persian King north to fight the steppe
nomads in Central Asia
.
Cleitus knew that he would no longer be near the king and would be a forgotten man. Furious at the thought of commanding what he saw as second-rate
soldiers, fighting nomad
s in the middle of nowhere, he spoke his mind. To make matters worse, when Alexander arrogantly boasted that his accomplishments were far greater than that of his father, Phillip II
, Cleitus responded by saying that Alexander was not the legitimate king of the Macedonians, and that all of his achievements were due to his father. Alexander called for his guards, but they did not want to intervene in a quarrel between friends.
Alexander threw an apple at Cleitus's head and called for a dagger, but colleagues of the two men removed the dagger and hustled Cleitus out of the room. Nevertheless, Cleitus managed to return to the room to utter more insults against Alexander. (It is possible that Cleitus had not left the room). But sources agree that at this point Alexander got hold of a spear, and using it, killed Cleitus on the spot. Alexander would later bitterly regret killing his friend.
The motives of Cleitus in this quarrel have been interpreted in various ways. Cleitus may have been angered at Alexander's increasing adoption of Persian customs. After the death of King Darius III Alexander was legally King of the Persian Empire. Alexander was now employing eunuchs such as Bagoas
(not to be confused with another Bagoas
, who was a contemporary high Persian official) and was tolerant of such Persian customs as proskynesis
, a sort of kow-tow thought to be degrading by many in the Macedonian army.
According to the biography of Alexander by Plutarch, there is a quote attributed to Cleitus, which is very relevant. A group of Macedonians had lost in a fight with “barbarians,” and Alexander joined in the laughing at those who had lost, whereupon Cleitus spoke up, and then Alexander insulted him using the word coward. Cleitus then gave a very relevant short speech, reminding Alexander that he, Cleitus, had saved Alexander’s life (battle of Granicus) [Source: Plutarch: Alexander: Location 19486] and what the latter now enjoyed was the result of blood and sacrifice of the Macedonians. The argument escalated leading to Alexander running Cleitus through with a spear. Source is Plutarch: Alexander: Location 20104. Plutarch had many good sources, so it is fair to include this view on behalf of Cleitus.
. The scene was intended to be the "turning point" in the campaign, when the Macedonian generals began to insist (more quietly than Cleitus) that Alexander return home. The film, however, erroneously depicts the death of Cleitus as taking place in India
.
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...
and was killed by him in a drunken quarrel several years later. Cleitus was son of Dropides and brother of Alexander's nurse, Lanike
Lanike
Lanike or Lanice , also called Hellanike or Alacrinis, daughter of Dropidas, was the sister of Clitus the Black and the nurse of Alexander the Great...
.
Battle of the Granicus
At the Battle of the GranicusBattle 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...
in 334 BC, when Alexander was personally under attack by Rhoesaces
Rhoesaces
Rhoesaces was the brother of Spithridates, a satrap of Ionia, both who fought and died against Alexander the Great at the Battle of Granicus in 334. Alexander had claimed the life of his brother Spithrobates in the battle just moments before Rhoesaces could get there to help his brother...
and Spithridates
Spithridates
Spithridates was a satrap of Lydia and Ionia under the high king Darius III Codomannus and was one of the Persian commanders at the Battle of the Granicus, in 334 BC, in which engagement, while he was aiming a blow from behind at Alexander the Great, his arm was cut off by Cleitus, son of Dropides...
, Cleitus chopped off Spithridates
Spithridates
Spithridates was a satrap of Lydia and Ionia under the high king Darius III Codomannus and was one of the Persian commanders at the Battle of the Granicus, in 334 BC, in which engagement, while he was aiming a blow from behind at Alexander the Great, his arm was cut off by Cleitus, son of Dropides...
' arm before the Persian satrap
Satrap
Satrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
could bring it down on Alexander and saved his life.
The death of Cleitus
In 328 BC ArtabazusArtabazus
Artabazus was the name of a satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia , under the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia....
resigned his satrapy of Bactria
Bactria
Bactria and also appears in the Zend Avesta as Bukhdi. It is the ancient name of a historical region located between south of the Amu Darya and west of the Indus River...
, and Alexander gave it to Cleitus. On the eve of the day on which he was to set out to take possessions of his government, Alexander organized a banquet in the satrapial palace at Maracanda (what is now the town of Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
). At this banquet an angry dispute arose, the particulars of which is are variously reported by different authors.
Most of the members were rather drunk, and Alexander announced a reorganization of commands. Specifically, Cleitus was given orders to take 16,000 of the defeated Greek mercenaries
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
who formerly fought for the Persian King north to fight the steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
nomads in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
.
Cleitus knew that he would no longer be near the king and would be a forgotten man. Furious at the thought of commanding what he saw as second-rate
Second-rate
In the British Royal Navy, a second rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th century second rates had fewer guns and were originally two-deckers or had only partially armed third gun decks. The term in no way implied...
soldiers, fighting nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
s in the middle of nowhere, he spoke his mind. To make matters worse, when Alexander arrogantly boasted that his accomplishments were far greater than that of his father, Phillip II
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon "friend" + ἵππος "horse" — transliterated ; 382 – 336 BC), was a king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.-Biography:...
, Cleitus responded by saying that Alexander was not the legitimate king of the Macedonians, and that all of his achievements were due to his father. Alexander called for his guards, but they did not want to intervene in a quarrel between friends.
Alexander threw an apple at Cleitus's head and called for a dagger, but colleagues of the two men removed the dagger and hustled Cleitus out of the room. Nevertheless, Cleitus managed to return to the room to utter more insults against Alexander. (It is possible that Cleitus had not left the room). But sources agree that at this point Alexander got hold of a spear, and using it, killed Cleitus on the spot. Alexander would later bitterly regret killing his friend.
The motives of Cleitus in this quarrel have been interpreted in various ways. Cleitus may have been angered at Alexander's increasing adoption of Persian customs. After the death of King Darius III Alexander was legally King of the Persian Empire. Alexander was now employing eunuchs such as Bagoas
Bagoas (courtier)
Bagoas was a eunuch in the Persian Empire in the 4th Century BCE, said to have been the catamite of Darius III, and later the Eromenos of Alexander the Great.-The Famous Kiss:...
(not to be confused with another Bagoas
Bagoas
Bagoas was a eunuch who became the vizier to Artaxerxes III. In this role, he allied himself with the Rhodian mercenary general Mentor, and with his help succeeded in once again making Egypt a province of the Persian Empire...
, who was a contemporary high Persian official) and was tolerant of such Persian customs as proskynesis
Proskynesis
Proskynesis refers to the traditional Persian act of prostrating oneself before a person of higher social rank....
, a sort of kow-tow thought to be degrading by many in the Macedonian army.
According to the biography of Alexander by Plutarch, there is a quote attributed to Cleitus, which is very relevant. A group of Macedonians had lost in a fight with “barbarians,” and Alexander joined in the laughing at those who had lost, whereupon Cleitus spoke up, and then Alexander insulted him using the word coward. Cleitus then gave a very relevant short speech, reminding Alexander that he, Cleitus, had saved Alexander’s life (battle of Granicus) [Source: Plutarch: Alexander: Location 19486] and what the latter now enjoyed was the result of blood and sacrifice of the Macedonians. The argument escalated leading to Alexander running Cleitus through with a spear. Source is Plutarch: Alexander: Location 20104. Plutarch had many good sources, so it is fair to include this view on behalf of Cleitus.
In popular media
The death of Cleitus at Alexander's hand is depicted in a scene of the film AlexanderAlexander (film)
Alexander is a 2004 epic film based on the life of Alexander the Great. It is not a remake of the 1956 film which starred Richard Burton. It was directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell in the title role...
. The scene was intended to be the "turning point" in the campaign, when the Macedonian generals began to insist (more quietly than Cleitus) that Alexander return home. The film, however, erroneously depicts the death of Cleitus as taking place in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
External links
- Plutarch, The Life of Alexander, 16 and 50-51.
- Livius, Clitus by Jona Lendering