Arsames (satrap of Cilicia)
Arsames (Old Persian Aršāma, Greek: Ἀρσάμης) was an Achaemenid Persian satrap of Cilicia in 334/3 BC. He succeeded Mazaeus in this position. He took part in the Battle of Granicus where he fought with his cavalry on the left wing, along with Arsites and Memnon of Rhodes.[1] He was able to survive that battle and flee to the capital of Cilicia Tarsus. There he was planning a scorched-earth policy according to that of Memnon which caused the native Cilician soldiers to abandon their posts.[2] He also decided to burn Tarsus to the ground so as not to fall in the hands of Alexander but was prevented from doing so by the speedy arrival of Parmenion with the light armored units who took the city.[3][4] After that, Arsames fled to Darius who was at this time in Syria.[5] He was slain at the battle of Issus (modern-day Turkey) in 333 BC.[6][7]
He was succeeded by Balacrus, a bodyguard of Alexander the Great, who became the Hellenistic satrap of Cilica.
References
- Diodorus 17.19.4
- Curtius Rufus 3.4.3-15
- Arrian 2.4.5-6
- Curtius Rufus 3.4.14
- Arrian 2.4.6
- Arrian 2.11.8
- Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: a historical biography By Peter Green
Sources
- Heckel, Waldemar (2006). Who’s Who in the Age of Alexander the Great: Prosopography of Alexander’s Empire. Blackwell Publishing.
Rulers in the Achaemenid Empire | ||
|---|---|---|
Family tree - Achaemenid Kingdom | ||
| Kings of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire |  | |
| Satraps of Lydia | ||
| Satraps of Hellespontine Phrygia | ||
| Satraps of Cappadocia | ||
| Greek Governors of Asia Minor cities | ||
| Dynasts of Lycia | ||
| Dynasts of Caria | ||
| Kings of Macedonia | ||
| Kings of Tyre | ||
| Kings of Sidon |
| |
| Satraps of Armenia | ||
| Satraps of Egypt | ||
| Satraps of Bactria | ||
| Satraps of Media | ||
| Satraps of Cilicia | ||
| Other known satraps | ||
In most territories, Achaemenid rulers were succeeded by Hellenistic satraps and Hellenistic rulers from around 330 BC | ||