Memnon (380 - 333) was a Rhodian commander in the service of the Achaemenid Empire. Related to the Persian aristocracy by the marriage of his sister to the satrap Artabazus II, together with his brother Mentor he served the Persian Empire for most of his life and was Alexander's most capable adversary.
Exiled for a few years at the court of Philip II of Macedon, he got convinced of Philip's intentions to invade Persia and re-entered the Persian service with a clear understanding of Macedonia's military capabilities.
When the Macedonians attacked in 336 the vanguard was commanded by Parmenion and Attalus. They proved to be no match for Memnon, who defeated Parmenion at Magnesia and was able to isolate him in the northwest of modern Turkey.
Following the assassination of Philip, Alexander joined his generals. From now on, the Macedonians were in numbers superior to the Persians. Memnon, appointed supreme commander, managed to keep the Persian naval base Halicarnassus for a long time and was able to evacuate the town without unacceptable losses.
He then started using the empires naval superiority against Alexander and opened negotiations with Sparta in order to take the war to mainland Greece. He began a campaign to capture the Aegean islands using the Persian fleet and led a direct assault on Macedonia, while Alexander was resting at Phaselis. Memnon managed to capture the island of Chios and most of Lesbos. Demosthenes, after hearing of Memnon's successes, began to prepare Athens for a revolt against Alexander, along with other Greek cities, while Sparta began to prepare for war. By a stroke of fortune for Alexander, Memnon died during the siege of Mytilene. No other could bring Alexander to a halt and disrupt his plans.
Memnon's wife Barsine eventually became the mistress of Alexander; in 327, they had a son named Heracles.
Art by Joan Francesco Oliveras Pallerols.
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