Alcimachus of Apollonia ( el, Ἀλκίμαχος, flourished 4th century BC) was a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
nobleman who was a
Macedonian who served as an official. He was an active diplomat and administrator in the latter reign of King
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 382 – 21 October 336 BC) was the king ('' basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ...
who reigned 359 BC–336 BC and the first years of his son, King
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
reigned 336 BC–323 BC.
Alcimachus was the first born of four sons to
Agathocles Agathocles ( Greek: ) is a Greek name, the most famous of which is Agathocles of Syracuse, the tyrant of Syracuse. The name is derived from , ''agathos'', i.e. "good" and , ''kleos'', i.e. "glory".
Other personalities named Agathocles:
*Agathocles ...
and his wife, perhaps named Arsinoe. His paternal grandfather may have been called Alcimachus and one of his brothers was
Lysimachus one of the
Diadochi
The Diadochi (; singular: Diadochus; from grc-gre, Διάδοχοι, Diádochoi, Successors, ) were the rival generals, families, and friends of Alexander the Great who fought for control over his empire after his death in 323 BC. The War ...
of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
.
His father was a nobleman of high rank who was an intimate friend of Philip II, who shared in Philip II's councils and became a favorite in the
Argead court. Alcimachus with his brothers grew up with the status of Macedonians; he with his brothers enjoyed prominent positions in Alexander's circle and Alcimachus with his brothers were educated at the court at
Pella
Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great.
On site of the ancient cit ...
.
Two years after the
Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC, Alcimachus and
Antipater were sent by Philip II to Athens where they were made ''
Proxenoi
Proxeny or ( grc-gre, προξενία) in ancient Greece was an arrangement whereby a citizen (chosen by the city) hosted foreign ambassadors at his own expense, in return for honorary titles from the state. The citizen was called (; plural: o ...
'' of
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
where they were honored in a decree. Sometime in the reign of Philip II, Alcimachus may have been granted property
in Apollonia and may have had honors bestowed upon him by Philip II. Two years later Alcimachus was in charge of an army, empowered by Alexander to ‘liberate’ the cities of
Ionia and
Aeolis
Aeolis (; grc, Αἰολίς, Aiolís), or Aeolia (; grc, Αἰολία, Aiolía, link=no), was an area that comprised the west and northwestern region of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), mostly along the coast, and also several offshore islan ...
. When Alcimachus was sent by Alexander to establish democracies in the Ionian and Aeolian cities, Alexander may have voiced some displeasure with Alcimachus’ behavior in handling affairs there, as he may have been the ''Alcimachus'' named in the ''Second Letter to the Chians''. After Alexander's possible displeasure with Alcimachus, he is not mentioned again in the Alexander historians.
By an unnamed Greek wife, Alcimachus had two sons:
Alcimachus by whom he had a
grandson called Lysippus and
Philip.
[Heckel, ''Who’s who in the age of Alexander the Great: prosopography of Alexander’s empire'', p.9]
References
{{reflist
Sources
Lysimachus’ article at Livius.org* H.S. Lund, Lysimachus: A Study in Early Hellenistic Kingship, Routledge, 2002
* W. Heckel, Who's who in the age of Alexander the Great: prosopography of Alexander's empire, Wiley-Blackwell, 2006
4th-century BC Macedonians
Ancient Pellaeans
Ancient Greek diplomats
Courtiers of Alexander the Great
4th-century BC diplomats