Nicocles (Paphos)
Encyclopedia
Nikokles was a king
of Paphos
on the island of Cyprus
. As king, Nikokles changed the capital of Paphos, from the old one to the new one. In 321 BC he allied himself with Ptolemy I to fight against Perdiccas
and Antigonus
.
However, in 310 BC, after Ptolemy had established his power over the whole island of Cyprus, Nikokles entered into secret negotiations with Antigonus. Hereupon, the Egyptian monarch, alarmed lest the spirit of disaffection should spread to other cities, despatched two of his friends, Argaeus and Kallikrates
, to Cyprus. They surrounded the palace of Paphos with an armed force, and commanded Nikokles to put an end to his own life, an order with which, after a vain attempt at explanation, he was obliged to comply. Nikokles and his brothers hanged themselves. After her husband had killed himself, Axiothea, his wife, slew her virgin daughters to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Greeks. Then, together with her sisters-in-law, she set fire to the palace and perished in the flames.
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of Paphos
Paphos
Paphos , sometimes referred to as Pafos, is a coastal city in the southwest of Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos and New Paphos. The currently inhabited city is New Paphos. It lies on the Mediterranean coast, about west of the...
on the island 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...
. As king, Nikokles changed the capital of Paphos, from the old one to the new one. In 321 BC he allied himself with Ptolemy I to fight against Perdiccas
Perdiccas
Perdiccas was one of Alexander the Great's generals. After Alexander's death in 323 BC he became regent of all Alexander's empire.Arrian tells us he was son of Orontes, a descendant of the independent princes of the Macedonian province of Orestis...
and Antigonus
Antigonus I Monophthalmus
Antigonus I Monophthalmus , son of Philip from Elimeia, was a Macedonian nobleman, general, and satrap under Alexander the Great. During his early life he served under Philip II, and he was a major figure in the Wars of the Diadochi after Alexander's death, declaring himself king in 306 BC and...
.
However, in 310 BC, after Ptolemy had established his power over the whole island of Cyprus, Nikokles entered into secret negotiations with Antigonus. Hereupon, the Egyptian monarch, alarmed lest the spirit of disaffection should spread to other cities, despatched two of his friends, Argaeus and Kallikrates
Kallikrates
Callicrates was an ancient Greek architect active in the middle of the fifth century BCE. He and Ictinus were architects of the Parthenon . An inscription identifies him as the architect of "the Temple of Nike" in the Sanctuary of Athena Nike on the Acropolis...
, to Cyprus. They surrounded the palace of Paphos with an armed force, and commanded Nikokles to put an end to his own life, an order with which, after a vain attempt at explanation, he was obliged to comply. Nikokles and his brothers hanged themselves. After her husband had killed himself, Axiothea, his wife, slew her virgin daughters to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Greeks. Then, together with her sisters-in-law, she set fire to the palace and perished in the flames.