Aratus of Sicyon (Ἄρατος ὁ Σικυώνιος) was a prominent Greek statesman and general of the 3rd century BCE. Born in 271 BCE, he fled to Argos after his father's murder and later liberated Sicyon from the tyrant Nicocles in 251 BCE [1][2]. He secured the city's entry into the Achaean League, becoming its leading strategos from 245 BCE until his death in 213 BCE. His career was defined by opposition to Macedonian influence, exemplified by his capture of Acrocorinth in 243 BCE, though he later formed a necessary alliance with Macedon against Sparta [1][2].

His only known work is the lost Memoirs (Ὑπομνήματα), a historical account covering 251–213 BCE. This text served as the primary source for Polybius’s history of the Achaean League and for Plutarch’s Life of Aratus [1][2][3].

Aratus was pivotal in transforming the Achaean League into the dominant Peloponnesian power. His political and military strategies shaped the Hellenistic geopolitical landscape, and his legacy is preserved through the historians who relied upon his memoirs [1][2][3].

Sources 1. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aratus-of-Sicyon 2. Perseus Digital Library, entry from Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aentry%3Daratus-bio-1 3. World History Encyclopedia: https://www.worldhistory.org/Aratus_of_Sicyon/