Heracles contended for the throne with Nearchus' initial support (who himself had married Barsine's daughter by Mentor). Their bid met insufficient support, and Barsine and Heracles were murdered in 309 BC by Polyperchon. Assessment Many scholars maintain that had Memnon's campaign been successful, Alexander would have had difficulty in continuing his campaign in Asia, and might have soon been defeated. Memnon's naval campaigns and the uprising he orchestrated in Sparta posed the greatest danger to Alexander since he had become king. Schuster notes that if Memnon had not died at Mytilene, "Alexander might have been forced to abandon Asia Minor and return home to defend his throne". Thus, when Alexander realized he had nearly been defeated, he decided to invade Achaemenid Phoenicia before he moved into the empire's interior. It was not until after the major Persian defeat at the Battle of Issus that Memnon's strategy was revitalised and finally put into action, but by then, the advantage had been lost, and Alexander showed himself willing to forfeit Greece, if necessary, for his greater goals. In fiction In the 1956 historical film Alexander the Great Memnon was portrayed by Peter Cushing. Memnon appears as an antagonist in the Japanese manga Historie, by Hitoshi Iwaaki. References Sources Further reading External links Memnon of Rhodes from Livius.org, by Jona Lendering Memnon (1) from Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography Wiki Classical Dictionary: Memnon of Rhodes 4th-century BC Rhodians Ancient Greek mercenaries in Achaemenid service Opponents of Alexander the Great Ancient Rhodian generals Military leaders of the Achaemenid Empire 380 BC births 333 BC deaths