Gryllus
Family: Athenian · Role: cavalry officer · First appears: Book 1 · Chapter 3
At Mantinea, Gryllus, son of Xenophon, led the Athenian cavalry against the Bœotian cavalry led by Epaminondas. The charge was remembered as a notable action, and the Athenian account, corroborated by the Thebans, credited Gryllus with mortally wounding Epaminondas.
In Book 8, Gryllus was named the bravest participant in the battle. After Epaminondas was wounded and carried from the fighting, the Mantineans gave Gryllus a public funeral and erected his statue where he fell, honoring him as “the bravest man in the allied army.” By Book 9, a painting at Athens represented Gryllus as “The Athenian who killed Epaminondas.”
Relationship record
Life events
- Gryllus and Epaminondas led the opposing cavalry forces in a notable charge.(Book 1 · Chapter 3 · 📍 Mantinea)
- With: Xenophon Epaminondas
- “in the picture is the cavalry charge, the most noted officers in which were on the Athenian side Gryllus, the son of Xenophon, and in the Bœotian cavalry Epaminondas the Theban.”
- Gryllus was honored as the bravest participant in the battle.(Book 8 · Chapter 9)
- With: Xenophon
- “the bravest (whether of their own men or their allies) in the battle was Gryllus the son of Xenophon”
- Epaminondas was mortally wounded in battle, removed from the fighting, and died afterward.(Book 8 · Chapter 11 · 📍 Pelagos)
- With: Epaminondas
- “And when Epaminondas was wounded they removed him yet alive out of the line of battle.”
- Gryllus received a public funeral and a statue honoring him as the allied army’s bravest soldier.(Book 8 · Chapter 11 · 📍 Pelagos)
- “The Mantineans also seem to have given Gryllus a public funeral, and erected to him his statue on a pillar where he fell as the bravest man in the allied army”
- Gryllus was represented as the Athenian who killed Epaminondas.(Book 9 · Chapter 15 · 📍 Athens)
- With: Epaminondas
- “The Athenian who killed Epaminondas is represented in a painting at Athens of the cavalry-skirmish to have been Gryllus”
Book 1 · Chapter 3
- parent: Xenophon “on the Athenian side Gryllus, the son of Xenophon”
- with Euphranor (The preceding painting includes Gryllus; Euphranor is identified as the painter.) “These paintings were painted for the Athenians by Euphranor, and in the temple hard by he represented Apollo under the name Patrous. And in front of the temple Leochares represented another Apollo, and Calamis the Apollo who is called Averter of Evil.”
Book 8 · Chapter 9
- parent: Xenophon (Xenophon is Gryllus's father.) “Gryllus the son of Xenophon.”
Book 8 · Chapter 11
- with Epaminondas (The Athenian and Theban account attributes the mortal wound to Gryllus.) “But the Athenian account, corroborated by the Thebans, is that Epaminondas was mortally wounded by Gryllus: and this corresponds with the painting of the action at Mantinea.”
Book 9 · Chapter 15
- with Epaminondas (Gryllus killed Epaminondas.) “The Athenian who killed Epaminondas is represented in a painting at Athens of the cavalry-skirmish to have been Gryllus”
- parent: Xenophon “Gryllus, the son of that Xenophon”
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Extracted from the original text of Pausanias' Description of Greece. Made with Rho MD.