Theodotus Hemiolius

Last updated February 28, 2019

Theodotus Hemiolius (in Greek Θεoδoτoς Hμιoλιoς) was a general in the service of king Antiochus III the Great (223–187 BC), who was sent by the king in 222 BC, together with Xenon, against Molon, satrap of Media, who had raised the standard of revolt in the eastern provinces of the Seleucid Empire. However, the two generals were unable to control the rebel satrap and withdrew within the walls of the cities, leaving him in possession of the open country.^[1]

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus and other parts of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It has the longest documented history of any living Indo-European language, spanning more than 3000 years of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the major part of its history; other systems, such as Linear B and the Cypriot syllabary, were used previously. The alphabet arose from the Phoenician script and was in turn the basis of the Latin, Cyrillic, Armenian, Coptic, Gothic, and many other writing systems.

Antiochus III the Great was a Hellenistic Greek king and the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire. He ruled over the region of Syria and large parts of the rest of western Asia towards the end of the 3rd century BC. Rising to the throne at the age of eighteen in 222 BC, his early campaigns against the Ptolemaic Kingdom were unsuccessful, but in the following years Antiochus gained several military victories and substantially expanded the empire's territory. His traditional designation, the Great, reflects an epithet he assumed. He also assumed the title Basileus Megas, the traditional title of the Persian kings. A militarily active ruler, Antiochus restored much of the territory of the Seleucid Empire, before suffering a serious setback, towards the end of his reign, in his war against Rome.

Xenon was an officer in the service of Antiochus III the Great, who was sent, together with Theodotus Hemiolius, against Molon in 221 BC. They retired before Molon under the shelter of the towns.

After the later and final defeat of Molon by Antiochus, Theodotus was selected by that monarch to take the command in Coele-Syria, while Antiochus undertook to reduce Seleucia on the Tigris. What Theodotus accomplished is not known, but the next year (219 BC) he was serving under the immediate command of Antiochus and bearing an important share in the action against Nicolaus, one of the generals of Ptolemy IV Philopator (221–204 BC), near Porphyreon, as well as shortly after at the siege of Rabbatamana. On both these occasions he was associated with Nicarchus, with whom he also shared command of the phalanx during the Battle of Raphia, 217 BC. After that major defeat he was chosen by Antiochus as one of the ambassadors whom he sent to Ptolemy to sue for peace.^[2]

Coele-Syria, Coele Syria, Coelesyria, also rendered as Coelosyria and Celesyria, otherwise Hollow Syria, was a region of Syria in classical antiquity. It probably derived from the Aramaic for all of the region of Syria but more often was applied to the Beqaa Valley between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountain ranges. The area now forms part of the modern nations of Lebanon and Syria.

Nicolaus was an Aetolian, and a general of Ptolemy IV Philopator, king of Egypt. In 219 BC he led a siege of Ptolemais, which was held by the traitor Theodotus, who had revolted from Ptolemy to Antiochus III the Great. Nicolaus, however, abandoned the siege on the approach of the Seleucid king. In the same year he did much towards baffling the attempt of Antiochus on Dora in Phoenicia, by sending constant succours to the besieged. In 218 BC he was invested by Ptolemy with the supreme command in Coele-Syria, an appointment fully warranted, according to Polybius, by his military experience and bravery. He was, however, dislodged by Antiochus and his generals from a strong position which he had taken up between the range of Mount Lebanon and the sea near the town of Porphyreon, and was obliged to seek safety in a precipitate flight towards Sidon. It may be conjectured that after this he deserted to Antiochus: at least, we find the name of Nicolaus of Aetolia mentioned among the generals of the Syrian king in his campaign in Hyrcania, 209 BC.

Porphyreon was a town in the late Roman province of Phoenice Prima, and a bishopric that was a suffragan of the metropolitan see of that province, Tyre. It corresponds to present-day Jieh, Lebanon.

Related Research Articles

Achaeus was a general and later a separatist ruler of part of the Greek Seleucid kingdom. He was the son of Andromachus, whose sister Laodice II married Seleucus Callinicus, the father of Antiochus III the Great He accompanied Seleucus Ceraunus, the son of Callinicus, in his expedition across mount Taurus against Attalus I, and after the assassination of Seleucus Ceraunus revenged his death; and though he might easily have assumed the royal power, he remained faithful to the family of Seleucus.

Mithridates II, third king of Pontus and son of Ariobarzanes, whom he succeeded on the throne.

Sosibius was the chief minister of Ptolemy Philopator, king of Egypt. Nothing is known of his origin or parentage, though he may have been a son of Sosibius of Tarentum; nor have we any account of the means by which he rose to power; but we find him immediately after the accession of Ptolemy, exercising the greatest influence over the young king, and virtually holding the chief direction of affairs. He soon proved himself, as he is termed by Polybius, a ready and dexterous instrument of autocracy: it was by his ministration, if not at his instigation, that Ptolemy put to death in succession his uncle Lysimachus, his brother Magas, and his mother Berenice. Not long after, Cleomenes, of whose influence with the mercenary troops Sosibius had at this time dexterously availed himself, shared the same fate.

Molon or Molo was a general and satrap of the Seleucid king Antiochus the Great. He held the satrapy of Media at the accession of that monarch ; in addition to which, Antiochus conferred upon him and his brother Alexander the government of all the upper provinces of his empire. But their hatred of Hermeias, the chief minister of Antiochus, soon led them both to revolt in 222 BC. The two generals at first sent against them by the king were unable to oppose their progress, and Molon found himself at the head of a large army, and master of the whole country to the east of the Tigris.

Xenoetas was an Achaean in the service of the Seleucid king Antiochus the Great; he was despatched by his chief minister Hermeias in command of an army against the rebel satrap of Media, Molon, in 221 BC. This unusual distinction seems greatly to have elated him. He conducted himself arrogantly towards his friends, and exhibited no small presumption and rashness in his military operations. He succeeded in crossing the Tigris, but fell into the snare laid for him by Molon, who feigned a retreat, and suddenly returning surprised Xenoetas when the greater part of his forces were sunk in drunken sleep. Xenoetas was killed, and his army cut to pieces.

Hermeias or Hermias was a Carian by birth, who had raised himself to be the favourite and chief minister of Seleucus III Ceraunus, and was left at the head of affairs in Syria by that monarch when he set out on the expedition across the Taurus Mountains, in the course of which Seleucus met with his death, 223 BC.

Nicarchus or Nicarch was one of the generals of the Seleucid king Antiochus III the Great. He served in Coele-Syria in the war between Antiochus and Ptolemy Philopator. Together with Theodotus he superintended the siege of Rabbatamana, and with the same general headed the phalanx at the battle of Raphia in 217 BC.

Zeuxis was a general and official in the service of the Seleucid king Antiochus III the Great at the end of the 3rd century BC. He led the royal forces in Mesopotamia against the rebel Molon, served as the governor of cis-Tauric Asia Minor from 213 BC onwards, and was a general at the Battle of Magnesia. After that defeat he went to Rome to negotiate a peace.

Theodotus was an Aetolian general, who at the accession of the Seleucid monarch, Antiochus III the Great, held the command of the important province of Coele-Syria for Ptolemy Philopator, king of Egypt.

Lagoras was a Cretan soldier of fortune, who, when in the service of Ptolemy IV Philopator, king of Egypt, was sent by Nicolaus, Ptolemy's general, to occupy the passes of Mount Lebanon at Berytus, and to check there the advance of Antiochus III the Great, who was marching upon Ptolemais, 219 BC. He was, however, defeated and dislodged from his position by the Syrian king.

Ariarathes IV, surnamed Eusebes, "the Pious",, was the king of Cappadocia in 220–163 BC.

Asander was the son of Philotas and brother of Agathon. He was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great and satrap of Caria after Alexander's death.

Alexander was brother of Molon. On the accession of the Seleucid king Antiochus III, afterwards called the Great, in 223 BC, he entrusted Alexander with the government of the satrapy of Persis and Molon received Media. Up to that time, local rulers of Persis, the Fratarakas seem to have been in charge of the region, between circa 295 and 220 BC.

Echecrates was a Thessalian military officer of Ptolemy Philopator in the Fourth Syrian War with Antiochus the Great in 219 BC. Echecrates was employed in the levying of troops and their arrangement into separate companies. He was entrusted with the command of the Greek forces in Ptolemy's pay, and of all the mercenary cavalry. According to Polybius, he did good service in the war, especially at the Battle of Raphia in 217 BC.

Scopas was an Aetolian general, who served both his native Aetolian League in the Social War and Ptolemaic Egypt against the Seleucids, with mixed success. He was executed in 196 BC at Alexandria for conspiring to seize the power of the realm for himself.

Polycrates of Argos, son of Mnasiades, was a Ptolemaic commander at the Battle of Raphia, as well as a governor of Cyprus and chancellor of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in the late third and early second centuries BC.

Apollodorus was a governor, or satrap, of Susiana. He was appointed to this office by the ruler Antiochus III the Great, after the rebellion of his general Molon and his brother Alexander had been put down, in 220 BCE.

Ardys is known from the writings of the Greek historian Polybius. He was an experienced general who commanded the right wing of the army of Antiochus the Great in his battle against the Seleucid rebel Molon in 220 BCE. He distinguished himself in the next year in the siege of Seleucia Pieria.

References

Polybius; Histories , Evelyn S. Shuckburgh (translator); London - New York, (1889)
Smith, William (editor); Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology , "Theodotus (4)", Boston, (1867)

Polybius was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period noted for his work The Histories, which covered the period of 264–146 BC in detail. The work describes the rise of the Roman Republic to the status of dominance in the ancient Mediterranean world and includes his eyewitness account of the Sack of Carthage in 146 BC.

London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south-east of England, at the head of its 50-mile (80 km) estuary leading to the North Sea, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. Londinium was founded by the Romans. The City of London, London's ancient core − an area of just 1.12 square miles (2.9 km²) and colloquially known as the Square Mile − retains boundaries that follow closely its medieval limits. The City of Westminster is also an Inner London borough holding city status. Greater London is governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

The City of New York, usually called either New York City (NYC) or simply New York (NY), is the most populous city in the United States and thus also in the state of New York. With an estimated 2017 population of 8,622,698 distributed over a land area of about 302.6 square miles (784 km²), New York is also the most densely populated major city in the United States. Located at the southern tip of the state of New York, the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass and one of the world's most populous megacities, with an estimated 20,320,876 people in its 2017 Metropolitan Statistical Area and 23,876,155 residents in its Combined Statistical Area. A global power city, New York City has been described as the cultural, financial, and media capital of the world, and exerts a significant impact upon commerce, entertainment, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, art, fashion, and sports. The city's fast pace has inspired the term New York minute. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy.

Notes

↑ Polybius, v. 42, 43
↑ Polybius, v. 59, 68, 69, 71, 83, 87

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Smith, William, ed. (1870). "article name needed". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology .

The public domain consists of all the creative works to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable.

Sir William Smith was an English lexicographer. He also made advances in the teaching of Greek and Latin in schools.

The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 pages. It is a classic work of 19th-century lexicography. The work is a companion to Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities and Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[poly_5.42_43-1] Polybius, v. 42, 43

[poly_5.59_68_69_71_79_83_87-2] Polybius, v. 59, 68, 69, 71, 83, 87