Polemarchus

brother of Lysias

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July 1, 2026

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Polemarch was a title in ancient Greece, specifically referring to a military commander or chieftain. In ancient Athens, the polemarch was the third archon, presiding over a court that handled cases involving non-citizens (metics).1

Lysias, a renowned Greek speechwriter, had a brother named Polemarchus. Both were sons of Cephalus, a wealthy resident of Athens. During the rule of the Thirty Tyrants in Athens in 404 BCE, Lysias and his brother Polemarchus were arrested as foreigners. Polemarchus was killed during this period, while Lysias managed to escape.2

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Lysias
…Tyrants, he and his brother Polemarchus were seized as aliens. Polemarchus was killed, but Lysias escaped to Megara, where he helped the cause of exiled Athenian democrats. On the restoration of Athenian democracy in 403, he returned to Athens and began writing speeches for litigants.
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…Tyrants, he and his brother Polemarchus were seized as aliens. Polemarchus was killed, but Lysias escaped to Megara, where he helped the cause of exiled Athenian democrats. On the restoration of Athenian democracy in 403, he returned to Athens and began writing speeches for litigants.
Read More