Ancient Coin Stories

Nikokreon was a professional brown-noser. In fact, for all we know, he gave the phrase its name. His father, Pnytagoras, had supported Alexander the Great during the Siege of Tyre, commanded by Azemilkos. During that siege, Pnytagoras had lost his flagship, and maybe even his life. Alexander therefore compensated Salamis with territory.

We don’t know exactly when Nikokreon became king of Salamis, but he was present at a banquet attended by Alexander shortly after the siege, during which he offered praise upon praise.

The tactic seemed to work, as Nikokreon was eventually given most of Cyprus to rule. However, he did have to endure one particularly strong snub during the banquet, when Anaxarchos said of the huge feast before them to Alexander, “Everything, O king, is magnificent; there is only one thing lacking, that the head of some satrap should be served up at table.”

This burned Nikokreon badly, and turned out most foolish of Anaxarchos. Some years later, after Alexander had died, the philosopher accidentally landed in Cyprus. Nikokreon, remembering the insult, had Anaxarchos ground up with a mortar and pestles. I assume Nikokreon didn’t eat him, though such things occurred during those times. In any regards, if anyone happens to time travel back to Salamis during the Era of the Diadochi, you may want to avoid the sausages.

After Alexander’s death, Nikokreon sided with Ptolemy over Antigonos I Monophthalmos. This likely made sense, since Ptolemy‘s brother Menelaus effectively ruled from Salamis, making Nikokreon to some degree a mere figurehead. Therefore, the alliance was probably as much for physical survival as for political.

Not only are we unsure when Nikokreon took the reigns of Salamis, we also aren’t sure when he died. There’s some thought that it was before 306 BCE, since he wasn’t mentioned during the Battle of Salamis, which pitted Demetrios against Ptolemy.

According to Plutarch, Nikokreon faced off against Pasikrates of Soloi in a stage festival held by Alexander in Phoenicia. The actor Athenodoros took the side of Nikokreon.