Peithon, son of Agenor
Encyclopedia
Peithon, son of Agenor was an officer in the expedition of Alexander the Great to India
, who became satrap of the Indus from 325 to 316 BCE, and then satrap of Babylon, from 316 to 312 BCE, until he died at the Battle of Gaza
in 312 BCE.
battalion in January 325 in the Mallian Campaign
(Indian Mâlava) in the southern Punjab.
After these deeds, Alexander named him viceroy of the Indus area, around 325 BCE, to the east of the territory held in the Paropamisadae
by the satrap Oxyartes
and to the south of the territories where Philip, son of Machatas was satrap:
Later, Peithon managed putting down the revolt of king Musicanus
(Indian: Mûshika) at the head of the Indus:
Peithon was confirmed in his position at the Partition of Babylon
following the death of Alexander in 323 BCE:
According to the text of the Partition of Triparadisus
in 321 BCE, Peithon was again confirmed in his dominion over the area beyond the Hindu-Kush:
According to other sources, he was also at one point satrap of the Punjab.
In 317 BCE, another Peithon
, the satrap of Media
, tried to control the eastern rulers of the Empire. Macedonians troops from India were sent west to combat him, weakening the Greek positions in India. Peithon, son of Agenor, left India in 316 BCE for Babylon (Diod. XIX, 56, 4).
About that time, Chandragupta Maurya
began reconquering the northwestern territories held by the Greeks.
by Antigonus Monophthalmus, and participated on his side in his fight against Cassander
and Ptolemy
in 314 BCE. Peithon was together with Nearchus
, a former admiral of Alexander, assisting Demetrius, the son of Antigonus. At the Battle of Gaza in autumn 312 BCE, the Egyptian side under Ptolemy won, and Peithon was killed in action.
It is unknown what happened in India right after his departure, but ancient sources reported that the prefects of Greek territories were assassinated in the Indian uprisings led by Chandragupta Maurya
:
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...
, who became satrap of the Indus from 325 to 316 BCE, and then satrap of Babylon, from 316 to 312 BCE, until he died at the Battle of Gaza
Battle of Gaza (312 BC)
The Battle of Gaza was a battle of the Third war of the Diadochi between Ptolemy and Demetrius .Ptolemy launched an invasion of Syria...
in 312 BCE.
Officer
Peithon was very successful in his Indian campaigns, first mentioned as the commander of a phalanxPhalanx formation
The phalanx is a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar weapons...
battalion in January 325 in the Mallian Campaign
Mallian Campaign
The Mallian Campaign was conducted by Alexander the Great from November 326 to February 325 BC, against the Malli of the eastern Punjab. Alexander was defining the eastern limit of his power by marching down-river along the Hydaspes to the Acesines , but the Malli and the Oxydraci combined to...
(Indian Mâlava) in the southern Punjab.
Satrap of the Indus (325-316 BCE)
Paropamisadae
Paropamisadae or Paropamisus was the ancient Greek name for a region of the Hindu-Kush in eastern Afghanistan, centered on the cities of Kabul and Kapisa .-History of Paropamisadae:...
by the satrap Oxyartes
Oxyartes
Oxyartes was a Bactrian, father of Roxana, the wife of Alexander of Macedon. He is first mentioned as one of the chiefs who accompanied Bessus on his retreat across the Oxus river into Sogdiana...
and to the south of the territories where Philip, son of Machatas was satrap:
- "He (Alexander) appointed Peithon viceroy of the land extending from the confluence of the Indus and Acesines as far as the sea, together with all the coast-land of India" Arrian Anabasis Book 6b
Later, Peithon managed putting down the revolt of king Musicanus
Musicanus
Musicanus was an Indian king at the head of the Indus, who raised a rebellion against Alexander the Great around 323 BCE. Peithon, one of Alexander's generals, managed to put down the revolt:...
(Indian: Mûshika) at the head of the Indus:
- "Meantime he was informed that Musicanus had revolted. He dispatched the viceroy, Peithon, son of Agenor, with a sufficient army against him, while he himself marched against the cities which had been put under the rule of Musicanus. Some of these he razed to the ground, reducing the inhabitants to slavery; and into others he introduced garrisons and fortified the citadels. After accomplishing this, he returned to the camp and fleet. By this time Musicanus had been captured by Peithon, who was bringing him to Alexander." Arrian Anabasis Book 6b
Peithon was confirmed in his position at the Partition of Babylon
Partition of Babylon
The Partition of Babylon designates the attribution of the territories of Alexander the Great between his generals after his death in 323 BC.-Background:...
following the death of Alexander in 323 BCE:
- "To the colonies settled in India, Python, the son of Agenor, was sent." Justin XIII.4
According to the text of the Partition of Triparadisus
Partition of Triparadisus
The Partition of Triparadisus was a power-sharing agreement passed at Triparadisus in 321 BCE between the generals of Alexander the Great, in which they named a new regent and established the repartition of their satrapies...
in 321 BCE, Peithon was again confirmed in his dominion over the area beyond the Hindu-Kush:
- "The country of the ParapamisiansParopamisadaeParopamisadae or Paropamisus was the ancient Greek name for a region of the Hindu-Kush in eastern Afghanistan, centered on the cities of Kabul and Kapisa .-History of Paropamisadae:...
was bestowed upon OxyartesOxyartesOxyartes was a Bactrian, father of Roxana, the wife of Alexander of Macedon. He is first mentioned as one of the chiefs who accompanied Bessus on his retreat across the Oxus river into Sogdiana...
, the father of RoxaneRoxaneRoxane may be:* An alternative spelling for the female given name Roxanne; from the Persian Roshanak* Roxane, a brand name of the drug roxatidine* 317 Roxane, an asteroid* Roxana, wife of Alexander the Great...
; and the skirts of India adjacent to Mount ParapamisusParopamisadaeParopamisadae or Paropamisus was the ancient Greek name for a region of the Hindu-Kush in eastern Afghanistan, centered on the cities of Kabul and Kapisa .-History of Paropamisadae:...
, on Peithon the son of Agenor. As to the countries beyond that, those on the river Indus, with the city PatalaPatalaPatala is a town and a nagar panchayat in Ghaziabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Demographics: India census, Patala had a population of 9730. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Patala has an average literacy rate of 61%, higher than the national average of...
(the capital of that part of India) were assigned to Porus. Those upon the Hydaspes, to TaxilesTaxilesTaksxila was the Greek chroniclers' name for a prince or king who reigned over the tract between the Indus and the Hydaspes Rivers in the Punjab at the period of the expedition of Alexander the Great, 327 BC...
the Indian." Arrian "Anabasis, the Events after Alexander"
According to other sources, he was also at one point satrap of the Punjab.
In 317 BCE, another Peithon
Peithon
Peithon or Pithon was the son of Crateuas, a nobleman from Eordaia in western Macedonia. One of the bodyguards of Alexander the Great, later satrap of Media and one of the diadochi....
, the satrap of Media
Medes
The MedesThe Medes...
, tried to control the eastern rulers of the Empire. Macedonians troops from India were sent west to combat him, weakening the Greek positions in India. Peithon, son of Agenor, left India in 316 BCE for Babylon (Diod. XIX, 56, 4).
About that time, Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya , was the founder of the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta succeeded in conquering most of the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta is considered the first unifier of India and its first genuine emperor...
began reconquering the northwestern territories held by the Greeks.
Satrap of Babylon (315-312 BCE)
In 315 BCE, Peithon, son of Agenor, was named satrap of BabyloniaBabylonia
Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...
by Antigonus Monophthalmus, and participated on his side in his fight against Cassander
Cassander
Cassander , King of Macedonia , was a son of Antipater, and founder of the Antipatrid dynasty...
and Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
in 314 BCE. Peithon was together with Nearchus
Nearchus
Nearchus was one of the officers, a navarch, in the army of Alexander the Great. His celebrated voyage from India to Susa after Alexander's expedition in India is preserved in Arrian's account, the Indica....
, a former admiral of Alexander, assisting Demetrius, the son of Antigonus. At the Battle of Gaza in autumn 312 BCE, the Egyptian side under Ptolemy won, and Peithon was killed in action.
It is unknown what happened in India right after his departure, but ancient sources reported that the prefects of Greek territories were assassinated in the Indian uprisings led by Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya , was the founder of the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta succeeded in conquering most of the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta is considered the first unifier of India and its first genuine emperor...
:
- "India, after the death of Alexander, had assassinated his prefects, as if shaking the burden of servitude. The author of this liberation was Sandracottos (Chandragupta), but he had transformed liberation in servitude after victory, since, after taking the throne, he himself oppressed the very people he has liberated from foreign domination" Justin XV.4.12-13