Arcesilaus III of Cyrene
Encyclopedia
Arcesilaus III of Cyrene or Arcesilaus III (Greek: ο Αρκεσίλαος, flourished 6th century BC) was the sixth Greek Cyrenaean King and was a member of the Battiad dynasty
.
and Cyrenaean Queen Pheretima
. His sister was the Cyrenaean Princess Ladice
who married the Ancient Egypt
ian Pharaoh
Amasis II
. Although his maternal grandparents are unknown, his paternal grandparents were the Cyrenaean Queen Eryxo
and Cyrenaean King Arcesilaus II
and they became friends. Cambyses had recently conquered Egypt and adding the country to his empire.
and demanded the restoration of his ancestral rights. He was supported by his mother. After civil struggles that followed, Arcesilaus was defeated and fled to the Greek island of Samos
, while his mother fled to the court of Greek King Euelthon in Salamis, Cyprus
seeking troops from the king, which the king refused to do.
to consult about his future in Cyrene. The priestess stated to him, that you will have a kingship in Cyrene for eight generations under four rulers named Battus and four rulers named Arcesilaus. She advised him to have no attempt to keep power beyond that period. She also advised him to be careful how to treat the Cyrenaean citizens and if he is cruel to them, they will go against him. Arcesilaus ignored this advice from the priestess.
.
n man called Alazir, who was the governor of Barca. Herodotus states that Arcesilaus was related to Alazir. Arcesilaus married his daughter (whose name is unknown) and they had a son and only child called Battus IV
. Battus IV became king in late 515 BC after Pheretima died in Egypt who ruled Cyrenaica for a while. Arcesilaus was buried near his paternal ancestors in Cyrene.
Battiadae
In Greek mythology, the Battiadae are descendants of Battus, the founder of Cyrene. A famous descendant of Battus and thus one of the Battiadae was Callimachus, the Greek poet and the best known member of the Neoteroi....
.
Ancestry
Arcesilaus was the son of the fifth Cyrenaean King Battus IIIBattus III of Cyrene
Battus III of Cyrene or Battus III, surnamed The Lame was the fifth Greek Cyrenaean king and a member of the Battiad dynasty....
and Cyrenaean Queen Pheretima
Pheretima (Cyrenaean Queen)
Pheretima or Pheretime was the wife of the Greek Cyrenaean King Battus III and the last recorded queen of the Battiad dynasty in Cyrenaica....
. His sister was the Cyrenaean Princess Ladice
Ladice (Cyrenaean Princess)
This article is about Ladice, the Libyan Greek Cyrenaean Princess who married the Egyptian Pharaoh Amasis II. For the village in Slovakia, go to Ladice....
who married the Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
Amasis II
Amasis II
Amasis II or Ahmose II was a pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt, the successor of Apries at Sais. He was the last great ruler of Egypt before the Persian conquest.-Life:...
. Although his maternal grandparents are unknown, his paternal grandparents were the Cyrenaean Queen Eryxo
Eryxo
Eryxo was a Greek woman, who was a Queen of Cyrenaica and was a member of The Battiads dynasty, the family that ruled Cyrenaica and Cyrene...
and Cyrenaean King Arcesilaus II
Arcesilaus II of Cyrene
Arcesilaus II of Cyrene or Arcesilaus II also known as Arcesilaus II The Oppressor, The Tough, The Severe or The Harsh. Arcesilaus was the fourth Greek Cyrenaean King and was a member of the Battiad dynasty...
Persian Alliance
When his father died in 530 BC, Arcesilaus became the new king. In 525 BC, Arcesilaus made an alliance with the King Cambyses II of PersiaCambyses II of Persia
Cambyses II son of Cyrus the Great , was a king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire. Cambyses's grandfather was Cambyses I, king of Anshan. Following Cyrus the Great's conquest of the Near East and Central Asia, Cambyses II further expanded the empire into Egypt during the Late Period by defeating...
and they became friends. Cambyses had recently conquered Egypt and adding the country to his empire.
Civil Strife and Flight
Herodotus describes his character as a ‘great rumpus‘. About 518 BC, Arcesilaus could no longer accept the Cyrenaean constitution changes introduced by his late father and DemonaxDemonax (lawmaker)
Demonax was an ancient Greek lawmaker of the style of Solon and Lycurgus, known for reforming the constitution of the Cyrenaeans.-Life:Besides what is mentioned in the Histories by Herodotus, close to nothing is known about Demonax...
and demanded the restoration of his ancestral rights. He was supported by his mother. After civil struggles that followed, Arcesilaus was defeated and fled to the Greek island of Samos
Samos Island
Samos is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of Asia Minor, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a separate regional unit of the North Aegean region, and the only municipality of the regional...
, while his mother fled to the court of Greek King Euelthon in Salamis, Cyprus
Salamis, Cyprus
Salamis was an ancient Greek city-state on the east coast of Cyprus, at the mouth of the river Pedieos, 6 km north of modern Famagusta. According to tradition the founder of Salamis was Teucer, son of Telamon, who could not return home after the Trojan war because he had failed to avenge his...
seeking troops from the king, which the king refused to do.
Delphic Divination
Arcesilaus was in Samos recruiting men for his army, in return promising the men to grant them land in Cyrenaica. Once he got his army together, he travelled to the oracle at DelphiDelphi
Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis.In Greek mythology, Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god...
to consult about his future in Cyrene. The priestess stated to him, that you will have a kingship in Cyrene for eight generations under four rulers named Battus and four rulers named Arcesilaus. She advised him to have no attempt to keep power beyond that period. She also advised him to be careful how to treat the Cyrenaean citizens and if he is cruel to them, they will go against him. Arcesilaus ignored this advice from the priestess.
Restoration
Arcesilaus returned to Cyrenaica with his army and regained his power. He had driven his political opponents out of Cyrene into exile. His supporters received their land, however out of fear of a back lash (also ignoring the oracle’s advice), Arcesilaus left Cyrene and went to the Cyrenaean town of BarcaBarca
Barce was an ancient Greek colony and later Roman, Byzantine, city in North Africa. It occupied the coastal area of what is modern day Libya...
.
Assassination
While in the market place in Barca with his father-in-law, some Cyrenaean exiles recognised him. The Cyrenaean exiles went up to the two men and killed them. His father-in-law, was a LibyaLibya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n man called Alazir, who was the governor of Barca. Herodotus states that Arcesilaus was related to Alazir. Arcesilaus married his daughter (whose name is unknown) and they had a son and only child called Battus IV
Battus IV of Cyrene
Battus IV of Cyrene or Battus IV, surnamed The Handsome or The Fair was the seventh and second to last Greek Cyrenaean King of the Battiads dynasty...
. Battus IV became king in late 515 BC after Pheretima died in Egypt who ruled Cyrenaica for a while. Arcesilaus was buried near his paternal ancestors in Cyrene.
Sources
- HerodotusHerodotusHerodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
, The Histories, Book 4. - http://books.google.com/books?id=yFoGAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA476&lpg=RA1-PA476&dq=battus+i+of+cyrene&source=web&ots=t0ry2lDq05&sig=de4r9u7WwS3ocdHqMZvG-z6ZZU4
- http://www.livius.org/ct-cz/cyrenaica/cyrenaica.html
- http://www.mediterranees.net/dictionnaires/smith/cyrene.html