Ophellas

Ophellas or Ophelas (Ancient Greek: Ὀφέλλας or Ὀφέλας; fl. c. 326–308 BC) was an ancient Macedonian soldier and politician, born in Pella. He served as a trierarch under Alexander the Great, accompanied Ptolemy I to Egypt after Alexander's death, and acted as Ptolemaic governor of Cyrene from around 322 BC until his death in 308 BC. His father's name was Seilenus.^[1]

Ophellas is first mentioned as a trierarch (commander of a trireme) of Alexander's fleet on the Indus in 326 BC.^[2] Of his earlier career under Alexander nothing else is known.

After the death of Alexander, he followed the fortunes of Ptolemy I Soter, by whom he was sent, in 322 BC, at the head of a considerable army, to take advantage of the civil war which had broken out in Cyrenaica.^[3] This he successfully accomplished.

Ophellas defeated the Cyrenaeans who had sided with Thibron, captured Thibron himself, and handed him over to the people of Teucheira to be tortured and executed.^[4] Ptolemaic control over Cyrene itself and its dependencies was established and Ophellas remained as its governor. The character of the new pro-Ptolemaic regime at Cyrene is illuminated by a lengthy constitutional document from Cyrene, preserved on stone, whose precise date remains controversial.^[5]

La carrera posterior de Ofelas está poco documentada y es algo oscura. Justino ^{[ 6 ]} llama a Ofelas " rex Cyrenarum", "rey de Cirene", mientras que la Suda ^{[ 7 ]} se refiere a él como " Kurênaiou dunastou", dinasta de Cirene. Se casó con Eurídice de Atenas , hija de Milcíades y descendiente del famoso general ateniense del mismo nombre, y parece haber mantenido relaciones amistosas con Atenas. ^{[ 8 ]} Con ella tuvo un hijo llamado Milcíades. ^{[ 9 ]} Su nombre no aparece en los relatos de la revuelta cirenaica del 313 a. C., que fue rápidamente sofocada por Ptolomeo, y no se vuelve a saber de él hasta el 309/8 a. C.

En el 309/8 a. C., Agatocles de Siracusa , inmerso en su guerra contra los cartagineses en el norte de África, envió un enviado a Cirene para proponer una alianza. Agatocles prometió cederle todas las conquistas que sus fuerzas combinadas lograran en África, reservándose solo Sicilia para sí mismo, si Ofelas se unía a la campaña contra Cartago. ^{[ 10 ]} Ofelas aceptó y reunió un poderoso ejército de la tierra natal de su esposa Eurídice, donde muchos ciudadanos se sentían descontentos tras haber perdido su derecho al voto. ^{[ 11 ] [ 12 ]} A pesar de todos los obstáculos naturales que se le presentaron en su camino, logró llegar a territorio cartaginés tras una marcha ardua y peligrosa de más de dos meses. ^{[ 13 ]} Los ejércitos de Cirenaica y Siracusa acamparon cerca uno del otro. Agatocles recibió a Ofelas con toda clase de muestras de amistad, y Ofelas llegó incluso a adoptarlo como hijo. ^{[ 14 ]}

The alliance was short-lived. According to Polyaenus, Agathocles, knowing of Ophellas's fondness for boys, had sent his own son Heracleides as a hostage and distraction, instructing him to resist Ophellas's advances for a few days in order to keep him off his guard.^[15] in November 308, when the larger part of Ophellas's soldiers had dispersed to forage for food and fodder, Agathocles summoned his own troops, accused Ophellas of plotting against him, and led his army against the Cyrenaean camp. Ophellas, stunned by the sudden attack and with too few men remaining to mount an adequate defense, died fighting.^[16]Orosius records that he was "deceived by the flattery and wiles of Agathocles and slain."^[17] His leaderless army laid down its arms and was absorbed into Agathocles' forces, who now had sufficient strength to defeat the Carthaginians in a subsequent engagement.^[18]

Ptolemy exercised direct control over Cyrene after the assassination of Ophellas.^[19][20] Shortly after Ptolemy declared himself king (c.305 BC), the Cyrenaeans rebelled. Magas, Ptolemy's stepson, reconquered Cyrene c.300 BC and subsequently served as its governor before independence from Ptolemy II Philadelphus and becoming king in 276.^[21]

• Habicht, Christian (1998). Ελληνιστική Αθήνα[Hellenistic Athens] (in Greek). Athens: Odysseas. ISBN 960-210-310-8.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "Ophellas". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.