Achillas
Encyclopedia
Achillas was one of the guardians of the Egyptian king Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator
, and commander of the king's troops, when Pompey
fled to Egypt in 48 BC. He was called by Julius Caesar
a man of extraordinary daring, and it was he and Lucius Septimius
who killed Pompey at the suggestion of the eunuch Pothinus
and Theodotus of Chios
.
He subsequently joined Pothinus in resisting Caesar, and having had the command of the whole army entrusted to him by Pothinus, he marched against Alexandria
with 20,000 on foot and 2,000 cavalry. Caesar, who was at Alexandria, did not have sufficient forces to oppose him, and sent ambassadors to negotiate with him. However, Achillas murdered the ambassadors to remove all hopes of reconciliation. He then marched into Alexandria and occupied most of the city. Meanwhile, Arsinoe
, the younger sister of Ptolemy
, escaped from Caesar and joined Achillas. However, in 47 BC, dissension broke out between them, so Arsinoe had Achillas put to death by Ganymedes
, a eunuch to whom she then entrusted the command of the forces.
Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator
Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator was one of the last members of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt.- Co-ruler of Egypt, inner turmoil :...
, and commander of the king's troops, when Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
fled to Egypt in 48 BC. He was called by Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
a man of extraordinary daring, and it was he and Lucius Septimius
Lucius Septimius
Lucius Septimius was an Ancient Roman soldier stationed in Egypt in the 1st century BC. He is remembered by history as one of the assassins of Pompey the Great....
who killed Pompey at the suggestion of the eunuch Pothinus
Pothinus
Pothinus , a eunuch, was regent for Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Ancient Egypt. He is most remembered for turning Ptolemy against his sister and co-ruler Cleopatra VII, thus starting a civil war, and for having Pompey decapitated and presenting the severed head to Julius...
and Theodotus of Chios
Theodotus of Chios
Theodotus of Chios was the rhetoric tutor of the young Egyptian king Ptolemy XIII.- Biography :Theodotus of Chios was a trained rhetorician and the tutor of Ptolemy XIII. He was one of the three influential men who led the guardianship for the young Egyptian king after the death of Ptolemy XII...
.
He subsequently joined Pothinus in resisting Caesar, and having had the command of the whole army entrusted to him by Pothinus, he marched against Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
with 20,000 on foot and 2,000 cavalry. Caesar, who was at Alexandria, did not have sufficient forces to oppose him, and sent ambassadors to negotiate with him. However, Achillas murdered the ambassadors to remove all hopes of reconciliation. He then marched into Alexandria and occupied most of the city. Meanwhile, Arsinoe
Arsinoe IV of Egypt
Arsinoë IV was the youngest daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes, and one of the last members of the Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Egypt...
, the younger sister of Ptolemy
Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator
Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator was one of the last members of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt.- Co-ruler of Egypt, inner turmoil :...
, escaped from Caesar and joined Achillas. However, in 47 BC, dissension broke out between them, so Arsinoe had Achillas put to death by Ganymedes
Ganymedes (eunuch)
Ganymedes was a eunuch in the court of Cleopatra VII who proved an able adversary of Julius Caesar.-Life:Ganymedes was the tutor of Cleopatra's half-sister and rival, Arsinoë. When civil war broke out between Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra, Arsinoë sided with Ptolemy, escaping the palace in...
, a eunuch to whom she then entrusted the command of the forces.
Depiction in Drama
- He takes part in The Judgment of Caesar (part of the Roma Sub RosaRoma Sub RosaRoma Sub Rosa is the title of the series of mystery novels by Steven Saylor set in, and populated by, noteworthy denizens of ancient Rome. The series is noted for its historical authenticity. The phrase "Roma Sub Rosa" means, in Latin, "Rome under the rose"...
series by Steven SaylorSteven SaylorSteven Saylor is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and Classics....
) where he kills Pompey. - He is also a character in George Friderich Handel's Giulio Cesare, with his voice for a Bass. He is involved in the historically inaccurate love triangle between Cornelia, Ptolemy, and himself and the events surrounding it. Notable performers of him include John Tomlinson, Furio Zanasi, Alan Ewing, and Tassis Christoyannis.
- He appears in "Caesar and Cleopatra" by George Bernard Shaw.