Audoleon

Audoleon (Ancient Greek: Αὐδωλέων, romanized: Audōléōn) was king of the ancient kingdom of Paeonia from 315 until his death in 285 or 284 BC.[1] He succeeded his father, Patraus, under unknown circumstances.[2]

Audoleon
Silver tetradrachm struck during the early part of Audoleon's reign. Obv.: head of Athena with Attic helmet; rev.: horse walking right
King of Paeonia
Reign315–285/4 BC
PredecessorPatraus
SuccessorLeon
Born?
Died285/4 BC
Spouseunknown
IssueAriston
Leon
unnamed daughter
ReligionAncient Greek religion

Around 310, Audoleon asked and received help from Cassander, King of Macedonia, in defeating an invasion of the Illyrian Autariatae after they had overrun the upper Axius valley.[3] The 20,000 survivors were, along with their wives and children, settled in the border territory of Parorbelia by Cassander.[4][5]

In 306, Demetrius Poliocretes inflicted a crushing defeat on the King of Egypt, Ptolemy Soter, in a naval battle near Salamis in Cyprus.[6] Following this victory, Antigonus Monophthalmus, Demetrius' father, assumed the diadem and proclaimed himself basileus. The other Diadochi, who had thus far avoided formal royal titles, began to also style themselves as kings.[7][8] To emphasize his kingdom's independence, Audoleon also declared himself king, becoming one of the first lesser Hellenistic kings to do so.[3][9]

This change in status was reflected in his currency: earlier issues depicted the head of Athena, whilst Attic-weight tetradrachms struck later in Audoleon's reign imitated the coinage of Alexander the Great.[2] The adoption of a royal title, as well as a new coinage type, was part of a larger Hellenization process that further integrated Paeonia with the greater Greek-speaking world. This is evidenced by Audoleon's ties with other Hellenistic monarchs and cities, particularly Paeonia's traditional ally, Athens.[10]

Silver tetradrachm struck late in Audoleon's reign in imitation of Alexander III. Obv.: head of Herakles wearing lion skin; rev.: Zeus holding eagle seated facing left

In 294, Demetrius was proclaimed king by the Macedonians at Larissa following his murder of Cassander's son, Alexander V.[11] Nearby rulers, such as the Epirote king Pyrrhus and the Diadochos Lysimachus, were hostile to Demetrius' ambitions and formed a coalition against him, to which Audoleon participated.[10][12] In 287, Athens, which had been under Antigonid domination since 307, revolted and Demetrius blockaded the city from Piraeus, their principal port, in an effort to starve them into submission.[13] In the spring of 284, the city received a gift of 7,500 medimnoi of wheat from Audoleon and 15,000 medimnoi from Spartokos III, king of the Bosporan Kingdom.[lower-alpha 1][15]

A later inscription records that Audoleon was honored by the Athenians with not only citizenship for himself and his descendants, but also a golden wreath and a bronze equestrian statue in the Agora.[16] His courtier was also honored for his efforts in delivering the grain.[17] This is the last mention of Audoleon before his death in 285 or 284 BC.[10]

Audoleon had at least three children with an unknown spouse: Ariston, Leon, and a daughter. His daughter, who remains unnamed in the sources, married Pyrrhus in a bid by the Epirote king to secure the support of nearby barbarians like the Paeonians.[18]

Notes and references

Notes
  1. A medimnos of grain weighed roughly 40 kilograms. Therefore, 7,500 medimnoi weighed approximately 300,000kg. Audoleon's gift was likely then transported in at least two ships to alternative harbors far from Piraeus.[14]

References
  1. Wright, Nicholas (2012). "The Horseman and the Warrior: Paionia and Macedonia in the Fourth Century BC". The Numismatic Chronicle. 172: 1–26 – via JSTOR.
  2. Merker, Irwin (1965). "The ancient kingdom of Paionia". Balkan Studies. 6 (1): 45–47.
  3. Pavlovska, Eftimija (2008). The Coins of Paeonia: from the Numismatic Collection of NBRM (in English and Macedonian). Skopje: National Bank of The Republic of Macedonia. p. 39.
  4. Diodorus Siculus (1968). "20.19". Diodorus of Sicily in Twelve Volumes. Translated by Oldfather, Charles H. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
  5. Hammond, N.G.L.; Walbank, F.W. (1988). A History of Macedonia Volume III: 336-167 B.C. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 164. ISBN 9780198148159.
  6. Wheatley, Pat; Dunn, Charlotte (2020). Demetrius the Besieger. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 156–157.
  7. Green, Peter (1990). Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of The Hellenistic Age. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-0-520-08349-3.
  8. Justin (1853). "Book XV.2". Epitome of the Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus. Translated by Watson, John Selby. London: Henry George Bohn.
  9. Pavlovska, Eftimija (2017). "A Part of a Rare 'Paeonian' Hoard from Macedonia". Proceedings - XV. International Numismatic Congress Taormina 2015. Rome and Messina, Italy: University of Messina. pp. 517–518.
  10. Petrova, Eleonora (1991). "The Paeonian Tribes and The Paeonian Kingdom in The Second and The First Millennium B.C.". Macedoniae Acta Archaeologica (in English and Macedonian). Macedonian Archaeological Association. 12: 89.
  11. Wheatley 2020, p. 330.
  12. Adams, Winthrop Lindsay (2010). "Alexander's Successors to 221 BC". In Roisman, Joseph; Worthington, Ian (eds.). A Companion to Ancient Macedonia. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 218–219. ISBN 978-1-4051-7936-2.
  13. Wheatley 2020, p. 399-401.
  14. Oliver, G.J. (2007). War, Food, and Politics in Early Hellenistic Athens. Oxford University Press. p. 124. ISBN 9780191536229. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  15. Shear, Theodore Leslie (1978). Kallias of Sphettos and the Revolt of Athens in 286 B.C. Princeton, New Jersey: American School of Classical Studies at Athens. pp. 26–27. ISBN 9780876615171. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  16. "Citizenship for King Audoleon". IG II3 1 871. Translated by Byrne, Sean. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  17. "Honours for a courtier of King Audoleon". IG II3 1 872. Translated by Byrne, Sean. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  18. Greenwalt, William (2010). "Macedonia, Illyria and Epirus". In Roisman, Joseph; Worthington, Ian (eds.). A Companion to Ancient Macedonia. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 279–305. ISBN 978-1-4051-7936-2.
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