Memnon of Rhodes (380 – 333 BCE) is the commander of the Greek mercenaries working for the Persian king Darius III when Alexander the Great of Macedonia invades Persia in 334 BCE.
He commands the mercenaries at the Battle of the Granicus River, where his troops are massacred by the victorious Macedonians.
He then begins a campaign to capture the Aegean islands with the Persian fleet and leads a direct assault on Macedonia, while Alexander is resting at Phaselis.
Memnon manages to capture the island of Chios and most of Lesbos.
Demosthenes, after hearing of Memnon's successes, begins to prepare Athens for a revolt along with other Greek cities, while Sparta begins to prepare for war.
By a stroke of fortune for Alexander, Memnon dies of illness at Mytilene and transfers command to his nephew, Pharnabazus.