File:Head_of_Hephaistion.jpeg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Hephaestion
Sign in to saveHephaestion ( Hēphaistíōn; c. 356 BC – 324 BC), son of Amyntor, was an ancient Macedonian nobleman of probable "Attic or Ionian extraction" and a general in the army of Alexander the Great. He was "by far the dearest of all the king's friends; he had been brought up with Alexander and shared all his secrets." This relationship lasted throughout their lives, and was compared, by others as well as themselves, to that of Achilles and Patroclus.
Key facts
- Military person.battles
- Siege of PeliumBattle of ThebesBattle of the GranicusSiege of HalicarnassusSiege of MiletusBattle of IssusSiege of Tyre (332 BC)Siege of GazaBattle of GaugamelaBattle of the Persian GateSiege of AornosBattle of the Hydaspes RiverMallian Campaign
- Military person.name
- Hephaestion
- Military person.image
- File:Head of Hephaistion.jpeg
- Military person.caption
- Hephaestion marble head, as of September 2015 housed in the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California
- Military person.allegiance
- Macedonia
- Military person.rank
- General, 2nd in command.
- Military person.unit
- Somatophylakes
- Military person.commands
- Companion cavalry
- Military person.spouse
- Drypetis
- Military person.birth_date
- c. 356 BC
- Military person.death_date
- Autumn 324 BC(aged c. 32)
- Military person.birth_place
- Pella, Macedonia, Ancient Greece
- Military person.death_place
- Ecbatana
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- Macedonia
- Place of birth
- Pella
- Place of death
- Ecbatana
- Spouse
- Drypetis
- Father
- Amyntor
- Occupation
- military commander
- Languages spoken
- Ancient Greek
- Conflict
- Siege of Pelium
- Military branch
- Ancient Macedonian army
- Military rank
- Chiliarch
- Image
- (Venice) Portrait of Hephaistion - Correr Museum.jpg
- Work location
- North Macedonia
Show 6 more facts
- Commons category
- Hephaistion
- date of death
- 0324-00-00
- date of birth
- 0356-00-00
- allegiance
- Macedonia
- described by source
- Pauly–Wissowa
- unmarried partner
- Alexander the Great
via Wikidata · CC0
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
19 sectionsContents
- Youth and education
- Career
- Wars in Persia
- Expedition into India
- Relationships
- Alexander
- Others
- Death and funeral
- Death
- Funeral
- Amphipolis Tomb
- Hamadan Stone Lion
- Portrayals of Hephaestion in fiction
- Notes
- References
- Ancient sources
- Modern sources
- Further reading
- External links
Hephaestion ( Hēphaistíōn; c. 356 BC – 324 BC), son of Amyntor, was an ancient Macedonian nobleman of probable "Attic or Ionian extraction" and a general in the army of Alexander the Great. He was "by far the dearest of all the king's friends; he had been brought up with Alexander and shared all his secrets." This relationship lasted throughout their lives, and was compared, by others as well as themselves, to that of Achilles and Patroclus.
His military career was distinguished. A member of Alexander the Great's personal bodyguard, he went on to command the Companion cavalry and was entrusted with many other tasks throughout Alexander's ten-year campaign in Asia, including diplomatic missions, the bridging of major rivers, sieges and the foundation of new settlements. Besides being a soldier, engineer and diplomat, he corresponded with the philosophers Aristotle and Xenocrates and actively supported Alexander in his attempts to integrate the Greeks and Persians. Alexander formally made him his second-in-command when he appointed him Chiliarch of the empire. Alexander also made him part of the royal family when he gave him as his bride Drypetis, sister to his own second wife Stateira, both daughters of Darius III of Persia.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Hephaestion” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.