Asander orAsandros (Greek:Άσανδρoς; lived 4th century BC) was the son ofPhilotas and brother ofParmenion andAgathon.[1][2][3] He was aMacedonian general underAlexander the Great, andsatrap ofLydia from 334 BC as well as satrap ofCaria after Alexander's death.[4] During Alexander's reign Asander's position suffered for a period following Parmenion's execution, he was sent toMedia to gather reinforcements during this time, and a year later was sent toBactra.[1]
In 334 BC Alexander appointed him governor ofLydia and the other parts of thesatrapy ofSpithridates, and also placed under his command an army of cavalry and light infantry strong enough to maintain theMacedonian authority.[2][5] At the beginning of 328, Asander andNearchus led a number of Greek mercenaries to join Alexander, who was then located atZariaspa.[4][6][7]
In the division of the empire after the death of Alexander in 323, Asander obtainedCaria for his satrapy, in which he was afterwards confirmed byAntipater.[8][9][10] While acting as satrap of Caria he fought at the command of Antipater againstAttalus andAlcetas, both supporters ofPerdiccas,[8] but was defeated by them. He also supported the Iranian colonists in Caria by increasing the position of localZoroastrians.[11]
In 317, whileAntigonus was campaigning againstEumenes inPersia andMedia, Asander increased his power inAsia Minor, expanding intoLycia andCappadocia; and was undoubtedly a member of the alliance which was formed byPtolemy, ruler ofEgypt, andCassander, ruler of Macedonia, against Antigonus.[9][12] In 315, when Antigonus began his operations against the forces allied against him, he sent a general namedPtolemy, a nephew of his, with an army to relieveAmisus, and to expel from Cappadocia the army loyal to Asander which had invaded that country.[7][13] However, as Asander was supported by Ptolemy and Cassander,[14] he was able to maintain his control of his territories.
In 313 Antigonus decided to march against Asander and forced him to conclude a treaty with him under which he was required to surrender his whole army,[9] to restore the areas he had expanded into back to the satraps who had previously controlled those areas, to regard his satrapy of Caria as subject to the gift of Antigonus,[15] and to surrender his brotherAgathon as a hostage. After a few days Asander breached this humiliating treaty. He managed to get his brother out of the hands of Antigonus and sent ambassadors to Ptolemy andSeleucus seeking their assistance. Antigonus was indignant at these acts and immediately sent out an army to restore the territories covered by the treaty by force of arms. Caria also appears to have been conquered and from this time Asander disappears from the historical record.[16]
^Gildersleeve, Basil Lanneau; Miller, Charles William Emil; Frank, Tenney; Meritt, Benjamin Dean; Cherniss, Harold Fredrik; Rowell, Henry Thompson (1977).American Journal of Philology. Johns Hopkins University Press.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "Asander (1)".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.