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Granicus-memnon
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2002 2:47 pm
by Peter
Hi All,Was memnon present at the battle of Granicus? And if yes how much do we know about him?
Re: Granicus-memnon
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2002 4:57 pm
by dean
Hi, off the top of my head I believe that he was present at the battle you mention. What do we know about him? Well I don't have a copy of Curtius or Arrian but just a few facts for you which I hope will be of some interest.
Memnon of Rhodes was a Greek mercenary who was given the "honour" of commanding the Great king's troops. He proved a tricky opponent in the sieges of Halicarnaso, Mileto and of course at the battle of Graniccus- the first Great battle of Alexander. Memnon's wife was Barsine- She was of Greek/Persian origin like Herodotus- the father of history.
Later after Memnon's death- Parmenion apparently suggested that it was a good idea that Alexander married Barsine-which he did although she never became queen.
As I recall, Memnon died of some illness but I don't have the details to hand...
By the way, I am sure that on this site there must be some more information.
Best regards, Dean.
Re: Granicus-memnon
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2002 6:16 pm
by Tre
Hello Dean:Alexander never married Barsine, she was his mistress, and would later give birth to a son Herakles around 327BC who was passed over as an heir after Alexander's death. He would later be strangled after a banquet around 310 BC at the instigation of Polyperchon who offered him up to Cassander to be killed. He was thought to be around 17 at the time. Regards,Tre
Re: Granicus-memnon
Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2002 7:50 pm
by nick
We know quite a lot of Memnon. I do not know if "mercenary" general reflects his status. He was from Rhodes and one of the foremost commanders of the empire.That position had been held by his brother Mentor during the reign of Artaxerxes Ochus. When Mentor died, Memnon was ambitious enough to claim the position formerly held by his brother. He sent his wife Barsine to Darius III as a 'hostage', a sign of trust - and this convinced Darius to appoint Memnon as the supervisor of the war after Granicus.I am doing a copy-and-paste of my own website now:"Memnon retreated to Milete, but soon abandoned this city and made for Halicarnassus. From here, in the late summer of 334 BC, he sent his wife Barsine and his children to Darius. Memnon figured that the king would trust him more if his family was at the Royal court as hostages. Darius quickly reacted by appointing Memnon as supreme commander of the entire war. The king sent letters to his subjects in west Asia, directing them all to take orders from Memnon. Memnon meanwhile had abandoned Halicarnassus and set up his headquarters in the Aegean. In early 333 BC Memnon had received money from the court, had enlisted more mercenaries and had a fleet of three hundred ships ready for action."Hm, we know that he died in early 333 BC - or around that time - prompting Darius to take the field in person. The result of thatwas Issus.Regards -
Nick
Re: Granicus-memnon
Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2002 12:25 pm
by dean
Yes it is true- he never married Barsine- oops! Dean.