Halcyoneus
DynastyAntigonid
FatherAntigonus II Gonatas

Halcyoneus or Alcyoneus (Greek: Ἀλκυονεύς, Alkyoneús; fl. 3rd century BC) was, as a son of Antigonus II Gonatas, king of Macedonia, a Macedonian prince of the Antigonid dynasty. He participated, with his father and Macedon's Spartan allies, in the fight against Pyrrhus of Epirus for control of the Peloponnese, and died in battle at an unspecified later date.

Life

War with Pyrrhus

Nothing is known of the time of his birth,[1] although his mother may have been the Athenian courtesan Demo who became his father's mistress.[2] He was already grown up to manhood in 272 BC, when Antigonus advanced into the Peloponnesus to oppose the invasion of Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, and he accompanied his father on that expedition.[1] During the night attack on Argos, by which Pyrrhus attempted to force his way into the city, Halcyoneus was dispatched by Antigonus with a body of troops to oppose him, and a vehement combat took place in the streets.[1] In the midst of the confusion, word was brought to Halcyoneus that Pyrrhus was slain; he hastened to the spot, and arrived just as Zopyrus had cut off the head of the fallen monarch, which Halcyoneus carried in triumph to his father.[1] Antigonus upbraided him for his barbarity, and drove him angrily from his presence.[1] Taught by this lesson, when he soon after fell in with Helenus, the son of Pyrrhus, he treated him with respect, and conducted him in safety to Antigonus.[3]

Later life

It appears from an anecdote told by Aelian[4] and Plutarch[5] that Halcyoneus was killed in battle during the lifetime of Antigonus, but on what occasion they do not say.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bunbury 1867, 2, p. 325.
  2. ↑ Ath. Deip. 13.40. "Antigonus had one [a mistress] named Demo, by whom he had a son named Alcyoneus".
  3. ↑ Plut. Pyrrh. 34.
  4. ↑ Ael. V.H. 3.5. "They say that Antigonus II, when his son was brought home slain in battle, did behold him without changing colour, or shedding a tear: but having commended him for dying as a stout soldier, gave order that he should be buried."
  5. ↑ Plut. Consolat. 33. "Antigonus the king, on learning of the death of his son Alcyoneus, which had occurred in the line of battle, gazed proudly upon the messengers who had brought news of the calamity, and after waiting for a moment, said, bowing his head, 'Not so very early, Alcyoneus, have you departed this life, since you always rushed so recklessly against the enemy without a thought either of your own safety or of my counsels.'"

Sources

Ancient

Modern

  • Bengtson, Hermann (1975). Herrschergestalten des Hellenismus. Munich: C. H. Beck. pp. 106, 158, 161.
  • Bunbury, Edward Herbert (1867). "Halcyoneus". A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 2. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company. p. 325. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • Droysen, Johann Gustav (1998). Geschichte des Hellenismus. Vol. 3. pp. 128, 139, 141, 154.
  • Gabbert, Janice J. (2004). Antigonus II Gonatas: A Political Biography. New York, NY: Routledge. Taylor & Francis e-Library. pp. 4, 15.
  • O'Neil, James L. (2003). "The Ethnic Origins of the Friends of the Antigonid Kings of Macedon". The Classical Quarterly. 53 (2): 512, note 21.
  • "Halcyoneus". Brill's New Pauly (online ed.). 2006.
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