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He gave destiny its own. It was fated that in the primeval grove someone of the great Kings must lay for the rest of time besides the God’s walled house and with heroic processionals dwell there, mantic, amid much sacrifice. We are bold to speak from within, by the high road of speech, over shining excellence. But in all things rest is sweet. By birth each of us is given his own life to carry; by death, we put aside the darkness of blame and bring to a man beloved, like streams of water, glory in sincere praise; such recompense befalls the good men. (Epitaph inscribed at the entrance of the Mausoleum of Demetrias)

Chapter 1. Beginnings

Historians have long debated about the ethnical origins of the Diodotids. Putting their Hellenic culture and Macedonian identity aside, several factors have persuaded certain scholars to adopt the theory of a Thracian ancestry, more so after the publication of Andrew Greenfield’s “Lycurgus’ Revenge” 1973 study. While the book delves into the politics of highlander Paeonian [1] barons being persuaded to join Philip II as Argead loyalists, it also takes firm hold on the religious, mystical aspects of Diodotid family history, noting its frequent clashes with the Greek establishment, especially during Alexander’s eastern campaign.

For one thing, unlike the rest of Alexander’s cohort of commanders, Polyxenos, grandfather of Diodotus I, held the Trojan heroes Hector or Sarpedon in higher regard than their Hellenic counterparts. During the marriage ceremonies between the king and Roxana in 327 BC, one of the erected altars in Bactra was consecrated to the Trojan fighters by the Agrianian [2] unit, of which Polyxenos was a distinguished member. It’s also worth noting that Melanthios, court historian of Demetrius I, compares his king to Mopsus the Thracian [3] while battling the Yuezhi woman battalion, thus referencing a famous mythological clash that pitted Thrace against the Amazons.

But the most relevant piece of proof we have is the early Diodotids’ fascination with the figure of Rhesus [4]. A minor character in the Iliad epos, it becomes somewhat of an obsession with Polyxenos and his descendants. The unit he leads after Alexander’s death is unofficially called “The Sons of Rhesus”, he names his son Eioneus after Rhesus’ father, even takes a Bithynian wife, an area in which the cult of the Thracian king was highly popular. In a future chapter we’ll talk in detail about the religious and philosophical influences of Rhesus on Bactrian society but it should be clear by now that the identity of the dynasty cannot be separated from its Agrianian roots of southern Thrace.

The first known member of the Diodotid family is Metron, of which we hear only by association with his more-famous son. While Melanthios later tried to prop him up in his chronicle, it’s impossible to seriously consider these hagiographical tidbits as truth. We could infer that he was an obscure baron, living in the Paeonian kingdom sometime around 410-350 BC. His son, Derdas, brought the clan into prominence: born in 382, he had been captured by Philip II in 359 after a failed Paeonian invasion of Macedonia. After yielding to his new home, Derdas ingrained himself into Philip’s war machine, participating in most of his wars as an accomplished commander. His most famous deed remains the successful siege of Methone (354), in which he was the first one to scale its walls. After the Scythian conflict (342), Derdas was named governor of Philippopolis, thus becoming administrator for the large swaths of land conquered by his king in southern Thrace, a position he would hold until the death of Philip. As a prominent member of the old guard, Alexander’s ascendance to the throne seemed to have had a detrimental effect on Derdas: he lost his governorship and retired at his estates until getting called again in Pella by Antipater four years later. The regent, in dire need of talented commanders after the departure of the Asian expedition, required help in quelling the insurrection of Memnon of Thrace in an area well-known to Derdas. After a swift victory, the general resumed his old position of governor of Philippopolis, dying there at the age of 57, in 325.

The fruitful integration of a prisoner of war into Macedonian society wouldn’t have been possible in the absence of Philip’s military ambitions. He had started the training of his phalanx and the development of a noble cavalry corps, made up of barons more or less inclined to abscond from their unreliable loyalties, but felt the need of a battalion of foreign-born soldiers, steadfast in their convictions and staunch supporters of the throne. Derdas brought him exactly that: Agrianian light infantry with no Macedonian tribal connections. Recruited en-masse from the shepherds inhabiting Strymon Valley, the unit would prove invaluable in the future wars of Macedonia.

[1] Paeonia was an ancient kingdom situated at north of Macedonia and inhabited mainly by Illyrians and Thracians. Created in the fifth century BC, it lost its southern regions to Philip II.

[2] The Agrianians were a Paeonian tribe that became Macedonian subjects in the fourth century BC. Their elite troops of light infantry formed an important part of the armies of Alexander the Great during his campaign in Asia.

[3] Mopsus the Thracian was a legendary general that defeated the invasion of Amazons and killed their queen Myrine.

[4] Rhesus was a legendary king of Thrace that fought in the Trojan War along the forces of Priam. He was killed in his sleep after a night raid by Diomedes and Odysseus.
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