Peithon or
Pithon (
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
:
Πείθων or
Πίθων, about 355 - 314 BC) was the son of
CrateuasCrateuas may refer to:*Crateuas of Macedon or Craterus, King of Macedon in 399 BC*Crateuas, father of Peithon of Macedon*Crateuas , Greek artist, physician, herbalist, rhizotomist of Mithradates VI, King of Pontus...
, a nobleman from Eordaia in western
MacedonMacedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paionia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south...
ia. One of the bodyguards of
Alexander the GreatAlexander III of Macedon, popularly known as Alexander the Great , was an Ancient Greek king of Macedon who created one of the largest empires in ancient history...
, later
satrapSatrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of ancient Median and Persian empires, including the Achaemenid Empire and in several of their heirs, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
of
MediaThe Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran. This area is known as Media...
and one of the
diadochiThe Diadochi were the rival successors of Alexander the Great, and their Wars of the Diadochi followed Alexander's death...
.
Peithon was named one of the seven (later eight)
SomatophylakesSomatophylakes , in its literal English translation from Greek, means "bodyguards".The most famous body of somatophylakes were those of Philip of Macedon and Alexander the Great...
"bodyguards" of Alexander in 325 BC. After Alexander's death in 323 BC Peithon was made the satrap of
MediaThe Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran. This area is known as Media...
, the strategically important region that controlled all roads between east and west.
Peithon or
Pithon (
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
:
Πείθων or
Πίθων, about 355 - 314 BC) was the son of
CrateuasCrateuas may refer to:*Crateuas of Macedon or Craterus, King of Macedon in 399 BC*Crateuas, father of Peithon of Macedon*Crateuas , Greek artist, physician, herbalist, rhizotomist of Mithradates VI, King of Pontus...
, a nobleman from Eordaia in western
MacedonMacedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paionia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south...
ia. One of the bodyguards of
Alexander the GreatAlexander III of Macedon, popularly known as Alexander the Great , was an Ancient Greek king of Macedon who created one of the largest empires in ancient history...
, later
satrapSatrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of ancient Median and Persian empires, including the Achaemenid Empire and in several of their heirs, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
of
MediaThe Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran. This area is known as Media...
and one of the
diadochiThe Diadochi were the rival successors of Alexander the Great, and their Wars of the Diadochi followed Alexander's death...
.
Peithon was named one of the seven (later eight)
SomatophylakesSomatophylakes , in its literal English translation from Greek, means "bodyguards".The most famous body of somatophylakes were those of Philip of Macedon and Alexander the Great...
"bodyguards" of Alexander in 325 BC. After Alexander's death in 323 BC Peithon was made the satrap of
MediaThe Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran. This area is known as Media...
, the strategically important region that controlled all roads between east and west. Actually, the satrapy was too large for one man: Peithon would be a very powerful man, and could destabilize the entire empire.
Therefore, he had to give up the northern part, which was given to
AtropatesAtropates was a Persian nobleman who served Darius III, then Alexander III of Macedon, and eventually founded an independent kingdom and dynasty that was named after him...
, from then known as
Media AtropateneAtropatene or Media Atropatene was an ancient kingdom established in the 4th century BC in modern Iranian Azerbaijan and Iranian Kurdistan. Its capital was Gazaca...
.
The soldiers who remained in the eastern part of Alexander's realm after his death, grew agitated by their lengthy stay abroad, and began spontaneous revolts. The regent
PerdiccasPerdiccas was one of Alexander the Great's generals. After Alexander's death in 323 BC he became regent of all Alexander's empire....
sent Peithon to subdue the revolters. He was given a contingent of
MacedonMacedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paionia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south...
ians. Peithon easily defeated his opponents and accepted their capitulation. His men, however, having hoped to plunder, massacred their opponents.
After Peithon returned to Persia, Perdiccas began to distrust him. In the
First War of the DiadochiThe Diadochi were the rival successors of Alexander the Great, and their Wars of the Diadochi followed Alexander's death...
, Perdiccas ordered Peithon to follow him to
Ptolemaic EgyptPtolemaic Egypt began when Ptolemy I Soter declared himself Pharaoh of Egypt in 305 BC and ended with the death of queen Cleopatra 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 Cyrene to the west, and...
to fight against
PtolemyPtolemy I Soter I was a Macedonian Greek general under Alexander the Great who became ruler of Egypt and founder of both the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Ptolemaic Dynasty...
.
In the summer of 320 BC Peithon,
SeleucusSeleucus I , was a Macedonian officer of Alexander the Great and one of the Diadochi...
, and Antigenes murdered Perdiccas and started negotiating with their opponents. Ptolemy suggested that Peithon be made the new Regent, but the other diadochi would not accept this. Therefore
AntipaterAntipater was a Macedonian general and a supporter of kings Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. In 320 BC, he became regent of all of Alexander's empire.-Career under Philip and Alexander:...
was chosen to be the new Regent.
After the death of Antipater, Peithon expanded his realm. He invaded the satrapy of
ParthiaParthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasts, after which the Arsacid Empire is then also known as the 'Parthian Empire'....
and made his brother Eudemus the new satrap. From 317 BC however the other eastern satraps united against Peithon and drove him out. The armies of the eastern satrapies, including contingents from Indian sent by another
Peithon, son of AgenorPeithon, son of Agenor was an officer in the expedition of Alexander the Great to India, who became satrap of the Indus from 325 to 316 BCE, and then satrap of Babylon, from 316 to 312 BCE, until he died at the Battle of Gaza in 312 BCE.-Officer:...
, the satrap of the Indus, were joined by
EumenesEumenes of Cardia was a Greek general and scholar. He participated in the wars of the Diadochi as a supporter of the Macedonian Argead royal house.He was a native of Cardia in the Thracian Chersonese...
who had been appointed by the new regent
PolyperchonPolyperchon son of Simmias from Tymphaia in Epirus, was a Macedonian general who served under Philip II and Alexander the Great, accompanying Alexander throughout his long journeys. After the return to Babylon, Polyperchon was sent back to Macedon with Craterus, but had only reached Cilicia by...
to subdue
AntigonusAntigonus I Monophthalmus son of Philip from Elimeia, was a Macedonian nobleman, general, and satrap under Alexander the Great...
. Peithon was saved by Antigonus who beat both Eumenes and his new allies at a battle near
SusaSusa ; Syriac: ; was an ancient city of the Elamite, Persian and Parthian empires of Iran, located about 250 km east of the Tigris River....
. Following the
Second War of the DiadochiThe Diadochi were the rival successors of Alexander the Great, and their Wars of the Diadochi followed Alexander's death...
Peithon was among the most powerful diadochi in the eastern part of the Empire and started to rebuild his realm. Antigonus didn't like his new rival and tricked Peithon to come to his court, where he had him executed.
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