A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

126 PARMENION. PARMENION.
by the author of this article (Coinmment. Ecat. Al- were of the most important kind. His age and
tona, 1815); but the best and most careful col- long established reputation as a military comlection is that of S. Karsten, who made use of the mander naturally gave great weight to his advice
MS. apparatus of the great Jul. Scaliger, which is and opinion; and though his counsels, leaning
preserved inl the library of Leyden. It forms the generally to the side of caution, were frequently
second part of the first volume of Philosophorunz overruled by the impetuosity of the youthful
Graecorum Veterum Oper. Reliqniae, Amstelod. monarch, they were always listened to with de1835. [CH. A. B.] ference, and sometimes followed even in opposition
PARME'NION (fIapusEiwv). 1. Son of Phi- to the opinion of Alexander himself. (Arrian.
lotas, a distinguished Macedonian general in the iii. 9.) His special post appears to have been
service of Philip of Macedon and Alexander the that of commander-in-chief of the Macedonian
Great. Notwithstanding the prominent place infantry (Diod. xvii. 17), but it is evident that
that he holds in history we know nothing either he acted, and was generally regarded as second in
of his family and origin, or of the services by command to Alexander himself' Thus, at the
which he had attained the high reputation of three great battles of the Granicus, Issus and
which we find him possessed when his name first Arbela, while the king in person commanded the
appears. As he was considerably older than right wing of the army, Parmenion was placed at
Philip, having been born about B. c. 400 (see Curt. the head of the left, and contributed essentially to
vii. 2. ~ 33) it is probable that he had already dis- the victory on all those memorable occasions. (Arr.
tinguished himself during the reign of Amyntas II., Anab. i. 14, ii. 8, iii. 11, 14, 15; Curt. iii. 9. ~ 8,
but the first mention of his name occurs in the iv. 13. ~ 35, 15. ~ 6, 16. ~ 1-7; Diod. xvii. 19,
year 356, when we find him entrusted with the 60.) Again, whenever Alexander divided his
chief command in the war against the Illyrians, forces, and either hastened forward in person with
whom he defeated in a great battle (Plut. Alex. 3). the light-armed troops, or on the contrary, desThroughout the reign of Philip he enjoyed the patched a part of his army in advance, to occupy
highest place in the confidence of that monarch, some important post, it was always Parmenion
both as his friend and counsellor, and as a general: that was selected to command the division where
the king's estimation of his merits in the latter the king was not present in person. (Arr. Anab.
capacity may be gathered from his well-known i. 11, 17, 18, 24, ii. 4, 5, 11, iii. 18; Curt. iii. 7.
remark, that he had never been able to find more ~ 6, v. 3. ~ 16; Diod. xvii. 32.) The confidence
than one general, and that was Parmenion. (Plut. reposed in him by Alexander appears to have
Apoplith. p. 177, c.) Yet the occasions on which been unbounded, and he is continually spoken of
his name is specially mentioned during the reign as the most attached of the king's friends, and as
of Philip are not numerous. In B. c. 346 we find holding, beyond all question, the second place in
him engaged in the siege of Halus in Thessaly the state. Among other important employments
(Dem. de F. L. p. 392), and shortly after he was we find him selected, after the battle of Issus, to
sent by Philip, together with Antipater and Eu- take possession of the treasures deposited by
rylochus, as ambassador to Athens, to obtain the Dareius at Damascus (Arr. ii. 11, 15; Curt. iii.
ratification of the proposed peace from the Athe- 12, 13): and again at a later period when Alexnians and their allies. (Id. ib. p. 362; Arg. ad ander himself determined to push on into the
Or. de. F. L. p. 336.) In B. C. 342, while Philip wilds of Parthia and Hyrcania in pursuit of
was in Thrace, Parmenion carried on operations in Dareius, he left Parmenion in Media with a large
Euboea, where he supported the Macedonian force, with instructions to see the royal treasures
party at Eretria, and subsequently besieged and taken in Persia safely deposited in the citadel of
took the city of Oreus, and put to death Euphraeus, Ecbatana, under the charge of Harpalus, and then
the leader of the opposite faction. (Dem. Phil. iii. to rejoin Alexander and the main army in Hy-rp. 126; Athen. xi. p. 508.) When Philip at cania. (Arr. iii. 19; Justin. xii. 1.)
length began to turn his views seriously towards But before the end of the year 330, while
the conquest of Asia B.C. 336, he sent forward Parmenion still remained in Media in pursuance
Parmenion and Attalus with an army, to carry on of these orders, the discovery took place in Dranpreliminary operations in that country, and secure a giana of the plot against the king's life, in which
firm footing there by liberating some of the Greek Philotas, the only surviving son of Parmenion,
cities. (Diod. xvi. 91, xvii. 2; Justin. ix. 5.) was supposed to be implicated [PHILOTAS]: and
They had, however, little time to accomplish any- the confession wrung from the latter by the torthing before the assassination of Philip himself ture not only admitted his own guilt, but involved
entirely changed the aspect of affairs: Attalus was his father also in the charge of treasonable designs
bitterly hostile to the young king, but Parmenion against the life of Alexander. (Curt. vi. 11. ~ 21
was favourably disposed towards him, and readily -30.) Whether the king really believed in the
joined with Hecataeus, who was sent by Alex- guilt of Parmenion, or deemed his life a necessary
ander to Asia, in effecting the removal of Attalus sacrifice to policy after the execution of his son, it
by assassination. By this means he secured the is impossible for us to decide, but the sentence of
attachment of the army in Asia to the young the aged general was pronounced by the assembled
king: he afterwards carried on some military Macedonian troops, and Polydamas was despatched
operations of little importance in the Troad, but in all haste into Media with orders to the officers
must have returned to Europe before the com- next in command under Parmenion to carry it
mencement of the year 334, as we find him into execution before he could receive the tidings
taking part in the deliberations of Alexander of his son's death. The mandate was quickly
previous to his setting out on the expedition into obeyed, and Parmenion was assassinated by
Asia. (Diod. xvii. 2, 5,7, 16; Curt. vii. 1. ~ 3.) Cleander with his own hand. (Arr. Anab. iii 26;
Throughout the course of that expedition the Curt. vii. 2. ~ 11-33; Diod. xvii. 80; Pint.
services rendered by Parmenion to the young king Ale.. 49; Justin. xii. 5; Strab. xv. p. 724.)