Arcesilaus IV of Cyrene
Encyclopedia
Arcesilaus IV of Cyrene or Arcesilaus IV (Greek:ο Αρκεσίλαος, flourished 5th century BC) was the eighth and last Greek
Cyrenaean King and last Greek Cyrenaean King to serve as a client king under Persian
rule. He was a member of the Battiad dynasty
and is of Greek
and Libya
n origin.
and his mother is unknown. His maternal grandparents are unknown, however his paternal grandparents were sixth Greek Cyrenaean King Arcesilaus III
and his paternal grandmother is an unnamed Libyan woman, who was the daughter of a Libyan called Alazir, who served as the governor of Barca
. Herodotus states that Arcesilaus III and Alazir were related to each other.
at Delphi
. Arcesilaus actually breed horses which were the native horse
s of Libya. The Libyan Horse is one of the few natural breeds of the world, which were descendant from the original wild horses of central Asia
. Among the descendants of the original wild horses of central Asia
are the Spanish horse and the Arabian horse
. The Libyan horses are mentioned by the Greek historians Herodotus
and Xenophon
in their writings. Various cultures throughout history have breed and used the Libyan horse.
His victory in 462 BC, was celebrated by Greek poet Pindar
in the Fourth Ode and Fifth Ode of the Pythian Ode
. Pindar advises Arcesilaus in his ode to reconcile with his opponents and stresses the rightfulness of his rule because it has been eight generations of his ancestry rule in Cyrenaica.
) with his son and only child, the last Cyrenaean prince Battus V of Cyrene or Battus V. His wife is unknown. Arcesilaus along with his son were killed by the Cyrenaean citizens in 440 BC. After Battus was killed, the Cyrenaeans cut off his head and threw his head into the sea. It is unknown whether, if Arcesilaus was buried near paternal ancestors. Battus’ beheading was a significant moment for Cyrenaica, as it was the end of The Battiads ruling Cyrenaica. The citizens proclaimed Cyrenaica a democratic republic under Persian rule.
, of the Ptolemaic dynasty
, claims his paternal descent from this dynasty.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
Cyrenaean King and last Greek Cyrenaean King to serve as a client king under Persian
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
rule. He was a member of the Battiad dynasty
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....
and is of Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
and Libya
Libya
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 origin.
Ancestry
Arcesilaus was the son and only child of the seventh Greek Cyrenaean King Battus IVBattus 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...
and his mother is unknown. His maternal grandparents are unknown, however his paternal grandparents were sixth Greek Cyrenaean King Arcesilaus III
Arcesilaus III of Cyrene
Arcesilaus III of Cyrene or Arcesilaus III was the sixth Greek Cyrenaean King and was a member of the Battiad dynasty.-Ancestry:...
and his paternal grandmother is an unnamed Libyan woman, who was the daughter of a Libyan called Alazir, who served as the governor of Barca
Barca
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...
. Herodotus states that Arcesilaus III and Alazir were related to each other.
Racing
When his father died in 465 BC Arcesilaus became the new king. Arcesilaus became a celebrity of his age. He became famous in his era because in 462 BC, Arcesilaus won a chariot race at the Pythian GamesPythian Games
The Pythian Games were one of the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece, a forerunner of the modern Olympic Games, held every four years at the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi....
at Delphi
Delphi
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...
. Arcesilaus actually breed horses which were the native horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s of Libya. The Libyan Horse is one of the few natural breeds of the world, which were descendant from the original wild horses of central Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Among the descendants of the original wild horses of central Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
are the Spanish horse and the Arabian horse
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
. The Libyan horses are mentioned by the Greek historians Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus 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...
and Xenophon
Xenophon
Xenophon , son of Gryllus, of the deme Erchia of Athens, also known as Xenophon of Athens, was a Greek historian, soldier, mercenary, philosopher and a contemporary and admirer of Socrates...
in their writings. Various cultures throughout history have breed and used the Libyan horse.
His victory in 462 BC, was celebrated by Greek poet Pindar
Pindar
Pindar , was an Ancient Greek lyric poet. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian described him as "by far the greatest of the nine lyric poets, in virtue of his inspired magnificence, the beauty of his thoughts and figures, the rich...
in the Fourth Ode and Fifth Ode of the Pythian Ode
Ode
Ode is a type of lyrical verse. A classic ode is structured in three major parts: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode. Different forms such as the homostrophic ode and the irregular ode also exist...
. Pindar advises Arcesilaus in his ode to reconcile with his opponents and stresses the rightfulness of his rule because it has been eight generations of his ancestry rule in Cyrenaica.
Harsh Rule
In his reign, he became more of a tyrant than a king. Arcesilaus actually exiled many Cyrenaean nobles. He supported himself by having a mercenary army. Through his tyranny, Arcesilaus destroyed his dynasty. The Cyrenaeans having enough of the Battiads dynasty, began to rebel.Overthrow and Death
The citizens rebelled that successfully that Arcesilaus left Cyrene and fled for Euesperides (modern BenghaziBenghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
) with his son and only child, the last Cyrenaean prince Battus V of Cyrene or Battus V. His wife is unknown. Arcesilaus along with his son were killed by the Cyrenaean citizens in 440 BC. After Battus was killed, the Cyrenaeans cut off his head and threw his head into the sea. It is unknown whether, if Arcesilaus was buried near paternal ancestors. Battus’ beheading was a significant moment for Cyrenaica, as it was the end of The Battiads ruling Cyrenaica. The citizens proclaimed Cyrenaica a democratic republic under Persian rule.
Famous Descendant
The Greek poet and Librarian CallimachusCallimachus
Callimachus was a native of the Greek colony of Cyrene, Libya. He was a noted poet, critic and scholar at the Library of Alexandria and enjoyed the patronage of the Egyptian–Greek Pharaohs Ptolemy II Philadelphus and Ptolemy III Euergetes...
, of the Ptolemaic dynasty
Ptolemaic dynasty
The Ptolemaic dynasty, was a Macedonian Greek royal family which ruled the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC...
, claims his paternal descent from this dynasty.
Sources
- Herodotus, The Histories, Book 4
- Burn, A R. The Penguin History Greece, Penguin Books, Clay Ltd, St Ives P/C, England, 1990.
- Pindar's odes to Arcesilaus
- Smith dictionary
- http://www.livius.org/ct-cz/cyrenaica/cyrenaica.html
- http://www.mediterranees.net/dictionnaires/smith/cyrene.html
- http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/762227