Phocion
Phocion (in Greek Φωκίων, latin Phocion; * to 402/401 BC, † 318 BC in Athens ) was an Athenian politician and general.
Life
Little is known about the origin of Phocion. He was ( Φώκος ) was born as the son of Phocus, which may have been pestle manufacturers, and thus the family probably belonged to the upper class. The young Phocion enjoyed a proper education and was a student of Plato. After he had learned everything, he joined Chabrias ( Χαβρίας ) of Aixone and benefited from its political and military knowledge.
Phocion was characterized for the first time 376 BC in the Battle of Naxos, which was the first and only joint venture of Chabrias and him. Then he got his first orders of Chabrias, and as an independent commander then you find him in Asia Minor and Cyprus, for once, another time against the Persian king.
Threatened by a antiathenische and promakedonische ( hence prophilippinische ) "campaign " by the tyrant Kleitarchos and Philip II sent Plutarch, the tyrant of Eretria in Euboea, 349 or 348 BC a request for assistance to Athens. Despite adverse circumstances Phocion managed a victory, but the situation was different than expected, as Plutarch had fallen in the back. Although it initially makes it seem the qualities of Phocion as a military leader, although better than that of his successor, but they were not also glorious. His great power to enforce the distrust of Plutarch, indeed speaks for his oratorical and political, but not for his military successes.
A group of oligarchs tried to get control of Megara and therefore made contact with Philip II Then Phocion sent an army and came to the inhabitants of the city to help.
The army of Philip II besieged by 340 BC Perinthus and Byzantium, his erstwhile allies, whereupon Demosthenes Athenian issued a declaration of war. Phocion as a strategist was able to find in Byzantium inlet, whose defense was led by his friend Leon, and once again proved his diplomatic and political skills. These disputes culminated in the Battle of Chaeronea.
Phocion is described as efficient and incorruptible, but it was missing him at great goals. After the allied Greeks had been defeated in 322 BC Antipater Krannon and moved to Athens, Phocion was one of the peace negotiators and stood after the complete defeat of the Attic - democratic party at the forefront of Athens.
Shortly thereafter, over threw the two Macedonian rulers Polyperchon and Cassander. That supported the Greek democracy, and because Phocion had the occupation of Piraeus approved by the forces of Cassander, he was sentenced in May 318 BC in Athens to death by poison.
Phocion was elected 45 times for strategists and was therefore used with some interruptions continuously from 371 /70 to 319/18. Phocion military actions in terms of his years in office as a strategist stand in a relation atypical for this time.
Assessment
The politics of Phocion would now belong to realpolitik. Phocion, always stayed to the actual conditions and possibilities. Due consideration succeeded Phocion to see in the allies 'partners', and he built himself as among the Greeks a great confidence in what underpins his frequent re- elections - probably he belonged to the group of conservatives.
Swell
- Cornelius Nepos: biographies of famous men. Translated by Iris Rogge. 1st edition. Bange Verlag, Hollfeld 2007.
- Konrat Ziegler ( ed.): Plutarch. Great Greeks and Romans. 6 volumes, Zurich 1954-1965 (numerous reprints ).