Meleager (general)
Encyclopedia
Meleager was a Macedon
ian officer of distinction in the service of Alexander the Great.
Meleager, son of Neoptolemus, is first mentioned in the war against the Getae
(335 BC). At the Granicus
in the following year (334 BC), he commanded one of the divisions (ταξεις) of the phalanx
, a post which he afterward held apparently throughout the campaigns in Asia. He was appointed, together with Coenus
and Ptolemy
the son of Seleucus, to command the newly-married troops which were sent home from Caria
to spend the winter in Macedon
, and rejoined Alexander at Gordium
in the following summer (333 BC).
He was present at the battles of Issus
and Gaugamela
, associated with Craterus
in the task of dislodging the enemy who guarded the passes into Persia
. He bore a part in the passage of the Hydaspes and in various other operations in India
.
Despite a long series of services, Alexander did not promote him to any higher or more confidential situation, nor does Meleager take part in any separate command of importance.
After the death of Alexander (323 BC), he was the first to propose in the council of officers, that either Arrhidaeus
or Heracles
the son of Barsine
should at once be chosen king, instead of waiting for the chance of Roxana
bearing a son
. Curtius
, on the contrary, represents him as breaking out into violent invectives against the ambition of Perdiccas
, and abruptly quitting the assembly, in order to excite the soldiery to a tumult. Diodorus
states that he was sent by the assembled generals to appease the clamors and discontent of the troops, but instead of doing so he himself joined the mutineers.
Meleager assumed the lead of the opposition to Perdiccas and his party; and placed himself at the head of the infantry, who had declared themselves (possibly at his instigation) in favor of the claims of Arrhidaeus to the vacant throne. Meleager ordered the execution of Perdiccas, but this project was disconcerted by the boldness of the regent
. The greater part of the cavalry, together with almost all the generals, sided with Perdiccas, and quitting Babylon
, established themselves in a separate camp without the walls of the city. A reconciliation was effected, principally by the intervention of Eumenes
, and it was agreed that the royal authority should be divided between Arrhidaeus and the expected son of Roxana, and that in the mean time Meleager should be associated with Perdiccas in the regency. It was impossible that these two should long continue on really friendly terms, and Meleager proved no match for Perdiccas. Perdiccas contrived to lull his rival into fancied security, while he made himself master both of Philip Arrhidaeus. He struck the first blow. The whole army was assembled under pretense of a general review and lustration, when the king, at the instigation of Perdiccas, suddenly demanded the surrender and punishment of all the leaders in the late disorders. The infantry were taken by surprise; 300 of the alleged mutineers were singled out and executed. Though Meleager himself was not personally attacked, he fled and took refuge in a temple, where he was pursued and put to death by order of Perdiccas.
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
ian officer of distinction in the service of Alexander the Great.
Meleager, son of Neoptolemus, is first mentioned in the war against the Getae
Getae
The Getae was the name given by the Greeks to several Thracian tribes that occupied the regions south of the Lower Danube, in what is today northern Bulgaria, and north of the Lower Danube, in Romania...
(335 BC). At the Granicus
Battle of the Granicus
The Battle of the Granicus River in May 334 BC was the first of three major battles fought between Alexander the Great and the Persian Empire...
in the following year (334 BC), he commanded one of the divisions (ταξεις) of the phalanx
Phalanx formation
The phalanx is a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar weapons...
, a post which he afterward held apparently throughout the campaigns in Asia. He was appointed, together with Coenus
Coenus
Coenus , a son of Polemocrates and son-in-law of Parmenion, was one of the ablest and most faithful generals of Alexander the Great in his eastern expedition...
and Ptolemy
Ptolemy (son of Seleucus)
Ptolemy ; died 333 BC) son of Seleucus from Orestis or Tymphaia, was one of the select officers called Somatophylaces, or guards of the king's person; he combined with that distinguished post the command of one of the divisions of the phalanx. Ptolemy was from an upper noble family...
the son of Seleucus, to command the newly-married troops which were sent home from Caria
Caria
Caria was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionian and Dorian Greeks colonized the west of it and joined the Carian population in forming Greek-dominated states there...
to spend the winter in Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
, and rejoined Alexander at Gordium
Gordium
Gordium was the capital city of ancient Phrygia. It was located at the site of modern Yassıhüyük, about 70–80 km southwest of Ankara , in the immediate vicinity of Polatlı district. The site was excavated by Gustav and Alfred Körte in 1900 and then by the University of Pennsylvania Museum,...
in the following summer (333 BC).
He was present at the battles of Issus
Battle of Issus
The Battle of Issus occurred in southern Anatolia, in November 333 BC. The invading troops, led by the young Alexander of Macedonia, defeated the army personally led by Darius III of Achaemenid Persia in the second great battle for primacy in Asia...
and Gaugamela
Battle of Gaugamela
The Battle of Gaugamela took place in 331 BC between Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia. The battle, which is also called the Battle of Arbela, resulted in a massive victory for the ancient Macedonians and led to the fall of the Achaemenid Empire.-Location:Darius chose a flat, open plain...
, associated with Craterus
Craterus
Craterus was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great and one of the Diadochi.He was the son of a Macedonian nobleman named Alexander from Orestis and brother of admiral Amphoterus. Craterus commanded the phalanx and all infantry on the left wing in Battle of Issus...
in the task of dislodging the enemy who guarded the passes into Persia
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...
. He bore a part in the passage of the Hydaspes and in various other operations in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Despite a long series of services, Alexander did not promote him to any higher or more confidential situation, nor does Meleager take part in any separate command of importance.
After the death of Alexander (323 BC), he was the first to propose in the council of officers, that either Arrhidaeus
Philip III of Macedon
Philip III Arrhidaeus was the king of Macedonia from after June 11, 323 BC until his death. He was a son of King Philip II of Macedonia by Philinna of Larissa, allegedly a Thessalian dancer, and a half-brother of Alexander the Great...
or Heracles
Heracles (Macedon)
Heracles of Macedon was a reputed illegitimate son of Alexander the Great of Macedon by Barsine, daughter of Satrap Artabazus of Phrygia. Heracles was named after the Greek mythological hero of the same name, from whom the Argeads claimed descent.It cannot be established definitively whether...
the son of Barsine
Barsine
Barsine was daughter of Artabazus, satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia, and wife of Mentor of Rhodes and after his death, Mentor's brother, Memnon...
should at once be chosen king, instead of waiting for the chance of Roxana
Roxana
Roxana sometimes Roxane, was a Bactrian noble and a wife of Alexander the Great. She was born earlier than the year 343 BC, though the precise date remains uncertain....
bearing a son
Alexander IV of Macedon
Alexander IV Aegus was the son of Alexander the Great and Princess Roxana of Bactria.-Birth:...
. Curtius
Quintus Curtius Rufus
Quintus Curtius Rufus was a Roman historian, writing probably during the reign of the Emperor Claudius or Vespasian. His only surviving work, Historiae Alexandri Magni, is a biography of Alexander the Great in Latin in ten books, of which the first two are lost, and the remaining eight are...
, on the contrary, represents him as breaking out into violent invectives against the ambition of Perdiccas
Perdiccas
Perdiccas was one of Alexander the Great's generals. After Alexander's death in 323 BC he became regent of all Alexander's empire.Arrian tells us he was son of Orontes, a descendant of the independent princes of the Macedonian province of Orestis...
, and abruptly quitting the assembly, in order to excite the soldiery to a tumult. Diodorus
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus 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...
states that he was sent by the assembled generals to appease the clamors and discontent of the troops, but instead of doing so he himself joined the mutineers.
Meleager assumed the lead of the opposition to Perdiccas and his party; and placed himself at the head of the infantry, who had declared themselves (possibly at his instigation) in favor of the claims of Arrhidaeus to the vacant throne. Meleager ordered the execution of Perdiccas, but this project was disconcerted by the boldness of the regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
. The greater part of the cavalry, together with almost all the generals, sided with Perdiccas, and quitting Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
, established themselves in a separate camp without the walls of the city. A reconciliation was effected, principally by the intervention of Eumenes
Eumenes
Eumenes of Cardia was a Thracian general and scholar. He participated in the wars of the Diadochi as a supporter of the Macedonian Argead royal house.-Career:...
, and it was agreed that the royal authority should be divided between Arrhidaeus and the expected son of Roxana, and that in the mean time Meleager should be associated with Perdiccas in the regency. It was impossible that these two should long continue on really friendly terms, and Meleager proved no match for Perdiccas. Perdiccas contrived to lull his rival into fancied security, while he made himself master both of Philip Arrhidaeus. He struck the first blow. The whole army was assembled under pretense of a general review and lustration, when the king, at the instigation of Perdiccas, suddenly demanded the surrender and punishment of all the leaders in the late disorders. The infantry were taken by surprise; 300 of the alleged mutineers were singled out and executed. Though Meleager himself was not personally attacked, he fled and took refuge in a temple, where he was pursued and put to death by order of Perdiccas.