Information AboutAttalus I |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ATTALUS I | |
| attalid dynasty | |
| 269 bc births | |
| 197 bc deaths | |
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of Attalus I, circa 200 BCE ( Pergamon Museum , Berlin )]] Attalus I ('''Soter''' "Savior") ( 18.41 He won an important victory over the Galatia ns, newly arrived Celt ic tribes from Thrace , who had been, for more than a generation, plundering and exacting tribute throughout most of Asia Minor without any serious check. This victory, celebrated by the triumphal monument at Pergamon, famous for its Dying Gaul , and the liberation from the Gallic "terror" which it represented, earned for Attalus the name of "Soter," and the title of "king." A courageous and capable general and loyal ally of Rome , he played a significant role in the first and second Macedonian Wars , waged against Philip V Of Macedon . He conducted numerous naval operations, harassing Macedonian interests throughout the Aegean , winning honors, collecting spoils, and gaining for Pergamon possession of the Greek islands of Aegina during the first war, and Andros during the second, twice narrowly escaping capture at the hands of Philip. He died in 197 BCE, shortly before the end of the second war, at the age of 72, having suffered an apparent Stroke while addressing a Boeotia n war council some months before. He enjoyed a famously happy domestic life, shared with his wife and four sons. He was succeeded as king by his son Eumenes II . EARLY LIFE Little is known about Attalus' early life. He was the son of Attalus, and Antiochis. Strabo 13.4.2 The elder Attalus, was the son of a brother (also called Attalus) of Philetaerus , the founder of the Attalid Dynasty , and Eumenes, the father of Eumenes I , Philetaerus' successor; he is mentioned, along with his uncles, as a benefactor of Delphi . He won fame as a charioteer, winning at Olympia , and was honored with a monument at Pergamon. Attalus was a young child when his father died, sometime before 241 BCE, after which he was adopted by Eumenes I, the incumbent dynast. Attalus' mother, Antiochis, was probably related to the Seleucid royal family (perhaps being the granddaughter of Seleucus I Nicator ) with her marriage to Attalus' father likely arranged by Philetaerus to solidify his power. This would be consistent with the conjecture that Attalus' father had been Philetaerus' heir designate, but was succeeded by Eumenes, since Attalus I was too young when his father died. DEFEAT OF THE GALATIANS According to , Attalus took the name of Soter which means "savior" and claimed the title of king. The victory brought Attalus legendary fame. A story arose, related by Pausanias, of an oracle who had foretold these events a generation earlier: Then verily, having crossed the narrow strait of the Hellespont , The devastating host of the Gauls shall pipe; and lawlessly They shall ravage Asia; and much worse shall God do To those who dwell by the shores of the sea For a short while. For right soon the son of Cronos Shall raise a helper, the dear son of a bull reared by Zeus Who on all the Gauls shall bring a day of destruction. Pausanius adds that by the "son of a bull" the oracle "meant Attalus, king of Pergamon, who was styled bull-horned"., commemorating this battle. CONQUESTS IN SELEUCID ASIA MINOR on the obverse and seated Athena , Greek goddess of war and wisdom, on the reverse]] Several years after the first victory over the Gauls, Pergamon was again attacked by the Gauls together with their ally Antiochus Hierax , the younger brother of Seleucus II Callinicus , and ruler of Seleucid Asia Minor from his capital at Sardis . Attalus defeated the Gauls and Antiochus at the battle of Aphrodisium and again at a second battle in the east. Subsequent battles were fought and won against Antiochus alone, in Hellespontine Phrygia, (where Antiochus was perhaps seeking refuge with his father-in law, Ziaelas the king of Bithynia ), near Sardis (in the spring of 228 BCE), and, in the final battle of the campaign, further south in Caria on the banks of the Harpasus, a tributary of the Maeander . Hansen pg.35 As a result of these victories, Attalus gained control over all of Seleucid Asia Minor north of the , eldest son and successor of Seleucus II, to recover the lost territory, Hansen pg.36 culminating in Seleucus III himself crossing the Taurus with his army, only to be assassinated Polybius 4.48 in 223 BCE. Achaeus , who had accompanied Seleucus III, assumed control of the army. He was offered and refused the kingship in favor of Seleucus III's younger brother Antiochus III The Great , who then made Achaeus governor of Seleucid Asia Minor north of the Taurus. Within two years Achaeus had recovered all the lost Seleucid territories, "shut up Attalus within the walls of Pergamon," and assumed the title of king. Polybius 4.48 After a period of peace, in 218 BCE, while Achaeus was involved in an expedition to Selge south of the Taurus, Attalus, with some Thracian Gauls, recaptured his former territories. Polybius 5.77 However Achaeus returned from victory in Selge in 217 BCE and resumed hostilities with Attalus. Antiochus, under a treaty of alliance with Attalus, crossed the Taurus in 216 BCE, attacked Acheaus 8.17–23 By 213 BCE, Antiochus had regained control of all of his Asiatic provinces. FIRST MACEDONIAN WAR Attalus, now thwarted in the east, turned his attention westward. Perhaps because of concern for the ambitions of Philip V Of Macedon , Attalus had sometime before 219 BCE become allied with Philip's enemies the Aetolian League , a union of Greek states in Aetolia , in central Greece, having funded the fortification of Elaeus, an Aetolian stronghold in Calydonia , near the mouth of the river Achelous . Polybius 4.65 Philip's alliance with 22.11 In the following spring (209 BCE), Philip marched south into Greece. Under command of Pyrrhias, Attalus' colleague as strategos, the allies lost two battles at 10.42 Attalus and Sulpicius then attended a meeting in 10.42 The spoils from Oreus had been reserved for Sulpicius, who returned there, while Attalus stayed to collect the spoils from Opus. With their forces divided, Philip attacked Opus. Attalus, caught by surprise, was barely able to escape to his ships. 11.7 Attalus was now forced to return to Asia, for he had learned at Opus that, at the urging of Philip, Prusias I king of Bithynia, related to Philip by marriage, was moving against Pergamon. Soon after, the Romans also abandoned Greece to concentrate their forces against Hannibal, their objective of preventing Philip from aiding Hannibal having been achieved. Livy 28.7 In 206 BCE the Aetolians sued for peace on conditions imposed by Philip. A treaty was drawn up at Phoenice in 205 BCE, formally ending the First Macedonian War . The "Peace of Phoenice" also ended the war with Prusias, and Attalus retained Aegina. MACEDONIAN HOSTILITIES OF 201 BCE Prevented by the treaty of Phoenice from expansion in the east, Philip set out to extend his power in the Aegean and in Asia Minor. In the spring of 201 BCE he took Samos and the Egyptian fleet stationed there. He then besieged Chios to the north. These events caused Attalus, allied with 16.6 Also during 201 BCE, Philip invaded Pergamon; although unable to take the easily defended city, in part due to precautions taken by Attalus to provide for additional fortifications, Hansen p. 55 he demolished the surrounding temples and altars. Polybius 16.1 Meanwhile, Attalus and Rhodes sent envoys to Rome, to register their complaints against Philip. Livy [http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/Livy/Livy31.html 31.2] SECOND MACEDONIAN WAR In 200 BCE, Attalus became involved in the 31.14 Polybius writes: … in company with the Romans and the Athenian magistrates, he began his progress to the city in great state. For he was met, not only by all the magistrates and the knights, but by all the citizens with their children and wives. And when the two processions met, the warmth of the welcome given by the populace to the Romans, and still more to Attalus, could not have been exceeded. At his entrance into the city by the gate Dipylum the priests and priestesses lined the street on both sides: all the temples were then thrown open; victims were placed ready at all the altars; and the king was requested to offer sacrifice. Finally they voted him such high honors as they had never without great hesitation voted to any of their former benefactors: for, in addition to other compliments, they named a tribe after Attalus, and classed him among their eponymous heroes. Sulpicius Galba, now in the Cyclades , the spoils going to the Romans and the island to Attalus. From Andros they sailed south, made a fruitless attack on another Cycladic island, Kithnos , turned back north, scavenged the fields of Skiathos off the coast of Magnesia , for food, and continued north to Mende , where the fleets were wracked by storm. On land they were repulsed at Cassandrea , suffering heavy loss. They continued northeast along the Macedonian coast to Acanthus , which they sacked, after which they returned to Euboea, their vessels laden with spoils. Livy 31.45 On their return, Attalus and the Roman commander, went to Heraclea to meet with the Aetolians, who, under the terms of their treaty asked Attalus for a thousand soldiers. Attalus refused, citing the Aetolians' own refusal to honor Attalus' request to attack Macedonia, during Philip's attack on Pergamon two years previous. Resuming operations, Attalus and the Romans attacked but failed to take Oreus, and deciding to leave a small force to invest it, attacked across the straight in , returned to Pergamon after an absence of more than two years. Livy 31.47 In the spring of 198 BCE, Attalus with twenty-three , while Attalus sailed for Piraeus . Livy 32.23 Early in 197 BCE, Attalus was summoned to , bringing about the end of the Second Macedonian War. FAMILY Attalus married Apollonis, from describes Apollonis as: … a woman who for many reasons deserves to be remembered, and with honor. Her claims upon a favourable recollection are that, though born of a private family, she became a queen, and retained that exalted rank to the end of her life, not by the use of meretricious fascinations, but by the virtue and integrity of her conduct in private and public life alike. Above all, she was the mother of four sons with whom she kept on terms of the most perfect affection and motherly love to the last day of her life. The filial "affection" of the brothers as well as their upbringing is also remarked on by several ancient sources. A decree of Antiochus IV praises … king Attalus and queen Apollonis … because of their virtue and goodness, which they preserved for their sons, managing their education in this way wisely and well. An inscription at Pergamon represents Apollonis as saying that … she always considered herself blessed and gave thanks to the gods, not for wealth or empire, but because she saw her three sons guarding the eldest and him reigning without fear among those who were armed. Polybius, describing Attalus' life says: … and what is more remarkable than all, though he left four grown-up sons, he so well settled the question of succession, that the crown was handed down to his children's children without a single dispute Attalus died in 197 BCE at the age of 72. He was succeeded by his son Eumenes II. INTRODUCTION OF THE CULT OF THE MAGNA MATER TO ROME In 205 BCE, after the "Peace of Phoenice", Rome turned to Attalus, as its only friend in Asia, for help concerning a religious matter. An unusual number of meteor showers caused concern in Rome, and an inspection was made of the . REFERENCES
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