Philotas

(Φιλώτας), a descendant of Peneleus of Thebes, is said to have led a colony to Priene. (Paus. 7.2.7; Strab. xiv. p.633, &c.) [L.S]

(Φιλώτας).

1. A Macedonian, father of Parmenion. the general of Alexander the Great (Arr. Anab. 3.11.16). It appears that he had two other sons, Asander and Agathon. (Id. ib. 1.17.8; Diod. 19.75.)

2. Son of Parmenion, was one of the most distinguished officers in the service of Alexander. He appears to have already enjoyed a high place in the friendship and confidence of that monarch before his accession to the throne (Plut. Alex. 10) ; and in the first military enterprises of the young king against the Thracians, Triballi, and Glaucias, king of Illyria, Philotas bears a conspicuous part (Arr. Anab. 1.2, 5). In the organization of the army for the expedition to Asia, Philotas obtained the chief command of the whole body of the έταῖροι, or native Macedonian cavalry, a post of such importance as to rank probably second only to that of his father Parmenion. But besides this special command, which he held without interruption, from the first landing in Asia until after the defeat and death of Dareius, we frequently find him entrusted with a more extensive authority, and placed in command of several independent bodies of troops. In this manner we find him rendering important services not only in the battles of the Granicus and Arbela, but at the sieges of Miletus and Halicarnasss, in the march through Cilicia, and again at the passage of the Pylae Persicae (Diod. 17.17, 57; Arr. Anab. 1.14, 19, 21, 2.5, iii 11, 18; Curt. 5.4. §§ 20, 30, 6.9.26). The estimation in which Alexander held his military talents is sufficiently attested by these facts : nor does it appear that any thing had occurred up to this time to interrupt the familiar and friendly intercourse between them : though according to Plutarch (Aler. 48) information had been secretly given to the king at a much earlier period that Philotas was holding seditious language, if not entertaining treasonable designs, against him (see also Arrian, Arr. Anab. 3.26.1). On the advance into Bactria (B. C. 330) Philotas was left behind with a detachment to pay funeral honours to his brother Nicanor, while Alexander himself pushed forward in pursuit of Bessus (Curt. 6.6.19), but he soon rejoined the main army. It was not long after this, during the halt in Drangiana, that the events occurred which led to his destruction.

It appears certain that a plot had been at this time organised by a Macedonian named Dimnus, against the life of Alexander, though what was really its extent or nature it is now impossible to determine. Information of this conspiracy was accidentally brought in the first instance to Philotas by one Cebalinus; but he treated the whole matter with contempt on account of the character of the parties concerned, and neglected for two days to apprize the king of the intelligence. Alexander having subsequently become acquainted with this fact was indignant with Philotas for his carelessness, and the enemies of the latter, especially Craterus, took advantage of the opportunity to inflame the resentment of the king, and persuaded him that Philotas could not possibly have concealed so important a communication, had he not been himself implicated in the plot. Alexander yielded to their suggestions, and caused Philotas to be arrested in the night. The next day he was brought before the assembled Macedonian army, and vehemently accused by the king himself, who asserted that Parmenion was likewise an accomplice in the meditated treason. No proof, however, of the guilt either of Philotas or his father was brought forward, for Dimnus had put an end to his own life, and Nicomachus, who had originally revealed the existence of the conspiracy, had not mentioned the name of Philotas among those supposed to be concerned in it. But in the following night a confession was wrung from the unhappy Philotas by the torture, in which, though he at first denied any knowledge of the plot of Dimnus, he admitted that he had previously joined with his father in entertaining treasonable designs against the king; and ultimately, overcome by the application of fresh tortures, he was brought to acknowledge his participation in the conspiracy of Dimnus also. On the strength of this confession he was the next again brought before the assembled troops, and stoned to death after the Macedonian custom (Curt. 6.7_11; Arr. Anab. 3.2; Plut. Alex. 48, 49; Diod. 17.79, 80; Justin 12.5). It is difficult to pronounce with certainty upon the guilt or innocence of Philotas, especially as we know not what authorities were followed by Curtius, the only author who has left us a detailed account of his trial; but there seems little doubt that he fell a victim to the machinations of his rivals and enemies among the Macedonian generals, at the head of whom was Craterus, whose conduct throughout the transaction presents itself in the darkest colours. That Alexander should have lent so ready an ear to their representations, will ever be a reproach to the memory of the great king : but it is clear that his mind had been already alienated from Philotas by the haughty and arrogant demeanour of the latter, and the boastful manner in which he assumed to himself a large share in the merits of Alexander's exploits. Similar defects of character had also it appears rendered Philotas unpopular with the army, and thus disposed the Macedonians to listen readily to the charges against him (Curt. 6.8.3, 11.1-8 ; Plut. Alex. 48). Nor is it unlikely that in common with Cleitus and others of the elder Macedonians, he looked with disapprobation upon the course that Alexander was taking after the death of Dareius; but of his direct participation in any plots against the king's life, there is certainly no sufficient evidence. Among the tales subsequently circulated was one that represented him as holding communications with Callisthenes, which were interpreted as having reference to the assassination of Alexander. (Arr. Anab. 4.10.)

3. A Macedonian officer who commanded the garrison in the Cadmeia, at the time of the revolt of the Thebans against Alexander the Great, B. C. 335. Though closely blockaded in the citadel, and vigorously besieged by the citizens, he was able to hold out until the arrival of Alexander, and the capture of the city, when he contributed greatly to the discomfiture of the Thebans, by a vigorous sally from the citadel. (Diod. 17.8. 12.)

4. Son of Carsis, a Thracian, was one of the pages in the service of Alexander the Great, who were induced by Hermolaus and Sostratus to join in the conspiracy against the king's life [Hermolaus]. He was put to death together with the other accomplices. (Arr. Anab. 4.13; Curt. 8.6.9.)

5. A Macedonian officer in the service of Alexander the Great, who commanded one taxis or division of the phalanx during the advance into Sogdiana and India. (Arr. Anab. 3.29, 4.24.) It seems probable that he is the same person mentined by Curtius (5.2.5), as. one of those rewarded by the king at Babylon (B. C. 331) for their distinguished services. There is little doubt also, that he is the same to whom the government of Cilicia was assigned in the distribution of the provinces after the death of Alexander, B. C. 323 (Arrian apud Phot. p. 69a; D>exippus, ibid. p. 64a; Curt. 10.10.2; Just. 13.4; Diod. 18.3; who, however, in a subsequent passage (ib. 12), appears to speak of him as holding the lesser Phrygia, which was in fact given to Leonnatus. See Droysen, Hellenism. vol. i. p. 68, note). In B. C. 321, he was deprived of his government by Perdieccas and replaced by Philoxenus, but it would seem that this was only in order to employ him elsewhere, as we find him still closely attached to the party of Perdiccas, and after the death of the reent united with Alcetas, Attains, and their partizans, in the contest against Antigonus. He was taken prisoner, together with Attalus, Docimus, and Polemon, in B. C. 320, and shared with them their imprisonment, as well as the daring enterprise by which they for a time recovered their liberty [Attalus, No. 2]. He again fell into the power of Antigonus, in B. C. 316. (Diod. 18.45, 19.16; Just. 13.6 ; Droysen, l.c. pp. 115, 268.)

6. A Macedonian officer in the service of Antigonus, who was employed by him in B. C. 319, to endeavour by bribes and promises to corrupt the Argyraspids in the service of Eumenes, and especially their leaders Antigenes and Tentamus. But his efforts were unavailing : Teutamus was tempted for a moment, but was recalled to the path of duty by his firmer-minded colleague, and the Argyraspids continued faithful. (Diod. 18.62, 63.)

7. An officer in the service of Antiochus the Great, who commanded the garrison of Abydos in the war against the Romans. He was besieged by the Roman fleet under C. Livius (B. C. 190), and was desirous to capitulate; but before the terms could be agreed upon, the news of the defeat of the Rhodian fleet under Pamphilidas caused Livius to withdraw in all haste in order to oppose Polyxenidas. (Liv. 37.12.) [E.H.B]

(Φιλώτας), a dithyrambic poet and musician, the disciple of Philoxenus, is only worthy of notice as having once gained a victory over his great contemporary Timotheus. (Bode, Gesch. d. Hellen. Dichtkunst, vol. ii. pt. ii. p. 324.) [P.S]

(Φιλώτας), a physician of Amphissa in Locris, who was born about the middle of the first century B. C. He studied at Alexandria, and was in that city at the same time with the triumvir Antony, of whose profusion and extravagance he was an eye-witness. He became acquainted with the triumvir's son Antyllus, with whom he sometimes supped, about B. C. 30. On one occasion, when a certain physician had been annoying the company by his logical sophisms and forward behaviour, Philotas silenced him at last with the following syllogism :--"Cold water is to be given in a certain fever; but every one who has a fever has a certain fever; therefore cold water is to be given in all fevers ;" which so pleased Antyllus, who was at table, that he pointed to a sideboard covered with large goblets, and said, "I give you all these, Philotas." As Antyllus was quite a lad at that time, Philotas scrupled to accept such a gift, but was encouraged to do so by one of the attendants, who asked him if he did not know that the giver was a son of the triumvir Antonius, and that he had full power to make such presents. (Plut. Ant. 28.)

He may perhaps be the same physician, of whose medical formulae one is quoted by Celsus (De Med. 5.19. p. 89) and Asclepiades Pharmacion (ap. Gal. De Compos. Medicame. sec. Gen. 4.13, vol. xiii. p. 745), and who must have lived in or before the first century B. C. (See also Gal. l.c. p. 542; and De Compos. Medicam. sec. Loc. 4.8, 5.3. vol. xii. pp. 752, 838.) [W.A.G]

(Φιλώτας). A son of Parmenio. He distinguished himself on many occasions as a commander of cavalry under Alexander the Great, but was at last accused of conspiring against the king's life. An informer said that he had at first told his secret to Philotas, who had daily access to Alexander, but who had taken no notice of it for two days, at the end of which time, through the means of another officer near Alexander's person, the information was conveyed to the king. This threw strong suspicion on Philotas, who, however, was not implicated by either the informer or any of the accused in their confessions. But Craterus, who was jealous of Philotas, on account of the favour which the latter enjoyed with the king, encouraged the suspicions of Alexander, who recollected what Philotas had said at the time when the former claimed Zeus Ammon for his father, that he pitied those who were doomed to serve a man that fancied himself to be a god. Craterus had also, for some time previous, bribed a courtesan intimate with Philotas, who reported to him, and, through him, to the king, all the expressions of discontent uttered by Philotas in his unguarded moments. In short, Alexander was induced to order Philotas to be tortured in consequence of the suggestions of Craterus, Hephaestion, and others of the king's companions. The torture was administered by Craterus himself, and Philotas, after enduring dreadful agonies, confessed, though in vague terms, that he had conspired against the life of Alexander, and that his father Parmenio was cognizant of it. This being considered sufficient evidence, Philotas was stoned to death; and Parmenio suffered not long after him. See Parmenio.

• descendant of Peneleos: Paus. 7.2.3
• joint founder of Priene: Paus. 7.2.10