Nicocles (Salamis)
Encyclopedia
Nicocles was an Ancient Greek
Cypriot
king
of Salamis, Cyprus
. He became 374/3 BC successor of his (thought) father Evagoras I
. Nicocles continued the philhellenic
politics of his father. Nicocles died probably together with Straton of Sidon during the revolt of satraps (362 to 360 v. Chr.). He was followed as the king by his son Evagoras II.
Some authors have supposed that he had participated in the conspiracy to which his father Evagoras fell a victim; but there is no authority for this supposition, which has indeed been adopted only by way of explaining the strange error into which Diodorus has fallen, who represents Nicocles himself as the eunuch by whom Evagoras was assassinated .
Scarcely any particulars are known of the reign of Nicocles, but it appears to have been one of peace and prosperity. If we may trust the statement of his panegyrist Isocrates
(who addressed to him two of his orations, and has made him the subject of another), he raised the cities under his rule to the most flourishing condition, replenished the treasury, which had been exhausted by his father's wars, without oppressing his subjects by exorbitant taxes, and exhibited in all respects the model of a mild and equitable ruler . The same author extols him also for his attachment to literature and philosophy , of which he afforded an additional proof by rewarding Isocrates himself for his panegyric with the magnificent present of twenty talents (Vit. X. Orat. p. 838, a.). The orator also praises him for the purity of his domestic relations; but we learn from Theopompus
and Anaximenes of Lampsacus
(ap. Athen. xii. p. 531), that he was a person of luxurious habits, and used to vie with Straton, king of Sidon, in the splendour and refinement of his feasts and other sensual indulgences. According to the same authorities he ultimately perished by a violent death, but neither the period nor circumstances of this event are recorded.
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...
Cypriot
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...
king
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 Salamis, Cyprus
Salamis, Cyprus
Salamis was an ancient Greek city-state on the east coast of Cyprus, at the mouth of the river Pedieos, 6 km north of modern Famagusta. According to tradition the founder of Salamis was Teucer, son of Telamon, who could not return home after the Trojan war because he had failed to avenge his...
. He became 374/3 BC successor of his (thought) father Evagoras I
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...
. Nicocles continued the philhellenic
Philhellenism
Philhellenism was an intellectual fashion prominent at the turn of the 19th century, that led Europeans like Lord Byron or Charles Nicolas Fabvier to advocate for Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire...
politics of his father. Nicocles died probably together with Straton of Sidon during the revolt of satraps (362 to 360 v. Chr.). He was followed as the king by his son Evagoras II.
Some authors have supposed that he had participated in the conspiracy to which his father Evagoras fell a victim; but there is no authority for this supposition, which has indeed been adopted only by way of explaining the strange error into which Diodorus has fallen, who represents Nicocles himself as the eunuch by whom Evagoras was assassinated .
Scarcely any particulars are known of the reign of Nicocles, but it appears to have been one of peace and prosperity. If we may trust the statement of his panegyrist 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....
(who addressed to him two of his orations, and has made him the subject of another), he raised the cities under his rule to the most flourishing condition, replenished the treasury, which had been exhausted by his father's wars, without oppressing his subjects by exorbitant taxes, and exhibited in all respects the model of a mild and equitable ruler . The same author extols him also for his attachment to literature and philosophy , of which he afforded an additional proof by rewarding Isocrates himself for his panegyric with the magnificent present of twenty talents (Vit. X. Orat. p. 838, a.). The orator also praises him for the purity of his domestic relations; but we learn from Theopompus
Theopompus
Theopompus was a Greek historian and rhetorician- Biography :Theopompus was born on Chios. In early youth he seems to have spent some time at Athens, along with his father, who had been exiled on account of his Laconian sympathies...
and Anaximenes of Lampsacus
Anaximenes of Lampsacus
Anaximenes of Lampsacus was a Greek rhetorician and historian.-Rhetorical works:Anaximenes was a pupil of Zoilus and, like his teacher, wrote a work on Homer. As a rhetorician, he was a determined opponent of Isocrates and his school...
(ap. Athen. xii. p. 531), that he was a person of luxurious habits, and used to vie with Straton, king of Sidon, in the splendour and refinement of his feasts and other sensual indulgences. According to the same authorities he ultimately perished by a violent death, but neither the period nor circumstances of this event are recorded.