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Olympichos
Olympichos (Ancient Greek: Ὀλυμπίχος) was a Macedonian dynast who ruled Caria in the late 3rd century BCE (fl. c. 242–201 BCE).
His father was also called Olympichos and his wife was called Nicaea. His name suggests that he was a Macedonian. Details of his life and reign are known primarily through epigraphic evidence, meaning that little else can be said about him outside his political activity.
Olympichos died before c. 201 BCE; he is absent from the historical record when the Second Macedonian War broke out, by which time Caria was politically disunited. The eventual result was the Rhodian occupation of Caria by 197 BCE.
Olympichos is first attested as a general (στρατηγός) of the Seleucid Empire in 242 BCE, ruling as a deputy of Seleucus II. His predecessors in Caria appear to have been Ptolemaic generals, including a mysterious 'Ptolemy the brother' (Πτολεμ̣αίου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ).
Olympichos later transferred his allegiance from the Seleucids to the Antigonid dynasty which ruled Macedon. This was a consequence of the expedition to Caria by Antigonus III Doson in 227 BCE. In the later part of his life, Olympichos interacted with subject cities on behalf of Philip V, who succeeded Antigonus III in 221 BCE.
The extent to which Olympichos acted independently of his notional masters is debated. In a letter to the Mylasans, Olympichos vowed to do everything in his own power "and through the king" ([διά τε τοῦ βασιλέως]), in future interactions with the city. He typically defers to higher authorities (Seleucid or Antigonid) in formal communication but may have wielded much independent power in reality, as shown by his ability to change his allegiance from the Seleucids to the Antigonids. Olympichos was the inheritor of a longer tradition of somewhat independent military governance in Caria, like the satraps Mausolus, Asander, and Pleistarchus before him.
Olympichos ruled Caria from Alinda. A century before his time, this fortress in northern Caria was the base of Ada I, adoptive mother of Alexander the Great, after she was deposed as satrap by her brother Pixodaros.
It is not clear how much of Caria Olympichos controlled, nor how many city-states (poleis) maintained privileges such as freedom from taxation while he was dynast. As well as Alinda, he controlled a minor fortress called 'Petra' in the territory of Olymos, which he apologised to the people of Mylasa for retaining. His influence spread as far as Mylasa in central Caria, and encroached on the freedoms of Iasos on the west coast. Olympichos also probably controlled Pedasa and Euromos between Mylasa and Iasos. It is very likely that he governed the sanctuary of Amyzon near Alinda as well as Labraunda. There is no evidence that Olympichos's rule ever extended into southern Caria, which was then controlled by Rhodes.
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Olympichos
Olympichos (Ancient Greek: Ὀλυμπίχος) was a Macedonian dynast who ruled Caria in the late 3rd century BCE (fl. c. 242–201 BCE).
His father was also called Olympichos and his wife was called Nicaea. His name suggests that he was a Macedonian. Details of his life and reign are known primarily through epigraphic evidence, meaning that little else can be said about him outside his political activity.
Olympichos died before c. 201 BCE; he is absent from the historical record when the Second Macedonian War broke out, by which time Caria was politically disunited. The eventual result was the Rhodian occupation of Caria by 197 BCE.
Olympichos is first attested as a general (στρατηγός) of the Seleucid Empire in 242 BCE, ruling as a deputy of Seleucus II. His predecessors in Caria appear to have been Ptolemaic generals, including a mysterious 'Ptolemy the brother' (Πτολεμ̣αίου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ).
Olympichos later transferred his allegiance from the Seleucids to the Antigonid dynasty which ruled Macedon. This was a consequence of the expedition to Caria by Antigonus III Doson in 227 BCE. In the later part of his life, Olympichos interacted with subject cities on behalf of Philip V, who succeeded Antigonus III in 221 BCE.
The extent to which Olympichos acted independently of his notional masters is debated. In a letter to the Mylasans, Olympichos vowed to do everything in his own power "and through the king" ([διά τε τοῦ βασιλέως]), in future interactions with the city. He typically defers to higher authorities (Seleucid or Antigonid) in formal communication but may have wielded much independent power in reality, as shown by his ability to change his allegiance from the Seleucids to the Antigonids. Olympichos was the inheritor of a longer tradition of somewhat independent military governance in Caria, like the satraps Mausolus, Asander, and Pleistarchus before him.
Olympichos ruled Caria from Alinda. A century before his time, this fortress in northern Caria was the base of Ada I, adoptive mother of Alexander the Great, after she was deposed as satrap by her brother Pixodaros.
It is not clear how much of Caria Olympichos controlled, nor how many city-states (poleis) maintained privileges such as freedom from taxation while he was dynast. As well as Alinda, he controlled a minor fortress called 'Petra' in the territory of Olymos, which he apologised to the people of Mylasa for retaining. His influence spread as far as Mylasa in central Caria, and encroached on the freedoms of Iasos on the west coast. Olympichos also probably controlled Pedasa and Euromos between Mylasa and Iasos. It is very likely that he governed the sanctuary of Amyzon near Alinda as well as Labraunda. There is no evidence that Olympichos's rule ever extended into southern Caria, which was then controlled by Rhodes.