In the Trojan War of Greek mythology, many nations were allied with Troy to fight against the Greeks. This included many of the nations of ancient Anatolia. Perhaps the most surprising participant in the Trojan War, however, was a prince from ancient Iran. He was Memnon, best known as the Ethiopian ruler who died at the hands of Achilles in the final year of the war.

Memnon, king of the eastern Ethiopians

Since Memnon is usually remembered as being a king of the Ethiopians, how can he have been from ancient Iran? The reason is that there was more than just one group of people known to the Greeks as Ethiopians.

For example, notice the words of Greek historian Herodotus of the fifth century BCE in his description of the large army of Xerxes the Great:

“Ethiopians above Egypt and the Arabians had Arsames for commander, and the Ethiopians of the east​ (for there were two kinds of them in the army) served with the Indians.”

This shows that the Greeks recognized the existence of Ethiopians outside of Africa. Specifically, these other Ethiopians lived in the east, evidently not too far from India. Since Memnon was the king of the Ethiopians, he could potentially have been the king of either the eastern Ethiopians or the African ones.

It is worth mentioning that in ancient Greek, the word Αἰθίοψ (Ethiops) was used not only to describe a specific group of people, but also more generally to refer to individuals with darker skin. The term is a compound of αἴθω (to burn) and ὤψ (face or appearance), literally meaning “burnt-face.” It appears frequently in early Greek literature, such as Homer’s epics, where Ethiopians are depicted as distant, noble figures living at the edges of the known world, rather than as members of a clearly defined nation.

The Ethiopians of Iran

Herodotus himself states that the city of Susa, the ancient capital of Elam (a prominent region in what is now Iran), was known as the city of Memnon. This suggests that Memnon was the king of the eastern Ethiopians, evidently a people in the region of Iran.

This is confirmed by Ctesias, just a few decades after Herodotus. According to this Greek historian, Memnon’s father, Tithonus, was the ruler of Persia. He was either subject to or allied with the king of the Assyrian Empire.

The territory of Persia in the time of the Assyrian Empire corresponded to a large part of what is now Iran. According to Ctesias, Memnon built a palace for himself at Susa. He goes on to claim that Memnon’s army, which he led to Troy, was composed of many Ethiopians and Susians, or inhabitants of Susa.

Hence, it is clear that Memnon in the legends of the Trojan War was originally supposed to have been from ancient Iran.

As for why the Greeks called the inhabitants of that region ‘Ethiopians’, we cannot be sure. However, it may be related to the use of the word ‘Cissians‘ (‘Kíssioi’ in Greek) for the inhabitants of the region of Elam. The Greeks might have confused this for ‘Kush’, the name for the kingdom of the Ethiopians south of Egypt.

How ancient Iran participated in the Trojan War

Ctesias provides the most detailed early account of this army from ancient Iran that fought in the Trojan War. According to Ctesias, King Priam of Troy was subordinate to the king of Assyria, named Teutamos. Due to the difficulties he was facing in the Trojan War, he sent word to Teutamos to ask for help.

As a result, Teutamos sent a large army of 10,000 Ethiopians and 10,000 Susians under the command of Memnon. This army from ancient Iran marched from the furthest corner of the Assyrian Empire over to Troy. Ctesias wrote:

“Memnon assisted the Trojans with 20,000 infantry and 200 chariots and… he was admired for his courage and for killing many Greeks in battle.”

Despite his prowess in battle, Ctesias goes on to explain that the Thessalians killed him. This refers to his death at the hands of Achilles, as per other sources. Achilles was from the kingdom of Phthia in ancient Thessaly.

Did an army from ancient Iran fight in the Trojan War?

Could Memnon have been a historical king or prince of Elam in ancient Iran? Some scholars have speculated that he might be identical to Humban-Numena I, the king of Elam in the Bronze Age. Furthermore, the latter half of his name is admittedly similar to ‘Memnon’.

However, he likely reigned in the first half of the 14th century BCE. Therefore, this king from ancient Iran lived too early to have fought in the Trojan War.

Two other possibilities are Humban-Numena II, possibly in the 11th century BCE, and Humban-Numena III, who lived at the end of the eighth century BCE. The latter’s name is often written in modern sources as “Humban-menanu.” The similarity to “Memnon,” while not exact, is there.

This latter candidate, although living much later than the traditional date of the Trojan War, is particularly noteworthy given Ctesias’ chronological information. He places Memnon’s activities at the height of the Assyrian Empire.

Another candidate from approximately the same time is a prominent Elamite known only as Menanu, referenced in a letter from Ashurbanipal, the king of Assyria. The letter makes it clear that Menanu is a supporter of Assyria. This fits what Ctesias tells us about Memnon.

However, this does not necessarily mean that an army marched from ancient Iran to fight in the Trojan War. In part, this depends on when the Trojan War occurred, a continued historical debate.

Nevertheless, the legend itself is clear. Memnon led an army from ancient Iran to Troy, where they fought in the Trojan War against the Greeks.

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Sbarco è una parola che confonde. È un termine non umanitario, piuttosto è militare. Si sbarca in Normandia, non a Lampedusa.

Cosa c’è di umano nel chiamare sbarco, ad esempio, quello avvenuto a metà maggio caratterizzato dalla storia di una neonata ivoriana di un mese morta di freddo? Vestiti fradici, barca di sette metri, partenza da Sfax-El Amra. I rianimatori hanno provato tutto, ma il suo cuore aveva già deciso che non valeva la pena aspettare l’ennesima riunione dei ministri dell’Interno. La seppelliranno a Cala Pisana, accanto a tombe senza nome: il cimitero più visitato dai vivi solo quando c’è da fare passerelle. Accanto alla morte della bambina, l’ennesimo orrore: diverse donne stuprate durante il viaggio. Lo conferma Francesco D’Arca, responsabile del poliambulatorio dell’isola: “Non è un episodio isolato, ma l’ennesima ferita aperta nel Mediterraneo”.

Ferite sul corpo, certo, ma soprattutto dentro. Solita storia: mentre i migranti provano a ricominciare, medici, psicologi e volontari tengono insieme i pezzi di un’umanità che i governi europei trattano come un fastidio stagionale. Dopo il ciclone Harry, che tra il 19 e il 21 gennaio ha devastato diverse coste di Sicilia e Calabria, il mare è diventato una lavatrice impazzita. Più di 1.800 persone morte. In alcuni giorni si muore più nel Mediterraneo che in un giorno di guerra in Iran.

La rotta tunisina resta una delle più pericolose al mondo, ma tranquilli: c’è sempre qualcuno pronto a spiegare che “la situazione è sotto controllo”. In questo scenario, la visita di Papa Leone il prossimo 4 luglio non è un evento: è un dito nella piaga. Tredici anni dopo Papa Francesco e la sua “globalizzazione dell’indifferenza”, un nuovo pontefice torna nello stesso punto della ferita, perché la ferita è ancora lì. E sanguina.

Papa Prevost arriva mentre il Mediterraneo vive una delle sue stagioni più tragiche. La sua presenza non sarà la solita foto da tg: sarà un appello diretto ai governi europei ad aprire corridoi umanitari, a creare vie legali a superare la logica emergenziale che da anni è diventata la foglia di fico perfetta per non fare nulla. Eppure, anche in mezzo alla distrazione generale, questa visita ricorda che l’umanità concreta esiste: volontari, medici, famiglie, comunità locali che non hanno mai smesso di accogliere. Senza decreti, senza conferenze stampa, senza hashtag.

Di fronte alla morte della neonata, alle donne violentate, ai corpi senza nome, risuonano ad esempio le parole del cardinale Matteo Zuppi, uno che non ha paura di dire le cose come stanno: “Non possiamo permettere che il Mediterraneo diventi un confine di morte. È il luogo dove si misura la nostra umanità, non la nostra paura.” E ancora: “L’Europa deve decidere se vuole essere una comunità solidale o un condominio dove ognuno chiude la porta.” Tradotto: o siamo un continente, o siamo un insieme di citofoni.

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L'articolo A ogni arrivo a Lampedusa, Bruxelles scopre di avere una coscienza. Per rimetterla subito nel cassetto proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

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