Alexon
Encyclopedia
Alexon was an ancient Greek mercenary from Achaea
, who served in the Carthaginian
garrison at Lilybaeum while it was besieged by the Romans in 250 BC
, during the First Punic War
. During this siege some of the Gallic
mercenaries
engaged in the service of the Carthaginians began planning to betray the fortress into the hands of the Romans. But Alexon, who had on a former occasion saved the town of Agrigentum from a similar attempt of treacherous mercenaries, now acted in the same spirit, and gave information of the plot to the Carthaginian commander Himilco. He also assisted him in inducing the remaining mercenaries to stay faithful and resist the temptations offered by their comrades.
Achaea
Achaea is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Greece. It is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The capital is Patras. The population exceeds 300,000 since 2001.-Geography:...
, who served in the Carthaginian
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
garrison at Lilybaeum while it was besieged by the Romans in 250 BC
250 BC
Year 250 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Regulus and Longus...
, during the First Punic War
First Punic War
The First Punic War was the first of three wars fought between Ancient Carthage and the Roman Republic. For 23 years, the two powers struggled for supremacy in the western Mediterranean Sea, primarily on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and its surrounding waters but also to a lesser extent in...
. During this siege some of the Gallic
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
mercenaries
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
engaged in the service of the Carthaginians began planning to betray the fortress into the hands of the Romans. But Alexon, who had on a former occasion saved the town of Agrigentum from a similar attempt of treacherous mercenaries, now acted in the same spirit, and gave information of the plot to the Carthaginian commander Himilco. He also assisted him in inducing the remaining mercenaries to stay faithful and resist the temptations offered by their comrades.