Although they removed the black mark against his name, they did not award him any special honors for his valour because he had fought with suicidal recklessness; the Spartans regarded as more valorous those who fought while still wishing to live. In the 2007 movie adaptation of the same name, Dilios is portrayed by David Wenham. pp. He failed to return to Thermopylae in time for the battle, and on finding himself in disgrace in Sparta, hanged himself.[5]. Aristodemus (Greek: Ἀριστόδημος, died 479 BC) was a Spartan warrior, one of the many sent to the Battle of Thermopylae. Unlike Aristodemus, Dilios is not ordered home because of infection, although he does lose an eye in combat. He was assassinated by the aristocratic faction around 490 BC. A character slightly based on Aristodemus named Dilios appears in and partly narrates Frank Miller's 1998 graphic novel 300, which retells the events of the Battle of Thermopylae. Despite their refusal to surrender, Tommie presents a golden goblet as a gift to the Greeks, handing it to Aristodemos who in turn passes it to Leonidas. Thought and depiction in literature. Aristodemus (Greek: Αριστόδημος) was a Spartan warrior, one of the many sent to the Battle of Thermopylae. Aristodemos is the main figure in Caroline Snedeker's popular historical novel The Coward of Thermopylae (1911), retitled in 1912 as The Spartan. Understandably, Aristodemus sought to attain a glorious death at the very next opportunity presented to him. 304. [5], At the Battle of Plataea, Aristodemus fought with such fury that the Spartans regarded him as having redeemed himself. [2] Livy records that Aristodemus became Tarquinius' heir, and in 492 BC, when Roman envoys travelled to Cumae to purchase grain, Aristodemus seized the envoys' vessels in response to the Romans' having seized the property of Tarquinius at the time of Tarquinius' exile. Schmitz, Leonhard (1867). Little is known of him other than the fact that he was sent home to Sparta because of an eye infection; was shunned by his fellow Spartans upon his return; and later charged into battle blindly into battle at Platea. The character also appears in the sequel, where he follows Queen Gorgo into battle and fights alongside her and Themistocles. He removed the male descendants of the exiled nobles from the town, compelling them to perform servile labour in the countryside. Born to a distinguished family, Aristodemus was appointed a strategos. Scholars assume that his death preceded the end of the 5th century, since he was not present during Socrates' final days in 399 despite being a devoted student. Aristodemus of Sparta was a Spartan, mentioned in Herodotus' account of the Battle of Thermopylae. The other survivor of the Three Hundred was a man named Pantites, who had been sent by Leonidas on an embassy to Thessaly. Aristodemus of Miletus (Greek: Ἀριστόδημος; lived 4th century BC) was one of the oldest and most trusted friends of Antigonus Monophthalmus.He is described by Plutarch as an arch-flatterer of Antigonus. Along with a comrade, Eurytus, Aristodemus was stricken with a disease of the eye (they were "ὀφθαλμιῶντες" as Herodotus wrote), causing King Leonidas to order the two to return home before the battle, but Eurytus turned back, though blind, and met his end charging into the fray. [1], https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aristodemus_of_Cumae&oldid=761793654, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 24 January 2017, at 20:56. Unlike Aristodemus, Dilios is not ordered home because of infection, although he does lose an eye in combat. 107–9. PMID. In this role, he defeated the Etruscan armies in 524 BC, and again in 508 BC in the Battle of Aricia. [1] However, because Eurytus did turn back and died in combat, Aristodemus was regarded as a coward and subjected to humiliation and disgrace at the hands of his compatriots; in the words of Herodotus, "no man would give him a light for his fire or speak to him; he was called Aristodemus the Coward. Aristodemus (Greek: Ἀριστόδημος, died 479 BC) was a Spartan warrior, one of the many sent to the Battle of Thermopylae. The Greek historian Herodotus believed that had both Aristodemus and Eurytus returned alive, or had Aristodemus alone been ill and excused from combat, the Spartans would have ascribed no blame to Aristodemus. It was so that he can use his oratorial skills to tell the story of his comrades in order to inspire the rest of Sparta, and then all of Greece. Finally, Aristodemos's shameful treatment upon his return to Sparta is recalled, as well as his redemption by the heroic way he fought at Plataea. Born to a distinguished family, Aristodemus was appointed a strategos. He died there in 322 of a disease of the digestive organs. He is also part of a three-man envoy sent to Athens a short time before the battle to finalize details of the allied Greek forces' defenses. As a strategos, he twice defeated Etruscan armies. Following Socrates and Plato, Aristotle had a great wealth of knowledge and wisdom to build upon, but he left no successor who could surpass him. [1], After the Battle of Lake Regillus (c. 496 BC), the exiled King of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus took refuge at his court, and died there in 495 BC. Aristodemus was one of only two Spartan survivors, as he was not present at the last stand. Antigonus frequently used him on important diplomatic missions and occasionally entrusted him with military commands as well. Although they removed the black mark against his name, they would not award him any special honors for his valour because he had fought with recklessness; the Spartans having regarded as more valorous those who fought while still wishing to live. Before the fighting on the third day, Aristodemos is mentioned along with Eurytus to have been evacuated to the village of Alpenoi after eye-inflammation rendered them both sightless. In the 2006 movie adaptation of the same name, Dilios was portrayed by David Wenham. "The ocular disease of Aristodemus and Eurytus 480 BC: diagnostic considerations.". Aristodemus had a major influence on the political and social life of the city. Four years before the battle of Thermopylae, he is part of an ultimately unsuccessful four-man envoy sent to Rhodes to dissuade the Rhodian navy from serving Xerxes. In this role, he defeated the Etruscan armies in 524 BC, and again in 508 BC in the Battle of Aricia. Aristodemus charged, berserker-like, out of the phalanx and killed several Persians on his own before dying. "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology". However, because Eurytus did turn back and died in combat, Aristodemus was regarded as a coward and subjected to humiliation and disgrace at the hands of his compatriots; in the words of Herodotus, "no man would give him a light for his fire or speak to him; he was called Aristodemus the Coward." At the Hot Gates before the battle is begun, a Persian herald is sent to convince the Greek allies to submit; the herald turns out to be Tommie, who calls out by name for each man of the envoy he had met at Rhodes (all four of whom are among the three hundred), before requesting to speak with Leonidas directly. As such, he faces no prejudice from his comrades on his return, and is later seen leading the Spartan army into battle at Plataea. [3], Around 490 BC the exiled nobles and their sons, supported by Campanians and mercenaries, were able to take possession of Cumae, and took cruel vengeance on Aristodemus and his family. He secured his power by surrounding himself with a strong bodyguard and by recruiting mercenaries. [1] However, because Eurytus did turn back and died in combat, Aristodemus was regarded as a coward and subjected to humiliation and disgrace at the hands of his compatriots; in the words of Herodotus, "no man would give him a light for his fire or speak to him; he was called Aristodemus the Coward. Having gained the favour of the people, Aristodemus then made himself tyrant of Cumae, and was said to have arranged for many of the nobles to be put to death or sent into exile. His work changed the direction of Western learning and continues to play a … He secured his power by surrounding himself with a strong … "[4], The other survivor of the Three Hundred was a man named Pantites, who had been sent by Leonidas on an embassy to Thessaly. At the Battle of Plataea, Aristodemus fought with such fury that the Spartans regarded him as having redeemed himself. While at Rhodes the envoy encounters a group of Egyptian marines, led by a captain named Ptammitechus (whom they simply call 'Tommie'), and is given a tour of their warships. pp. This turned out to be the battle of Plataea, just one year after Thermopylae. His own philosophy is equally obscure. Hogewind, BF; Coebergh, JA; Gritters-van den Oever, NC; de Wolf, MW; van der Wielen, GJ (2013 Apr). He was then successful in overthrowing the aristocratic faction, yet became a tyrant himself. Aristodemus charged, berserker-like, out of the phalanx and fought, in the opinion of Herodotus, with the most bravery of all the Spartans before falling in battle.[6]. There, it was recorded that he fought fiercely, desperately desiring to rid himself of his shame and clear his name. Along with a comrade, Eurytus, Aristodemus was stricken with an ophthalmic disease (they were "ὀφθαλμιῶντες" as Herodotus wrote), causing King Leonidas to order the two to return home before the battle, but Eurytus turned back, though blind, and met his end charging into the fray. Aristodemos appears as a recurring background character in Steven Pressfield's 1998 novel Gates of Fire. He gained popularity amongst the people of Cumae due to his opposition to the city's aristocracy and his proposals to more fairly share land and to forgive debts. "[4] Reserve Officers' Training Corps (Philippines), People of the American Civil War by state, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Aristodemus_of_Sparta?oldid=3744452. Aristodemus (Greek: Ἀριστόδημος; c. 550 – c. 490 BC), nicknamed Malakos (meaning "soft" or "malleable" or possibly "effeminate"), was a strategos and then tyrant of Cumae. [1][2][3], The Greek historian Herodotus believed that had both Aristodemus and Eurytus returned alive, or had Aristodemus alone been ill and excused from combat, the Spartans would have ascribed no blame to Aristodemus. The three of them survive the events of the film. He is the man which Dilios is inspired by. [1][2][3] A character named Dilios appears in and partly narrates Frank Miller's 1998 graphic novel 300, which retells the events of the Battle of Thermopylae. He failed to return to Thermopylae in time for the battle, and on finding himself in disgrace in Sparta, hanged himself.