1. Βiography – Action
Amorges was the illegitimate son of Pissuthnes, a Persian satrap of Sardis (c. 440-413?) of royal origin. Almost nothing is known about his activities prior his father’s revolt was suppressed (c. 423 BC). The Athenian orator Andocides calls him the king’s slave and an exile, although these contemptuous labels have to do with the fact that he was a revolter. He revolted around 414-413 BC with the help of the Athenians, who had also supported his father.1
Darius II ordered Tissaphernes, satrap of Lydia who replaced Pissuthnes, to arrest by all means Amorges and bring him before him either dead or alive.2 The revolt started from Iassos, Caria, which was finally captured by the Ionians who had opposed the Athenians, their allies Lacedaemonians and Tissaphernes.3 The city was plundered, the citizens were sold as slaves, Amorges’ mercenaries, mainly Peloponnesians, were incorporated in the Spartan army, while Amorges, who was arrested by Lysander, surrendered to Tissaphernes and no one ever talked about him ever since.4
1. Andoc. 3.29, Thuc. 8.54.3. The Athenian support to Amorges violated the treaty with Persia and caused the Ionian War (412-404 BC). Τhe event must have happened before the Sicilian Expedition. See Badian, E., From Plataea to Potidaia. Studies in the History and Historiography of the Pentecontaetia (Baltimore – London 1993), p. 54.
3. Amorges is mentioned on Xanthos’ Stele, which has not been fully translated yet from the Lycian language. The tyrant of Xanthus must have helped Tissaphernes against the revolter. See Melchert, H.C., “A new interpretation of lines C 3-9 of the Xanthos Stele”, in Dobesch, G. (ed.), Akten des II. Intern. Lykien-Symposions (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaft, Denschriften 231 Bd, Wien 1993), pp. 31-34.