Greek Envoys and Diplomacy

in the Hellenistic and Roman World

GED 05.03.084

Hagesandros son of Eukrates

Ἁγήσανδρος Εὐκράτευς

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Envoy

  • ID
    GED 05.03.084
  • Name
    Hagesandros
  • Patronymic
    son of Eukrates
  • Ethnic/Demotic
    Rhodian (Ῥόδιος)
  • Chronology
    About203-201 BC
  • Place of Origin
    Eastern Mediterranean islandsRhodes
  • Greek designation/s
    • presbeutes
    • preigeutas
  • Role/s
    • envoy
  • Authors
    • Leon Battista Borsano
  • Relatives
    • Eukrates son of Agesandros (father) [I.Lindos 157]
      Amyntas son of Eukrates (brother, adopted by Aristion) [I.Lindos 157; I.Lindos 203]
      Basilis daughter of Pamphilidas (sister-in-law) [I.Lindos 203]
      Eukrates son of Amyntas (nephew) [I.Lindos 203]
  • Inscriptions
    • LBW 63
    • LBW 71
  • Lexicon
  • Keywords
    • Antigonid domain
    • Cretan war
    • Seleucid domain
    • international protection
    • royal power projection

Hagesandros son of Eukrates was a Rhodian envoy at the service of Antiochus III. His diplomatic activity is entirely known from the asylia documents of Teos and it is circumscribed to his presence in Crete.

LBW 71.15-6, regarding Eleutherna, states that the king sent him “ἐπὶ τὰς τῶ πολέμω διαλύσεις”, apparently the core of his diplomatic mission (Savalli-Lestrade 1998, 113-4). Probably, during his trip, he joined the Teian in at least three cases, from east to west at Rhaukos (near Knossos), Eleutherna and Lappa (near today’s Rethimno). The area is quite restricted, compared to the effort of Perdikkas (another royal envoy who helped the Teians): so in his case it is possible to imagine a cooperation by chance rather than a premeditated one.

Hagesandros was in loco to solve the disputes behind the so-called Cretan War and took the opportunity to help a community – Teos – which Antiochus III was deeply concerned about, as the royal acknowledgement of asylia shows (Ma 2000, 308-311). It is possible to identify Hagesandros with a man who dedicated, together with his brother Amyntas, a statue to his father after his priesthood of Athena Lindia (I.Lindos 157), dated to 201. His (younger?) brother Amyntas was priest of Athena too, in 161, and he ordered the erection of a monument for himself, his wife and his son (I.Lindos 203); for the chronology of their priesthood, see Badoud 2013, 256-7.

  • Badoud, N. (2013), Le temps de Rhodes. Une chronologie des inscriptions de la cité‚ fondée sur l’études des ses institutions, Munchen.
  • Blümel, W. (2022), ‘Dekrete und Briefe kretischer Städte in Teōs’, EA 55, 23-98.
  • Kvist, K. (2003), ‘Cretan grants of «asylia»: violence and protection as interstate relations’, C&M 54, 185-222.
  • Ma, J. (2000), Antiochos III and the Cities of Western Asia Minor, Oxford.
  • Piejko, F. (1991), ‘Antiochus III and Teos reconsidered’, Belleten 55, 13-69.
  • Savalli-Lestrade, I. (1998), Les philoi royaux dans l’Asie hellénistique, Geneva.