People > Meleager

Meleager

Background

Meleager (Greek: Mελέαγρος Meleagros; died 323 BC) was a Macedonian officer who served Alexander the Great with distinction. Meleager, son of Neoptolemus, is first mentioned in the war against the Getae (335 BC). At the Battle of the Granicus in the following year (334 BC), he commanded one of the divisions (ταξεις) of the phalanx, a post which he afterwards continued to hold 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, and was associated with Craterus in the task of dislodging the enemy who guarded the passes into Persia. He took 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 position, 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 as king, rather than waiting to see if the pregnant Roxana would bear a son. The Roman historian, Curtius, states that Meleager broke out into violent invectives against the ambition of Perdiccas and then abruptly quit the assembly in order to encourage the soldiery to express their opposition against Perdiccas. The Greek historian, Diodorus, states that Meleager was sent by the assembled generals to appease the clamours and discontent of the troops, but instead of doing so, he joined the mutineers.

Meleager assumed the leadership 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 favour of the claims of Arrhidaeus to the vacant throne. Meleager ordered the execution of Perdiccas, but the implementation of this instruction was nullified 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 outside the walls of the city. A reconciliation between both sides was achieved, principally thanks to 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 meantime Meleager should be associated with Perdiccas in the regency.

It was impossible that Meleager and Perdiccas should long continue on friendly terms, and Meleager proved no match for Perdiccas. Perdiccas contrived to lull his rival into a sense of security, while he made himself master of Philip Arrhidaeus. Then he struck the first blow. The whole army was assembled under the pretence of a general review. Then the king, at the instigation of Perdiccas, suddenly demanded the surrender and punishment of all the leaders of the recent disorders. The infantry were taken by surprise, with 300 of the alleged mutineers being singled out and executed. Although Meleager was not personally attacked, he fled and took refuge in a temple, where he was pursued and put to death on the orders of Perdiccas.

Macedon King List

King	Greek	Reign	Dynasty
Caranus (Karanos)	Κάρανος	808–778 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Coenus (Koinos)	Κοινός	778–750 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Tyrimmas	Τυρίμμας	750-700 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Perdiccas I	Περδίκκας Αʹ	700–678 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Argaeus I	Ἀργαῖος Αʹ	678–640 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Philip I of Macedon	Φίλιππος Αʹ	640–602 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Aeropus I	Ἀέροπος Αʹ	602–576 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Alcetas I	Ἀλκέτας Αʹ	576–547 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Amyntas I	Ἀμύντας Αʹ	547–498 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Alexander I	Ἀλέξανδρος Αʹ	498–454 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Alcetas II	Ἀλκέτας Βʹ	454–448 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Perdiccas II	Περδίκκας Βʹ	448–413 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Archelaus	ρχέλαος Αʹ	413–399 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Orestes & Aeropus II	Ὀρέστης & Ἀέροπος Βʹ	399–396 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Archelaus II	Ἀρχέλαος Βʹ	396–393 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Amyntas II	Ἀμύντας Βʹ	393 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Pausanias	Παυσανίας	393 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Amyntas III	Ἀμύντας Γʹ	393 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Argaeus II	Ἀργαῖος Βʹ	393–392 BC	Argaed Dynasty
Amyntas III	Ἀμύντας Γʹ	393 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Amyntas III	Ἀμύντας Γʹ	392–370 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Alexander II	Ἀλέξανδρος Βʹ	370–368 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Perdiccas III	Περδίκκας Γʹ	368–359 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Ptolemy of Aloros (Regent)	Πτολεμαῖος Αʹ	368–365 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Amyntas IV	Ἀμύντας Δʹ	359–356 BCE	Argaed Dynasty of Macedon">Argaed Dynasty
Philip II	Φίλιππος Βʹ	359–336 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Alexander III the Great	Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας	336–323 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Antipater	Ἀντίπατρος	334–323 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Philip III Arrhidaeus & Alexander IV	Φίλιππος Γʹ & Ἀλέξανδρος Δʹ	323–310 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Perdiccas	Περδίκκας,	323–321 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Antipater	Ἀντίπατρος,	321–319 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Polyperchon	Πολυπέρχων,	319–317 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Cassander	Κάσανδρος,	317–305 BCE	Argaed Dynasty
Cassander	Κάσανδρος,	305–297 BCE	Antipatrid Dynasty
Philip IV	Φίλιππος Δʹ	297 BCE	Antipatrid Dynasty
Alexander V & Antipater II	Αντίπατρος Β'	297–294 BCE	Antipatrid Dynasty
Demetrius I Poliorcetes	Δημήτριος ο Πολιορκητής	306–286 BCE	Antigonid Dynasty
Lysimachus & Pyrrhus of Epirus	Λυσίμαχος & Πύρρος της Ηπείρου	286–281 BCE & 286–285 BCE	Non-Dynastic Kings
Ptolemy Keraunos	Πτολεμαίος Κεραυνός	281–279 BCE	Non-Dynastic Kings
Meleager	Μελέαγρος	279 BCE	Non-Dynastic Kings
Antipater Etesias	Ἀντίπατρος Ετησίας	279 BCE	Antipatrid Dynasty
Sosthenes	Σωσθένης	279–276 BCE	Antipatrid Dynasty
Antigonus II Gonatas	Αντίγονος Β' Γονατάς	276–274 BCE	Antigonid Dynasty
Pyrrhus of Epirus	Πύρρος της Ηπείρου	274–272 BCE	Non-Dynastic Kings
Antigonus II Gonatas	Αντίγονος Β' Γονατάς	272–239 BCE	Non-Dynastic Kings
Demetrius II Aetolicus	Δημήτριος Β' Αιτωλικός	239–229 BCE	Antigonid Dynasty
Antigonus III Doson	Αντίγονος Γ'	229–221 BCE	Antigonid Dynasty
Philip V	Φίλιππος Ε'	221–179 BCE	Antigonid Dynasty
Perseus	Περσέας	179–167 BCE	Antigonid Dynasty
Andriscus	Ἀνδρίσκος	150-148 BCE	Non-Dynastic Kings

Sources

Primary Sources

Arrian, Anabasis Alexandri, i. 4, 14, 20, 24, ii. 8, iii. 11, 18, v. 12; Curtius, Historiae Alexandri Magni, iii. 24, v. 14, vii. 27; Diodorus, Bibliotheca, xvii. 57

Curtius, x. 6-9; Justin, Epitome of Pompeius Trogus, xiii. 2-4; Photius, Bibliotheca, cod. 92; Diodorus, xviii. 2

Secondary Sources

Smith, William (editor); Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, "Meleager (1)", Boston, (1867)