Hecatomnus was king or dynast of Caria

Caria

Caria was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionian and Dorian Greeks colonized the west of it and joined the Carian population in forming Greek-dominated states there...

 in the reign of Artaxerxes II

Artaxerxes II of Persia

Artaxerxes II Mnemon was king of Persia from 404 BC until his death. He was a son of Darius II of Persia and Parysatis.-Reign:...

 of Persia (404–358 BCE).

Biography

Hecatomnus was appointed by the 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...

 king to command the naval forces destined to take part in the war against Evagoras

Evagoras

Evagoras was the king of Salamis in Cyprus. The son of Nicocles, a previous king of Salamis, he claimed descent from Teucer, the son of Telamon and half-brother of Ajax, and his family had long been rulers of Salamis, although during his childhood Salamis came under Phoenician control, which...

 of Cyprus

Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

; but the operations of the war were at that time allowed to linger; and it appears that Hecatomnus himself shared in the spirit of disaffection towards Persia at that time so general; as when hostilities were at length resumed in earnest against Evagoras, he not only took no part in support of the Persian monarchy, but secretly supplied Evagoras with sums of money to raise mercenary troops. No notice, however, seems to have been taken of this act of treachery, a circumstance for which the disorganised state of the Persian monarchy will fully account: and Hecatomnus continued to hold possession of Caria in a state of virtual independence until his death. The date of this cannot be ascertained with certainty, but we learn from Isocrates

Isocrates

Isocrates , an ancient Greek rhetorician, was one of the ten Attic orators. In his time, he was probably the most influential rhetorician in Greece and made many contributions to rhetoric and education through his teaching and written works....

that he was still ruling in 380 BCE.

He left three sons, Mausolus

Mausolus

Mausolus was ruler of Caria . He took part in the revolt against Artaxerxes Mnemon , conquered a great part of Lycia, Ionia and several Greek islands and cooperated with the Rhodians in the Social War against Athens...

, Idrieus

Idrieus

-Biography:He was the second son of Hecatomnus, and succeeded to the throne on the death of his sister Artemisia in 351 BC.Shortly after his accession he was required by the Persian king, Artaxerxes III Ochus, to provide arms and troops for the capture of Cyprus, a request with which he readily...

 and Pixodarus

Pixodarus of Caria

Pixodarus was a prince or king of Caria.-Biography:He was the youngest of the three sons of Hecatomnus, all of whom successively held the sovereignty of their native country...

 – all of whom – in their turn, succeeded him in the sovereignty; and two daughters, Artemisia

Artemisia II of Caria

Artemisia II of Caria was a sister, the wife and the successor of the king Mausolus. She was a daughter of Hecatomnus, and after the death of her husband she reigned for two years, from 353 to 351 BC...

 and Ada

Ada of Caria

Ada of Caria was satrap of Caria in the 4th century BC.Ada was the daughter of Hecatomnus, satrap of Caria, and sister of Mausolus, Artemisia, Idrieus, and Pixodarus. She was married to her brother Idrieus, who succeeded Artemisia in 351 BC and died in 344 BC...

, who were married to their brothers Mausolus and Idrieus.

Hecatomnus was a native of Mylasa

Milas

Milas is an ancient city and the seat of the district of the same name in Muğla Province in southwestern Turkey. The city commands a region with an active economy, and the region is very rich in history and its remains, the whole territory of Milas district containing a remarkable twenty-seven...

, and made that city his capital and the seat of his government: hence we find on his coins the figure of Zeus

Zeus

In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...

 Labrandenos, represented as walking and carrying a bipennis over his shoulder, from the celebrated temple of that name near Mylasa.

In August 2010, law enforcement officials arresting individuals believed to be digging for antiquities discovered what Turkish officials believe to be the tomb of Hecatomnus. A marble sarcophagus and numerous frescoes were discovered in the tomb, although officials also believed many relics had already been taken from the tomb and sold on the black market.

External links

• Livius, Hecatomnus of Mylasa by Jona Lendering

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