See also: Memnon

Memnon of Rhodos is the chief of the Greek Mercenaire S with the service of the empire of the Achéménides at the time of the conquest of Alexandre Large the.

Memnon was probably born towards 380 av. J. - C. and it enters, with his/her older brother Mentor, with the service of the satrap of Phrygie and of the Hellespont, Artabaze, revolts against Artaxerxès III of them. Mentor and Memnon must lead his army. To conclude this agreement Artabaze marries the sister of the two mercenaries and Mentor marries Barsine the girl of the satrap in 355 av. J. - C. Battus in 354 av. J. - C. by the troops of Artaxerxès III, Mentor flees in Egypt while Artabaze, Barsine and Memnon take refuge near the king of Macedonia, Philippe II, with Pella where they receive warm welcome.

In 343 av. J. - C. Mentor enters, by a reversal of situation which does not have anything exceptional at the time, with the service of Artaxerxès III and plays a big role in the reconquète of Egypt by the Perses. It obtains forgiveness for his Artabaze father-in-law and his Memnon brother. Those of return in the empire give invaluable indications on the projects of Philippe II and the danger which Macedonia constitutes. It is at this time that Barsine gives the day to a girl who will be later the woman of Néarque.

In 340 av. J. - C. Mentor dies and Memnon marries Barsine then. It is charged in 337/336 av. J. - C. to push back the offensive of Parménion in minor Asia and constrained this one to take refuge in Abydos (335 av. J. - C.). Parménion initially does not receive reinforcements because Alexandre is occupied on his borders north and in Greece. But when in 334 av. J. - C. Alexandre unloads in Asia, Memnon proposes to avoid the combat and to practice the policy of the “ground burned” in front of him. It is persuaded, undoubtedly rightly, that the weak provisioning available to the Macedonians will force them to turn back. But the satraps refuse this plan and are beaten with the Bataille of Granique.

Memnon then tries to resist in advance of Alexandre and if it cannot save Milet it succeeds in resisting in the citadel of Halicarnasse (be 334 av. J. - C.). Named commander-in-chief by Darius III at winter 334, he seeks to use his fleet to seize the Aegean islands and to cut the supply of king de Macédoine of which it is the weak point. He also counts on a revolt of the Greeks (the confusion of Thèbes, is not so far) and contacts the king Agis III of Sparte and the aristocratic factions of various more hostile cities with Alexandre. He takes again Chios thus and undertakes the seat of Mytilène when he dies at the beginning of 333 av. J. - C. This death is a relief for Alexandre because the successors of Memnon do not appear with its height.