Pausanias of Orestis



Pausanias of Orestis (Greek: Παυσανίας τῆς Ὀρεστίδος) was a member of Philip II of Macedon's somatophylakes, his personal bodyguard. He assassinated Philip in 336 BC, possibly at the instigation of Philip's wife Olympias, or even his son Alexander the Great. He was captured and killed. The most popular story explaining the murder comes from Diodorus Siculus, who expanded upon its mention by Aristotle. However Diodorus was writing over two centuries after Philips reign, and without mentioning sources, thus his depiction must be taken with a grain of salt.

According to Diodorus, the general Attalus blamed Pausanias for the death of his friend. Philip and Pausanias had once been lovers, but the affair ended, and Philip started a new affair with Attalus' friend (also named Pausanias). The former Pausanias, feeling spurned, insulted his romantic rival in public. To secure his honor, Attalus' friend committed suicide by recklessly putting himself into danger in battle, while at the same time protecting the king. Devastated, Attalus sought to punish Pausanias of Orestis, and did so by getting the man drunk, and then submitting him to a rape. For any number of reasons, Philip did not punish Attalus. Pausanias of Orestis was promoted to the rank of somatophylax, probably as a consolation.

It has been supposed then that Pausanias' motive in killing Philip was at least in part a personal anger for not having been granted justice against Attalus. However Diodorus who supports the attribution of a personal motive to Pausanius dates the events which led to the assault on Pausanias to the time of the Illyrian Pleurias and the last known campaign taken by Philip against the Illyrians took place in 344 BC. This would mean that Pausanias waited eight years to act against Philip for his lack of justice. But not all wars of Philip against the Illyrians are known; so it is possible that he fought against them also in 337 BC.

Pausanias killed Philip at the wedding ceremony of Philip's daughter Cleopatra to Alexander I of Epirus, and as he tried to flee to the city gate, tripped on a vine-root and was speared by Attalus (not Parmenios son-in-Law), Leonnatus, and Perdiccas, who were also bodyguards and friends of Alexander. Alexander had Pausanias' corpse crucified, but as soon as he had left Macedon, Olympias built a memorial to the slain man. The murder was certainly premeditated, as horses were found near where Pausanias had fled. At the murder trial, two other men, Heromenes and Arrhabaeus, were found guilty of conspiracy with Pausanias, and executed. Leonnatus, who threw the spear that killed Pausanias, was demoted, possibly under suspicion he was trying to prevent him from being interrogated.

Modern dramatic productions
20th-century dramatizations of Alexander's life sometimes include Pausanias' rape, Philip's assassination at his hands, or both; these dramatizations usually agree with the story presented by Aristotle, if not also Diodorus Siculus.

Oliver Stone's 2004 film Alexander contains a brief reference to the rape, but suggests that Philip himself took part in the act. The assassination is more in line with the original sources, featuring Pausanias as a somatophylax, his getaway attempt, and his accomplices.

Mary Renault's novel Fire from Heaven suggests the possibility of Persian bribery to influence Pausanias, yet maintains that the rape was probably the strongest motive to actually push Pausanias towards the act of killing. This version gives insight into Pausanias' psyche following the rape and leading up to the assassination. This is also supported by Alexander's retort to Darius.

Rossen's 1956 Alexander the Great makes textual references to the rape, but does not show it. It emphasises a public insult from Philip as the main motivation, followed by incitement from Olympias. Pausanias carries out the assassination and is killed by Alexander.

Ancient sources

 * Plutarch: Life of Alexander
 * Philip's Assassination, Plutarch
 * Diodorus Siculus, 16.94

Modern commentary

 * Death of Philip: Murder or Assassination?
 * Alexander The Great, J.R. Hamilton
 * Alexander Of Macedon 356-323 B.C., Peter Green