Wikipedia
Hephaestion ( Hephaistion; c. 356 BC – 324 BC), son of Amyntor, was a Macedonian nobleman and a general in the army of Alexander the Great. He was "... by far the dearest of all the king's friends; he had been brought up with Alexander and shared all his secrets." This friendship lasted throughout their lives, and was compared, by others as well as themselves, to that of Achilles and Patroclus.
His military career was distinguished. A member of Alexander the Great’s personal bodyguard, he went on to command the Companion cavalry and was entrusted with many other tasks throughout Alexander's ten-year campaign in Asia, including diplomatic missions, the bridging of major rivers, sieges and the foundation of new settlements. Besides being a soldier, engineer and diplomat he corresponded with the philosophers Aristotle and Xenocrates and actively supported Alexander in his attempts to integrate the Greeks and Persians. Alexander formally made him his second-in-command when he appointed him Chiliarch of the empire. Alexander also made him part of the royal family when he gave him as his bride Drypetis, sister to his own second wife Stateira, both daughters of Darius III of Persia. When he died suddenly at Ecbatana around age thirty-two, Alexander was overwhelmed with grief. He petitioned the oracle at Siwa to grant Hephaestion divine status and thus Hephaestion was honoured as a Divine Hero. Hephaestion was cremated in Babylon in the presence of the entire army. At the time of his own death a mere eight months later, Alexander was still planning lasting monuments to Hephaestion's memory.
Hephaestion or Hephaistion may refer to:
- Hephaestion, Alexander's celebrated friend and general
- Hephaestion (grammarian) of Alexandria, who flourished in the age of the Antonines
- Hephaestion (sculptor) son of Myron (perhaps Myron)
- Hephaistio of Thebes, 5th century astrologer, usually called Hephaestion of Thebes
- Hephaestion (genus), a genus of beetles
Hephaestion ( Hēphaistíōn; fl. 2nd century AD) was a grammarian of Alexandria who flourished in the age of the Antonines. He was the author of a manual (abridged from a larger work in 48 books) of Greek metres, which is most valuable as the only complete treatise on the subject that has been preserved. The concluding chapter discusses the various kinds of poetical composition. It is written in a clear and simple style, and was much used as a school-book.
Hephaestion is a genus of beetles in the family Cerambycidae, containing the following species:
- Hephaestion annulatum Philippi, 1859
- Hephaestion auratum Cerda, 1968
- Hephaestion bullocki Cerda, 1968
- Hephaestion chalybeum Philippi, 1865
- Hephaestion corralensis Philippi & Philippi, 1864
- Hephaestion cyanopterum Philippi & Philippi, 1864
- Hephaestion flavicornis Philippi & Philippi, 1864
- Hephaestion fuscescens Philippi & Philippi, 1864
- Hephaestion holomelas Philippi & Philippi, 1864
- Hephaestion lariosi Bosq, 1951
- Hephaestion nigricornis Fairmaire & Germain, 1861
- Hephaestion ocreatum Newman, 1840
- Hephaestion pallidicornis Fairmaire & Germain, 1859
- Hephaestion tolhuaca Cerda, 1995
- Hephaestion versicolor Philippi, 1859
- Hephaestion violaceipennis Fairmaire & Germain, 1861