Battus III of Cyrene
Encyclopedia
Battus III of Cyrene or Battus III, surnamed The Lame (Greek:Βάττος ο Χωλός, flourished 6th century BC) was the fifth Greek Cyrenaean
king and a member of the Battiad dynasty
.
Battus was the son and only child of Cyrenaean King Arcesilaus II
and Cyrenaean Queen Eryxo
. His paternal grandfather was the third Cyrenaean King Battus II
, while is paternal grandmother is unknown. His maternal grandmother was the Cyrenaean Princess Critola
, while is maternal grandfather was a Cyrenaean noble whose name is unknown and was murdered by Learchus
(a rival to Arcesilaus II
) in 550 BC. Battus II and Critola were siblings and were children to the second Cyrenaean King Arcesilaus I
. Their paternal grandfather was the first Cyrenaean King Battus I
.
Battus received the surname The Lame because when he was born with a limp to his leg. Battus was proclaimed King in 550 BC by his maternal uncle Polyarchus, when his uncle and his mother Eryxo had successfully plotted to kill Learchus, who murdered Arcesilaus II and attempted to become Cyrenaean King.
During his reign, Battus realised that Cyrenaica had become an unstable state, from the unstable relations with the Libya
ns, Egyptian Pharaoh Amasis II
and the attempted dethroning of his late father and himself from Learchus. He visited the Oracle at Delphi
for advice and consulted the priestess, on what he could do about Cyrenaica. The priestess advised Battus to go and visit Mantineia
Arcadia
and ask for a man called Demonax
, who could assist him to reform the Cyrenaean constitution. Demonax was held in high regard by the Mantineians and held a high position there.
Battus returned to Cyrene with Demonax to assist him in reforming the constitution. Demonax reformed the Cyrenaean constitution and did the following. He divided Cyrenaica into three groups:
Demonax created a Senate which controlled Cyrenaica. The senate's members were representatives from the three groups and the king was the senatorial president. The new constitution, had reduced the powers, responsibilities and authority of the Cyrenaean King. The monarchy remained however, the king was only responsible and had the authority for to grant land to citizens and be a priest and to be in charge of religious duties. Demonax
who put in place Ephor
s to punish impostors and created a strong 300 armed police force patrolling and protecting Cyrenaica.
To further protect Cyrenaica from the Libyans and their aristocracy, Battus made an alliance with the Egyptian Pharaoh Amasis II
. As a sign of gratitude, Battus allowed Amasis to marry a Greek woman from Cyrenaica. Amasis chose Battus' daughter, Ladice
to marry and they married after 548 BC.
Battus reigned until his death in 530 BC, and was buried near his paternal ancestors. He was survived by his wife, Cyrenaean Queen Pheretima
, their son Arcesilaus III
and their daughter Ladice
. He was succeeded by Arcesilaus III.
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
king and 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....
.
Battus was the son and only child of 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...
and 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...
. His paternal grandfather was the third Cyrenaean King Battus II
Battus II of Cyrene
Battus II of Cyrene, sometimes called Eudaimon or the Latin equivalent Felix, was the third Greek king Cyrenaica and Cyrene and a member of the Battiad dynasty.-Ancestry:...
, while is paternal grandmother is unknown. His maternal grandmother was the Cyrenaean Princess Critola
Critola
Critola was a Libyan Greek Princess of Cyrenaica and its capital Cyrene and was a member The Battiads dynasty. She was the daughter of Arcesilaus I the second king of Cyrenaica, while her mother is unknown. Her paternal grandfather was the first King Battus I and her brother Battus II would be...
, while is maternal grandfather was a Cyrenaean noble whose name is unknown and was murdered by Learchus
Learchus (regicide)
Learchus was an adviser in the government of the Kingdom of Cyrenaica during the reign of king Arcesilaus II. Learchus is best known for perpetrating the murder of this very same Arcesilaus II.-Early life:...
(a rival to 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...
) in 550 BC. Battus II and Critola were siblings and were children to the second Cyrenaean King Arcesilaus I
Arcesilaus I of Cyrene
Arcesilaus I or Arcesilaus I of Cyrene was the second Greek king of Cyrenaica and the second king of the Battiad dynasty.-Ancestry:...
. Their paternal grandfather was the first Cyrenaean King Battus I
Battus I of Cyrene
Battus I of Cyrene was the founder of the Greek colony of Cyrenaica and its capital, Cyrene. He was the first king of Cyrenaica, the first Greek king in Africa, and the founder of the Battiad dynasty.-Background:...
.
Battus received the surname The Lame because when he was born with a limp to his leg. Battus was proclaimed King in 550 BC by his maternal uncle Polyarchus, when his uncle and his mother Eryxo had successfully plotted to kill Learchus, who murdered Arcesilaus II and attempted to become Cyrenaean King.
During his reign, Battus realised that Cyrenaica had become an unstable state, from the unstable relations with the 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....
ns, Egyptian Pharaoh 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:...
and the attempted dethroning of his late father and himself from Learchus. He visited the Oracle 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...
for advice and consulted the priestess, on what he could do about Cyrenaica. The priestess advised Battus to go and visit Mantineia
Mantineia
Mantineia was a city in ancient Greece that was the site of two significant battles in Classical Greek history. It is also a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Tripoli, of which it is a municipal unit. Its seat...
Arcadia
Arcadia
Arcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan...
and ask for a man called Demonax
Demonax (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...
, who could assist him to reform the Cyrenaean constitution. Demonax was held in high regard by the Mantineians and held a high position there.
Battus returned to Cyrene with Demonax to assist him in reforming the constitution. Demonax reformed the Cyrenaean constitution and did the following. He divided Cyrenaica into three groups:
- Greeks from Thera (modern SantoriniSantoriniSantorini , officially Thira , is an island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera...
) - Greeks from the PeloponnesePeloponneseThe Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
and CreteCreteCrete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits... - Greeks from the other Aegean IslandsAegean IslandsThe Aegean Islands are the group of islands in the Aegean Sea, with mainland Greece to the west and north and Turkey to the east; the island of Crete delimits the sea to the south, those of Rhodes, Karpathos and Kasos to the southeast...
Demonax created a Senate which controlled Cyrenaica. The senate's members were representatives from the three groups and the king was the senatorial president. The new constitution, had reduced the powers, responsibilities and authority of the Cyrenaean King. The monarchy remained however, the king was only responsible and had the authority for to grant land to citizens and be a priest and to be in charge of religious duties. Demonax
Demonax (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...
who put in place Ephor
Ephor
An ephor was the leader of ancient Sparta and shared power with the Spartan king...
s to punish impostors and created a strong 300 armed police force patrolling and protecting Cyrenaica.
To further protect Cyrenaica from the Libyans and their aristocracy, Battus made an alliance with the Egyptian Pharaoh 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:...
. As a sign of gratitude, Battus allowed Amasis to marry a Greek woman from Cyrenaica. Amasis chose Battus' daughter, 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....
to marry and they married after 548 BC.
Battus reigned until his death in 530 BC, and was buried near his paternal ancestors. He was survived by his wife, 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....
, their son 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 their daughter 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....
. He was succeeded by Arcesilaus III.
Sources
- Herodotus, 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