α β γ δ ε ζ η θ ι κ λ μ ν ξ ο π ρ ς σ τ υ φ χ ψ ω Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ C Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω ἀ ἁ ά ὰ ᾶ ἄ ἅ ἂ ἃ ἆ ἇ ᾳ ᾷ Ἀ Ἁ Ἄ Ἅ Ἂ Ἃ Ἆ Ἇ ἐ ἑ έ ὲ ἔ ἕ ἒ ἓ Ἐ Ἑ Ἔ Ἕ ἠ ἡ ή ὴ ῆ ἤ ἥ ἢ ἣ ἦ ἧ ῃ ῇ ᾗ Ἠ Ἡ Ἤ Ἥ Ἦ Ἧ ἰ ἱ ί ὶ ἴ ἵ ἲ ἳ ἶ ἷ ῖ Ἰ Ἱ Ἴ Ἵ Ἶ Ἷ ὀ ὁ ό ὸ ὄ ὅ ὂ ὃ Ὀ Ὁ Ὄ Ὅ Ὂ Ὃ ῥ ὐ ὑ ύ ὺ ὔ ὕ ὒ ὓ ὖ ὗ ῦ Ὑ Ὓ Ὕ Ὗ Ῠ Ῡ Ὺ Ύ ὠ ὡ ώ ὼ ὤ ὥ ὢ ὣ ὦ ὧ ῳ ῶ ῷ ᾧ ᾤ Ὠ Ὡ Ὤ Ὥ Ὢ Ὣ Ὦ Ὧ Schließen Bewegen ?
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Eine Würdigung des Demetrios Poliorketes (373 Aufrufe)
Γραικύλος schrieb am 23.08.2021 um 23:03 Uhr (Zitieren)
[...] Demetrius was never to realize his greatest ambition, but he certainly has achieved a sort of immortality. Without reiterating and summarizing every point of success in his career, we proffer some justification for the fascination he has inspired. Demetrius’ ambition knew no limits, and although flawed, it was nonetheless impressive.

He was constantly resilient. He was dedicated to a life of war, conquest, and kingship that was the inheritance Antigonus Monophthalmus had secured for him. He always aimed for ever more ingenious and deadly siege machines, greater and more numerous ships with which to dominate the seas, and of course with each victory he reached towards ever loftier objectives.

His amorous adventures were a matter of endless gossip and speculation among the ancients, not too dissimilar to public obsession with the personal lives of celebrities in the present day.

More importantly, his military reputation preceded him always, and his very name inspired awe, dread, and often immediate supplication. Even at the very end the defeated, fettered Demetrius roused fear among the victors, who knew full well how easily the balance might tip back in the Besieger’s favour, such were his wildly oscillating fortunes.

Perhaps Demetrius should be praised above all for the fact that he was able to retain his royal title, at times by what must have been sheer virtue of personality and reputation. This is especially commendable given that it was in this age that armies awarded kingship to those successful in the field. Sometimes Demetrius was not successful, and yet still men flocked to his cause, seeking to make their name employed in the army of the famed Besieger.

This is some testimony to the notion of ‘personal monarchy’, demonstrated through the fact that Demetrius retained the style of ‘king’ for the rest of his life, even though his vicissitudes meant that at various stages he held only minimal territory and in fact ‘ruled’ from his flagship. Demetrius’ claim to the title was personal and could not be revoked. He may have ended his life as an ‘unemployed king’, but the reality of his vocation was never diminished by the occasional absence of a kingdom to rule. From 306 onwards, whatever his circumstance, he lived and died a king.

In the end it was an existence conducted on a grand scale, and we can understand why our ancient authors and their descendants have often conceptualized Demetrius’ life as that of an actor-king, some dazzling tragic figure, like a flawed god on a stage. It is only appropriate that we, too, now close the curtain, and that the god should take his leave ...

(Pat Wheatley / Charlotte Dunn: Demetrius the Besieger. Oxford 2020, p. 439)
 
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