Onesilus
Encyclopedia
Onesilus (Greek
: Ονήσιλος) (died 497 BC) was the brother of king Gorgos (Gorgus) of the Greek
city-state of Salamis
on the island of Cyprus
.
Cyprus was a part of the Persian Empire
but when the Ionians rebelled from Persian rule
, Onesilos used the occasion to capture the city of Salamis and usurp his brother’s throne; he was able to win every city on the island except for the Graeco-Phoenician city-state of Amathus
, which stayed loyal to the Persians.
In 497 BC, the Persians, with the help of the Phoenicia
n navy, mounted an attack on Cyprus. Some of the Ionian colonies sent ships to assist Onesilos. In the ensuing battle, the Ionian fleet was able to defeat the Phoenician navy. Onesilos then led an army against the Persian general, Artybius. While Artybius was killed, the Persians won the battle during which Onesilos was killed. As a result, the Ionian fleet retreated from Cyprus and five months later, the Persians regain control of Cyprus. Onesilos’ brother, Gorgus Chersides, was then reinstated by the Persians as king of Salamis.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Ονήσιλος) (died 497 BC) was the brother of king Gorgos (Gorgus) of the Greek
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...
city-state of Salamis
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...
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...
.
Cyprus was a part of the Persian Empire
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...
but when the Ionians rebelled from Persian rule
Ionian Revolt
The Ionian Revolt, and associated revolts in Aeolis, Doris, Cyprus and Caria, were military rebellions by several regions of Asia Minor against Persian rule, lasting from 499 BC to 493 BC...
, Onesilos used the occasion to capture the city of Salamis and usurp his brother’s throne; he was able to win every city on the island except for the Graeco-Phoenician city-state of Amathus
Amathus
Amathus was one of the most ancient royal cities of Cyprus, on the southern coast in front of Agios Tychonas, about 24 miles west of Larnaca and 6 miles east of Limassol...
, which stayed loyal to the Persians.
In 497 BC, the Persians, with the help of the Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n navy, mounted an attack on Cyprus. Some of the Ionian colonies sent ships to assist Onesilos. In the ensuing battle, the Ionian fleet was able to defeat the Phoenician navy. Onesilos then led an army against the Persian general, Artybius. While Artybius was killed, the Persians won the battle during which Onesilos was killed. As a result, the Ionian fleet retreated from Cyprus and five months later, the Persians regain control of Cyprus. Onesilos’ brother, Gorgus Chersides, was then reinstated by the Persians as king of Salamis.