Derdas III () was probably the ruler of Elimiotis in mid 4th century BCE, or at least one of its military commanders. He was probably of the same family as Derdas I and Derdas II, but no evidence exists to say what the relationships were. There are two brief mentions of him in ancient sources, both passed on by

Athenaeus Athenaeus of Naucratis (, or Nαυκράτιος, ''Athēnaios Naukratitēs'' or ''Naukratios''; ) was an ancient Greek rhetorician and Grammarian (Greco-Roman), grammarian, flourishing about the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd century ...

Dicæarchus relates in the third book of his ''Life in Greece''., “But Philip,” says he, “was always marrying new wives in war time. For, in the twenty-two years which he reigned, as Satyrus relates in his ''History of his Life'', having married Audata the Illyrian, he had by her a daughter named Cynna, and he also married Phila, a sister of Derdas and Machatas…”

The reference here is to Philip II of Macedon, father of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

. Philip was credited by Satyrus with seven wives, foremost of which were

Olympias Olympias (; c. 375–316 BC) was a Ancient Greeks, Greek princess of the Molossians, the eldest daughter of king Neoptolemus I of Epirus, the sister of Alexander I of Epirus, the fourth wife of Philip of Macedon, Philip II, the king of Macedonia ...

, Alexander’s mother, and Cleopatra, a late love-match that brought total discord into his house. His marriage to Phila was a minor affair, no doubt concluded for political reasons to secure his alliance with Elimiotis. There is no mention of any resulting offspring. For the record, Derdas’ brother Machatas had two sons who joined Alexander on his expedition to Asia: Harpalos (Alexander’s treasurer) and Philip (later appointed

satrap A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median kingdom, Median and Achaemenid Empire, Persian (Achaemenid) Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic period, Hellenistic empi ...

of India by Alexander). A second report from Athenaeus said:

And
Theopompus Theopompus (, ''Theópompos''; 380 BC 315 BC) was an ancient Greek historian and rhetorician who was a student of Isocrates. Biography Early life and education Theopompus was born on the Aegean island of Chios in 378 or 377 BCE. In his ear ...
gives a regular catalogue of men fond of drinking and addicted to drunkenness… And in his twenty-third book, speaking of Charidemus of Oreum, whom the Athenians made a citizen, he says: “For it was notorious that he spent every day in the greatest intemperance, and in such a manner that he was always drinking and getting drunk, and endeavoring to seduce free-born women; and he carried his intemperance to such a height that he ventured to beg a young boy, who was very beautiful and elegant, from the senate of the Olynthians, who had happened to be taken prisoner in the company of Derdas the Macedonian.”Athenaeus, x.47.

The reference here is to the year 348, when

Olynthus Olynthus ( ''Olynthos'') is an ancient city in present-day Chalcidice, Greece. It was built mostly on two flat-topped hills 30–40m in height, in a fertile plain at the head of the Gulf of Torone, near the neck of the peninsula of Pallene, Cha ...

was under attack from Philip II’s Macedonian army. The Olynthians had asked Athens for help repelling this encroachment on its territory, and the Athenians sent their general Chares in 349, to little effect, and Charidemus in 348, who apparently had some minor success, if we can surmise from this report that the Olynthians were holding Derdas and this young boy captive. Other than these two references, there is no evidence of his existence.

Notes

References

* Smith, William (editor); ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' is a biographical dictionary of classical antiquity, edited by William Smith (lexicographer), William Smith and originally published in London by John Taylor (English publisher), Tayl ...

'', {{usurped,
"Machatas"
},

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, (1867). *Thirlwall, Connop. ''History of Greece, in 10 volumes''. London: Longman & Co., 1835, vol. 5, pp. 408-409. 4th-century BC Greek monarchs Ancient Elimiotes