One of the greatest financial scandals ever occurred in ancient Greece had as a protagonist the aristocrat Arpalos. From him comes the Greek expression "Arpalia money", that is, the "dirty" money used for bribes.
Museum collection of ancient gold coins
It all began at the time when Alexander the Great ascended the throne after the assassination of Philip. At that time, the 20-year-old needed his trusted friends to take office. So he took with him the Macedonian aristocrat Arpalos, who had no trouble winning the trust of the Macedonian king. He followed him on his campaign in Asia but was unable to fight because of a disability. So Alexander the Great appointed him treasurer.
This was the worst choice he could have made. In 333 BC, before the decisive battle of Issus, Arpalos was convinced by Tavrsikos to escape from the campaign. He took all the money of the army with him and fled to Megara. Alexander the Great, however, showed mercy to him and made him his treasurer again. When Alexander left for his last long-distance campaign to India, Arpalos thought that it was unlikely for the Macedonian king to return alive from such a distant and dangerous campaign and began to squander the money in the royal treasury. Arpalos enjoyed to banquets and having a good time, which caused an outcry among his countrymen.
However, in 325 BC, when Arpalos learned that Alexander had been victorious, returned to Babylon and that he had learned of his misdeeds, he realized that a very harsh punishment awaited him. First, he managed to extort 7,000 talents from the royal treasury and then raised his own mercenary army. Then he set out for Athens. However, the Athenians, especially Demosthenes, did not welcome his arrival and at first, forbade him to enter the city with his mercenaries. Eventually, he was taken in as Iketis, but when the Macedonian general Antipater learned that Arpalos was in Athens, he asked for his extradition.
The Athenians, at Demosthenes' insistence, preferred to imprison him and deposit his money on the Acropolis. His money was confiscated. However, when Arpalos was arrested, although he had come to the city with 700 talents, only 350 were found. The remaining 350 were distributed as bribes and the Athenians then called them "Arpalia money". According to a survey, important people were bribed, including Demosthenes with 20 talents. The Athenians fined him 50 talents, but because he did not have the money, they imprisoned him. The great orator returned it to the treasury, of course, but the Athenians humiliated him and exiled him to Aegina. Even though they readmitted him with honors the next year, as soon as Alexander died.
Eventually, the Athenians decided to deport Arpalos because they were afraid of the revelations that would be made about the orators Arpalos managed to bribe. However, Arpalos managed to escape from the Athenian prisons, fled with his mercenaries to Crete, where he was killed by his mercenary officer and his friend Thimbron.
