''Somatophylakes'' ( el, Σωματοφύλακες; singular: ''somatophylax'', σωματοφύλαξ) were the bodyguards of high-ranking people in ancient Greece. The most famous body of ''somatophylakes'' were those of

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 ...

and

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 ...

. They consisted of seven men, drawn from the

Macedon Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an Classical antiquity, ancient monarchy, kingdom on the periphery of Archaic Greece, Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. Th ...

ian nobility, who also acted as high-ranking military officers, holding command positions such as

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

chiliarch Chiliarch is a military rank dating back to antiquity. Originally denoting the commander of a unit of about one thousand men (a chiliarchy) in the Macedonian army, it was subsequently used as a Greek translation of a Persian officer who functioned ...

appointed Peucestas as eighth ''somatophylax'' after the siege of Malli.

Under Alexander the Great

(Note that this list is speculative in several cases and would be disputed by scholars. For example, Hephaestion was probably not named as early as given below. The only ''complete'' list of Alexander's bodyguard in the original sources is found in Arrian (6.28.4), upon the extraordinary appointment of Peucestas in Carmania.) ;336–334 * Aristonous of Pella, Lysimachus,

Peithon Peithon or Pithon (Greek: ''Πείθων'' or ''Πίθων'', 355 – 314 BC) was the son of Crateuas, a nobleman from Eordaia in western Macedonia. He was famous for being one of the bodyguards of Alexander the Great, becoming the later ...

Arybbas Arybbas ( grc, Ἀρύββας or Ἀρύβας; 373–343/2 BC) was a king of the Molossians. Family Arybbas was a son of Alcetas I, brother of Neoptolemus I and grandfather of Pyrrhus. He married his niece Troas (sister of Olympias). ...

Balacrus Balakros ( el, Bάλακρoς), also Balacrus, the son of Nicanor, one of Alexander the Great's "Somatophylakes" (bodyguards), was appointed satrap of Cilicia after the Battle of Issus, 333 BC. He succeeded to the last Achaemenid satrap of Cil ...

Demetrius Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning “Demetris” - "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dumi ...

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importance ...

. ;333, *Aristonous, Lysimachus, Peithon, Arybbas, Balacrus, Demetrius, Hephaestion. ;332 *Aristonous, Lysimachus, Peithon, Arybbas,

Menes of Pella Menes of Pella ( grc, Μένης), son of Dionysius, was one of the Greek officers of Alexander the Great; and after the Battle of Issus (333 BC) was admitted by the king into the number of his somatophylakes, in the place of Balacrus, who was ...

, Demetrius, Hephaestion. ;331 *Aristonous, Lysimachus, Peithon, Leonnatus, Menes, Demetrius, Hephaestion. ;330–327 *Aristonous, Lysimachus, Peithon, Leonnatus,

Perdiccas Perdiccas ( el, Περδίκκας, ''Perdikkas''; 355 BC – 321/320 BC) was a general of Alexander the Great. He took part in the Macedonian campaign against the Achaemenid Empire, and, following Alexander's death in 323 BC, rose to beco ...

, Ptolemy of Lagus, Hephaestion. ;326–324 *Aristonous, Lysimachus, Peithon, Leonnatus, Perdiccas, Ptolemy Lagus, Hephaestion, Peucestas ;323 *Aristonous, Lysimachus, Peithon, Leonnatus, Perdiccas, Ptolemy Lagus, Peucestas.

References

Heckel, Waldemar. "The 'Somatophylakes' of Alexander the Great: Some Thoughts." ''Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte'' Bd. 27, H. 1 (1st Qtr., 1978), pp. 224–228.

External links

Livius.org - ''Somatophylax''
{{Alexander's Generals Ancient Greek military terminology Military ranks of ancient Macedon Ancient Greek titles Military units and formations of the Hellenistic world Military units and formations of ancient Greece

Under Alexander the Great

See also

References

External links