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43-407: Hermias ( / h ɜːr ˈ m aɪ ə s / ; Ancient Greek: Ἑρμείας , Hermeias or Ἑρμίας , Hermias ) is the name of: Hermias of Atarneus ( / ˈ h ɜːr m i ə s / ) (4th century BC), tyrant of Atarneus Hermeias (3rd century BC), the minister of Seleucus III Ceraunus Saint Hermias of Comana (2nd century AD), an early saint and martyr of

86-480: A Macedonian invasion from the north, most of the Greek city-states condemned Hermias because of his connections to King Philip. Even Aristotle was forced to leave Athens as he had connections with both rulers. While immediate historians rebuked Hermias for his affiliations with Macedonia, later studies of Aristotle's writing led to a more sympathetic view of the tyrant. More modern interpretations suggest that Hermias

129-462: A barbarian. Declaring him a barbaric tyrant, they made attempts to blacken his reputation, such as spreading the rumour that he was a eunuch. The negative criticism by Theocritus and Theopompus could be due to his taking over the rule of Atarneus. As both historians were born in Chion, an island whose territory once included Atarneus, their resentment towards Hermias is understandable. Threatened by

172-687: A large expanse of territory, Hermias began to attract the attention of neighbouring powers as his domain continued to expand. Eager to launch expansive campaigns into Thrace and possibly Persia , Philip II of Macedon viewed Hermias as a useful prospective ally. Offering a strategic launching point for Macedonian invasions, an alliance with Hermias seemed vital. Taking advantage of their past friendship, King Philip ordered Aristotle “to proceed to Asia Minor and join Hermias of Atarneus for political or imperialistic reasons”. Having taken leave from Athens due to rising resentment towards Macedonians as well as

215-483: A memorial at Delphi commemorating Hermias’ loyalty and wrote a hymn to his name. Aristotle also reserved the right to marry Hermias' niece or daughter, Pythias , once she came of age. Diogenes Laërtius : “And the hymn in honour of Hermias is as follows”... O Virtue, won by earnest strife, And holding out the noblest prize That ever gilded earthly life, Or drew it on to seek the skies; For thee what son of Greece would not Deem it an enviable lot, To live

258-421: A nuanced portrayal of Philip. He depicts him not merely as a conqueror but as a figure whose reign brought about significant moral and social destruction. The " Philippica" was more than a historical record. It is moral commentary on the corruption of Philips court. Theopompus criticizes the moral decline which accompanied Philip's expansionist policies. He'd draw parallels between personal vices of individuals and

301-545: A period of incompetent Persian leaders and rampant internal conflicts, the ascension of Artaxerxes III Ochus to the throne of Persia in 358 BC promised eventual confrontation as the new king was determined to regain lands lost to revolt and secession from the Persian Empire . Although Hermias could have benefited greatly from a strong Macedonian military force protecting his borders from a Persian invasion, King Philip suddenly ceased his military support with Hermias as

344-693: A portion of the Hellenica . This identification has been disputed, however, by Friedrich Blass , J. B. Bury , E. M. Walker and others, most of whom attribute the fragment, which deals with the events of the year 395 BC and is of considerable extent, to Cratippus . Theopompus's most significant work, the Philippica, consisted of fifty-eight books which detailed the reign of Philip II of Macedon. Despite its fragmented state modern scholarship offers insights into its themes and Theopompus's historiographical approach. Unlike many of his peers, Theopompus offered

387-596: A result of Athenian threats to attack Macedonia with the assistance of Persian forces if the Macedonians continued with plans to invade Asia Minor. This change of plan by Philip II left Hermias to a cruel fate. In order to regain the lost Persian territory in Asia Minor and try and discover Macedonian invasion plans, Artaxerxes III commissioned a Greek mercenary named Mentor. (While some believed Hermias' captor to be Memnos of Rhodes, historian Diodoros claims that it

430-459: A somewhat cold reception. The exact date of his death isn't know, but scholars have placed it around 320 BC. The works of Theopompus were chiefly historical, and are much quoted by later writers. They included an Epitome of Herodotus 's Histories (whether this work is actually his is debated), the Hellenica (Ἑλληνικά), the History of Philip , and several panegyrics and hortatory addresses,

473-470: A sophisticated understanding of the nuances of power and corruption. Connor highlights Theopompus's disillusionment with the moral state of Greece. This presents him as a critical observer and recorder of society. Riccardo Vattoune's analysis further examines Theopompus's innovations in methodology. The chapter explores how Theopompus approached writing of history, specifically his use of sources and his treatment of historical events. One key aspect discussed

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516-494: A steady reduction in Persian power and territory. By ending its dynastic conflicts and uniting under King Philip, Macedonia was able to assert itself as a stable and formidable kingdom capable of vast expansion of the lands under its control. Hermias’ accounts offer a useful source of information for this period. While history is commonly determined by the victor, Hermias’ strong friendship with Aristotle preserved his story as he

559-484: A strict despotism , Aristotle's arrival in Atarneus was quickly followed by a governmental shift to more Platonic methods, as well as a milder tyranny. Not only did these changes win Hermias the support of neighbouring peoples, they also managed to increase his territory into much of the coastal countryside. As time passed, Hermias began to fear a Persian invasion of Asia Minor. Indeed, while he had grown up during

602-506: A student of Isocrates and an ancient Greek historian and rhetorician . Theopompus was born on the Aegean island of Chios in 378 or 377 BCE. In his early youth, he seems to have spent some time at Athens , with his father Damasistratus, who had been exiled for his Laconian sympathies. In Athens, he became a pupil of Isocrates , and rapidly made progress in rhetoric; we are told that Isocrates used to say that Ephorus required

645-494: A useful role in the later ease of Alexander's expansion into the lands of the Persian Empire. Another of Hermias’ significant contributions was the insight gained through his accounts (as recorded by Aristotle) of the social and political events of the fourth century BC Greek and Persian states. A knowledgeable witness active in the political power struggle of the time, accounts of Hermias' life offer information regarding

688-455: Is Theopompus's interest in "invisible" parts of history such as motivations, emotions, and character traits. These parts of history aren't readily apparent from the historical record alone, but his work preserves that part of history. Additionally, Vattuone dives into Theopompus's use of speeches, anecdotes, and character sketch's to give life to these invisible parts of history. Overall, the chapter provides insight into Theopompus's innovations in

731-650: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Hermias of Atarneus The first mention of Hermias is as a slave to Eubulus , a Bithynian banker who ruled Atarneus . Hermias eventually won his freedom and inherited the rule of Atarneus. Due to his policies, his control expanded to other neighbouring cities, such as Assos , in Asia Minor. In his youth, Hermias had studied philosophy in Plato's Academy . There he first met Aristotle . After Plato 's death in 347 BC, Xenocrates and Aristotle travelled to Assos under

774-494: The 10th book of the Philippica , containing a bitter attack on many of the chief Athenian statesmen, and generally recognized as having been freely used by Plutarch in several of the Lives. The Marvels is a lengthy digression inserted into books 8 and 9. Another fault of Theopompus was his excessive fondness for romantic and incredible stories; a collection of some of these was afterwards made and published under his name. He

817-731: The Eastern Orthodox Church Hermias (apologist) (3rd century?), a Christian apologist Hermias (philosopher) (5th century), Neoplatonist Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Hermias . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hermias&oldid=1254074386 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text Short description

860-511: The Jewish Law had not been mentioned by any of his scribes or poets, told that due to the divine nature of the documents, any who endeavored to write about it had been afflicted by a distemper. He continued, saying that Theopompus once endeavored to write about the Jewish Law, but became disturbed in his mind for 30 days, whereupon during some intermission of his distemper he prayed for healing and determined to leave off his attempt to write, and

903-464: The bulk of the history from 58 to 16 books by cutting out those parts which had no connection with Macedonia . It was from this history that Trogus Pompeius (of whose Historiae Philippicae we possess the epitome by Justin ) derived much of his material. Fifty-three books were extant in the time of Photius (9th century), who read them, and has left us an epitome of the 12th book. Several fragments, chiefly anecdotes and strictures of various kinds upon

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946-524: The character of nations and individuals, are preserved by Athenaeus , Plutarch and others. Of the Letter to Alexander we possess one or two fragments cited by Athenaeus, criticizing severely the immorality and dissipations of Harpalus . The artistic unity of his work suffered severely from the frequent and lengthy digressions, of which the most important was On the Athenian Demagogues in

989-676: The chief of which was the Letter to Alexander . The Hellenica treated of the history of Greece, in twelve books, from 411 BC (where Thucydides breaks off) to 394 BC — the date of the Battle of Cnidus . Of this work, only a few fragments were known up till 1907. The papyrus fragment of a Greek historian of the 4th century BC, discovered by B. P. Grenfell and A. S. Hunt , and published by them in Oxyrhynchus Papyri (Vol. 5, 1908), has been recognized by Eduard Meyer , Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff and Georg Busolt as

1032-663: The colossal expansion of Macedonian power in the form of the Macedonian Empire , led by Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great . During this period of time, most neighbouring powers faced major internal strife and disorder. During the early to mid-4th century BC, the power of the Greek city-states continued to dwindle in the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War while the Macedonian Kingdom to

1075-422: The death of Plato in 347 BC, Aristotle agreed to travel to Asia Minor, as requested by King Philip. Accompanied by fellow philosopher Xenocrates , Aristotle received a warm welcome and immediately began establishing political ties between King Philip and Hermias. One surprising aspect of Hermias's life is the amount of influence Aristotle was able to exert on his decisions. While originally ruling his lands with

1118-488: The larger societal corruption. Also, he detailed accounts of various regions and their political and social conditions. By doing so, he could share his belief in the interconnectedness of moral and political decay in different societies. A far more elaborate work was the history of Philip 's reign (360–336 BC), with digressions on the names and customs of the various races and countries of which he had occasion to speak, which were so numerous that Philip V of Macedon reduced

1161-541: The later years of his life. Although his date of birth remains unknown, he is first mentioned as a Bithynian slave to Eubulus , a wealthy banker and despotic tyrant of the lands surrounding Assos and Atarneus , two commercial towns on the Troad coastline of Asia Minor. While several ancient historians, such as Theopompus , claimed that Hermias was a eunuch , modern historians discredit these claims as nothing more than attempts to blacken his reputation. Although Hermias

1204-461: The life, to die the death That fears no weary hour, shrinks from no fiery breath? Such fruit hast thou of heavenly bloom, A lure more rich than golden heap, More tempting than the joys of home, More bland than spell of soft-eyed sleep. For thee Alcides, son of Jove, And the twin boys of Leda strove, With patient toil and sinewy might, Thy glorious prize to grasp, to reach thy lofty height. Achilles, Ajax, for thy love Descended to

1247-627: The north remained embroiled in dynastic conflicts. Likewise, the once-great Persian Empire was hampered by internal feuds and revolts and incompetent leaders, resulting in losses of some western territories as lands in Asia Minor began to revolt or cede from the empire (such as the despotic government created by Eubulus). After the completion of his education in Athens, Hermias returned to Atarneus to rule in partnership with Eubulus. However, not long after their reunion, Eubulus died, leaving Hermias to succeed as despotic ruler in about 351 BC. In control of

1290-523: The patronage of Hermias. Aristotle founded his first philosophical school there and eventually married Pythias , Hermias' daughter or niece. Hermias' towns were among those that revolted against Persian rule. In 341/0 BC, the Persian King, Artaxerxes III , sent Memnon of Rhodes to reconquer these coastal cities. Under the guise of truce, Memnon tricked Hermias into visiting him, whereupon he bound Hermias in chains and sent him to Susa . Hermias

1333-526: The political circumstances that facilitated the Macedonian conquests of Greece and then Persia. This included the diminishing power and general disorder of the Greek city states and the Persian empire. While the turmoil in the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War prevented the Greek city-states from maintaining their influence as a Mediterranean power, internal conflicts and incompetency led to

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1376-463: The presence of Aristotle, Hermias likely knew the specifics of Philip's invasion plans for Thrace, Asia Minor and Persia. Even after being betrayed by King Philip, Hermias displayed great loyalty to Philip in his refusal to divulge any information about Philip's plans to the Persians. This steadfast devotion to his allies protected the secrecy of the Macedonian invasion plans and most likely played

1419-460: The realms of night; Atarneus' King thy vision drove, To quit for aye the glad sun-light, Therefore, to memory's daughters dear, His deathless name, his pure career, Live shrined in song, and link'd with awe, The awe of Xenian Jove, and faithful friendship's law. Although Hermias played only a small role in the politics of his time, the details of his death had serious historical repercussions. Having kept in contact with King Philip through

1462-429: The spur but Theopompus the bit. At first he appears to have composed epideictic speeches, in which he attained to such proficiency that in 352–351 BC he gained the prize of oratory given by Artemisia II of Caria in honour of her husband, although Isocrates was himself among the competitors. It is said to have been the advice of his teacher that finally determined his career as an historian—a career for which he

1505-597: Was also severely blamed in antiquity for his censoriousness, and throughout his fragments no feature is more striking than this. On the whole, however, he appears to have been fairly impartial. Theompopus censures Philip severely for drunkenness and immorality while warmly praising Demosthenes . Aristotle mentions the conception and testimony of Theopompus about the innocuousness of slavery, in Politics . Jewish historian Flavius Josephus writes that Demetrius of Phalerum , in response to Ptolemy II Philadelphus asking why

1548-513: Was an intelligent ruler, who suffered his harsh fate because he was betrayed. Joseph M. Bryant states that his significance is rooted in his attempts to “bring philosophy to power”. Influenced by his academy-based education as well as his numerous philosopher friends, Hermias gradually relaxed his harsh tyranny, leaving in place a government based on Platonic principles. Theopompus Theopompus ( ‹See Tfd› Greek : Θεόπομπος , Theópompos ; c. 380 BC – c. 315 BC)

1591-422: Was considered a slave, he was extremely valued, respected and privileged. At an early age, Hermias was sent to Athens to study under Plato and Aristotle for several years. It was during these years of his formal education that Hermias developed a strong and intimate friendship with Aristotle. During the first years of Hermias' life the Greek states were going through a transitional phase that would lead to

1634-484: Was constantly mentioned in Aristotle's writing. If it were not for this strong bond, Hermias’ existence would have been forgotten, and his effects on the politics of the time neglected. As little is known of Hermias' life apart from the accounts of Aristotle, there are few sources of past historical interpretations. Due to his Bythinian origins, early Greek historians such as Theopompus and Theocritus regarded him as

1677-539: Was cured thereby. A passage from Theopompus is given by Athenaeus in his Deipnosophistae . Claudius Aelianus quotes both Theopompus and Lycus of Rhegium as sources on the cult practices of the Adriatic Veneti . Modern scholarship by historians such as Gordon Shrimpton and W. Robert Connor have re-evaluated Theopompus's contributions to historiography . Shrimpton emphasizes Theopompus's refined portrayal of Phillip II. He argues that Theopompus's work reflected

1720-509: Was in fact his brother Mentor. ) Mentor was charged with the task of capturing Hermias and therefore restoring his lands to the Persian Empire. Disgusted with the actions taken by King Philip, Aristotle began to write letters to persuade Mentor to change sides. Although he eventually agreed in order to secure the support of Hermias, Mentor seized the next opportune moment to capture him and sent Hermias to Susa in chains. Once in Susa, Hermias

1763-461: Was peculiarly qualified owing to his abundant patrimony and his wide knowledge of men and places. Through the influence of Alexander III , he was permitted to return to Chios around 333 BC, and figured for some time as one of the leaders of the aristocratic party in his native town. After Alexander's death, he was again expelled, and took refuge with Ptolemy in Egypt , where he appears to have met with

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1806-465: Was tortured in a vain attempt to extract information regarding King Philip's invasion plans. Refusing to betray his colleagues, his last words were said to have been “tell my friends that I have done nothing shameful or unworthy of philosophy”. His death occurred in 341/0 BC. His final statement displayed the magnitude of Hermias' friendship with Aristotle as well as the influence of Aristotle's philosophy on his life. After his death, Aristotle created

1849-471: Was tortured, presumably for Memnon to learn more about Philip of Macedon 's upcoming invasion plans. Hermias' dying words were that he had done nothing unworthy of philosophy. After Hermias' death, Aristotle dedicated a statue in Delphi and composed a Hymn to Virtue in Hermias' honour. Hermias of Atarneus had surprisingly humble origins given the amount of political prestige and recognition he would gain in

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