Battus IV of Cyrene
Encyclopedia
Battus IV of Cyrene or Battus IV, surnamed The Handsome or The Fair (Greek: Βάττος ο Καλός, flourished 6th century BC & 5th century BC) was the seventh and second to last Greek
Cyrenaean King of the Battiads dynasty
. He was the first Greek Cyrenaean King that served as a client king under Persian
rule.
and his mother was an unnamed Libyan woman, who was the daughter of Alazir, a Libya
n who served as Governor of Barca
. Herodotus states that his father and his maternal grandfather were related and his maternal grandmother is unknown. Battus’ paternal grandparents were the fifth Greek Cyrenaean King Battus III
and Greek Cyrenaean Queen Pheretima
. Battus was of Greek
and Libyan origin. His paternal aunt was Cyrenaean Princess Ladice
who married the Ancient Egypt
ian Pharaoh
Amasis II
.
. From 515 BC until 465 BC, Battus served as King of Cyrenaica. Very little is known on his reign and appeared his reign to be peaceful. During his reign, Cyrene became a wealthy town. Cyrenaica exported wheat
, barley
, olive oil
and silphium
(an unidentified plant with aromatic & medicinal properties). Battus’ wife is unknown and died in 465 BC. He was succeeded by his son Arcesilaus IV
and was buried near his paternal ancestors.
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 of the Battiads 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....
. He was the first Greek Cyrenaean King that served 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.
Ancestry
Battus was the son and only child of the fifth Greek Cyrenaean King Arcesilaus IIIArcesilaus 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 mother was an unnamed Libyan woman, who was the daughter of Alazir, a 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 who served as 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 his father and his maternal grandfather were related and his maternal grandmother is unknown. Battus’ paternal grandparents were the fifth Greek Cyrenaean King Battus III
Battus 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 Greek 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....
. Battus was 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 Libyan origin. His paternal aunt was 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:...
.
Prosperous, Peaceful Reign
Battus succeeded his paternal grandmother in late 515 BC. She had died from a dreaded skin disease in EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. From 515 BC until 465 BC, Battus served as King of Cyrenaica. Very little is known on his reign and appeared his reign to be peaceful. During his reign, Cyrene became a wealthy town. Cyrenaica exported wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
, olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
and silphium
Silphium
Silphium was a plant that was used in classical antiquity as a rich seasoning and as a medicine. It was the essential item of trade from the ancient North African city of Cyrene, and was so critical to the Cyrenian economy that most of their coins bore a picture of the plant...
(an unidentified plant with aromatic & medicinal properties). Battus’ wife is unknown and died in 465 BC. He was succeeded by his son Arcesilaus IV
Arcesilaus IV of Cyrene
Arcesilaus IV of Cyrene or Arcesilaus IV was the eighth and last Greek Cyrenaean King and last Greek Cyrenaean King to serve as a client king under Persian rule...
and was buried near his paternal ancestors.
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