Clearchus of Heraclea
Encyclopedia
Clearchus was a citizen of Heraclea
on the Euxine (Black Sea
) who was recalled from exile
by the nobles
to aid them in quelling the seditious
temper and demands of the people. According to Justin
, he made an agreement with Mithridates of Cius to betray the city to him on condition, of holding it under him as governor. But, perceiving apparently that he might make himself master of it without the aid of Mithridates, he not only broke his agreement with the latter, but seized his person, and compelled him to pay a large sum for his release. Having deserted the oligarchical side, he came forward as the man of the people, obtained from them the command of a body of mercenaries, and, having got rid of the nobles by murder and banishment, raised himself to the tyranny
. He used his power as badly, and with as much cruelty as he had gained it, while, with the very frenzy of arrogance, he assumed publicly the attributes of Zeus
, and gave the name of Keraunos (i.e. "thunderer") to one of his sons. He lived in constant fear of assassination, against which he guarded in the strictest way. But, in spite of his precautions, he was murdered by Chion
and Leon in 353 BC, after a reign of twelve years. He is said to have been a pupil both of Plato
and of Isocrates
, the latter of whom asserts that, while he was with him, he was one of the gentlest and most benevolent of men.
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Heraclea Pontica
Heraclea Pontica , an ancient city on the coast of Bithynia in Asia Minor, at the mouth of the river Lycus. It was founded by the Greek city-state of Megara c.560-558 and was named after Heracles who the Greeks believed entered the underworld at a cave on the adjoining Archerusian promontory .The...
on the Euxine (Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
) who was recalled from exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
by the nobles
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
to aid them in quelling the seditious
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
temper and demands of the people. According to Justin
Junianus Justinus
Justin was a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire. His name is mentioned only in the title of his own history, and there it is in the genitive, which would be M. Juniani Justini no matter which nomen he bore.Of his personal history nothing is known...
, he made an agreement with Mithridates of Cius to betray the city to him on condition, of holding it under him as governor. But, perceiving apparently that he might make himself master of it without the aid of Mithridates, he not only broke his agreement with the latter, but seized his person, and compelled him to pay a large sum for his release. Having deserted the oligarchical side, he came forward as the man of the people, obtained from them the command of a body of mercenaries, and, having got rid of the nobles by murder and banishment, raised himself to the tyranny
Tyrant
A tyrant was originally one who illegally seized and controlled a governmental power in a polis. Tyrants were a group of individuals who took over many Greek poleis during the uprising of the middle classes in the sixth and seventh centuries BC, ousting the aristocratic governments.Plato and...
. He used his power as badly, and with as much cruelty as he had gained it, while, with the very frenzy of arrogance, he assumed publicly the attributes of Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
, and gave the name of Keraunos (i.e. "thunderer") to one of his sons. He lived in constant fear of assassination, against which he guarded in the strictest way. But, in spite of his precautions, he was murdered by Chion
Chion of Heraclea
Chion was the son of Matris, a noble citizen of Heraclea, on the Pontus and was a disciple of Plato. Together with Leon, Euxenon, and other young men from noble families, he helped assassinate Clearchus, the tyrant of Heraclea . Most of the conspirators were killed by the tyrant's body guards,...
and Leon in 353 BC, after a reign of twelve years. He is said to have been a pupil both of Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
and of 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....
, the latter of whom asserts that, while he was with him, he was one of the gentlest and most benevolent of men.
Note
- Diodorus SiculusDiodorus SiculusDiodorus Siculus was a Greek historian who flourished between 60 and 30 BC. According to Diodorus' own work, he was born at Agyrium in Sicily . With one exception, antiquity affords no further information about Diodorus' life and doings beyond what is to be found in his own work, Bibliotheca...
, Bibliotheca, xv. 81, xvi. 36; - JustinJustinJustin is a given name. It may refer to:People* Justin , a common given name* Justin , 3rd century Roman historian* Justin I , or Flavius Iustinius Augustus, an Eastern Roman Emperor who ruled from 518 to 527...
, Epitome of Pompeius Trogus, 4-5; - PolyaenusPolyaenusPolyaenus or Polyenus vs. e]]; , "many proverbs") was a 2nd century Macedonian author, known best for his Stratagems in War , which has been preserved. The Suda calls him a rhetorician, and Polyaenus himself writes that he was accustomed to plead causes before the emperor...
, Stratagemata, ii. 30; - Photius, Bibliotheca, summarizing Memnon of HeracleaMemnon of HeracleaMemnon of Heraclea was a Greek historical writer, probably a native of Heraclea Pontica. He described the history of that city in a large work, known only through the Excerpta of Photius , and describing especially the various tyrants who had at times ruled Heraclea.Memnon's history encompassed...
, History of Heracleia, 1; - PlutarchPlutarchPlutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
, MoraliaMoraliaThe Moralia of the 1st-century Greek scholar Plutarch of Chaeronea is an eclectic collection of 78 essays and transcribed speeches. They give an insight into Roman and Greek life, but often are also fascinating timeless observations in their own right...
, "On the Fortune or the Virtue of Alexander", ii. 5, "A Discourse to an Unlearned Prince", 4 (38 MB PDF); - AthenaeusAthenaeusAthenaeus , of Naucratis in Egypt, Greek rhetorician and grammarian, flourished about the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd century AD...
, DeipnosophistaeDeipnosophistaeThe Deipnosophistae may be translated as The Banquet of the Learned or Philosophers at Dinner or The Gastronomers...
, iii. 29; - Isocrates, To Timotheus;
- SudaSudaThe Suda or Souda is a massive 10th century Byzantine encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Suidas. It is an encyclopedic lexicon, written in Greek, with 30,000 entries, many drawing from ancient sources that have since been lost, and often...
, s.v. "Klearchos"; - AelianClaudius AelianusClaudius Aelianus , often seen as just Aelian, born at Praeneste, was a Roman author and teacher of rhetoric who flourished under Septimius Severus and probably outlived Elagabalus, who died in 222...
, Varia Historia, ix. 13
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