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GREEK
REFERENCES
John Sloan
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This table is a list of names of
prominent Greek politicians - generals active in the wars of the Greek
communities from circa 500 to 200 BC. It also includes Persian, Macedonian and
other of their opponents. And also terms used in references. It also includes
important cities, regions or islands that were involved in Greek warfare. For
those for which we found Wikipedia entries links are provided. Likewise links
to the History of war web site. The Encyclopedia Britannica and Livus have
entries but they are more difficult to link. Some links are to the sources, we
have two very different editions of
Cornelius Nepos'
book on great generals.
Plutarch also wrote essays about some of these leaders and there are
several editions available on line. Many of the strategems developed and
employed by Greek commanders are described in
Frontinus
Strategems, this is in the Loeb series, and
Polyaenus The
Strategems of War this has several versions on line.
There is an extensive reference list of classical and modern sources in the
accompaning article on classicgreekwars.
This table is a supplement for the table listing battles and wars

When one reads about the many individuals who participated in the warfare of
the 5th - 2nd centuries one realizes that the inter relationships betwen the
Greeks and Persians were more extensive than our popular history text books
indicate. And the personal motivations of both the powerful leaders in all
cities and of the larger citizenry in the 'democratic' cities dominated
political policy.
Clauswitz's famous statement that war is politics raised to a higher dimension
does not make itself clear as these three accounts do, namely that conflict
extends from that between individuals, families, tribes, and civic
associations, to larger societies, principalities, satrapies, kingdoms and
empires.
The lesson to be learned from this history is that conflict at all levels
including wars and battles is conceived of and waged by individuals (not
abstact concepts such as the 'state') And the leaders and their followers take
actions as a result of decisions which are based on ideas and beliefs. In some
respects the beliefs of these 'ancients' are the same or similar to 'modern's
but in many others they are quite different - dramatically different. Therefor
this list describes results and the reader must think more deeply about causes
in the personalities and motivations of the individuals as they are revealed. I
include some basic general histories and speciality references for those who
desire to study more deeply these beliefs. In order to make this list shorter I
include much detail in the links, which are either or both the highlighted name
or a little blue button.
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Agiad - Eurypontid
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The names of two of the
hereditary dynasties of kings of Sparta. Both these many generation families
claimed descent from Hercules. There were two kings simultaneously. The office
had little political power apart from influence. But the kings typically did
lead the Spartan army into battle.
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Archon
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The title of the chief
executives in classical Greek cities. In the Athenian government there were
typically three elected to serve simultaneously.
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Boeotarch
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The elected leader of the Theban
Confederation from 379.
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Ephor
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The ephors were leaders of
ancient Sparta, and its colonies of Taras and Heraclea, and shared power with
the two Spartan kings. The ephors were a council of five elected annually who
swore "on behalf of the city" while the kings swore for themselves.
Herodotus claimed that the institution was created by Lycurgus, while Plutarch
considers it a later institution. It may have arisen from the need for
governors while the kings were leading armies in battle. The ephors were
elected by the popular assembly, and all citizens were eligible. They were
forbidden to be re-elected and provided a balance for the two kings, who rarely
co-operated. Plato called the ephors tyrants who ran Sparta as despots while
the kings were little more than generals.
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Gerosia
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The Gerousia was the Spartan
council of elders, which was made up of men over the age of sixty. It was
created by the semi-legendary Spartan lawgiver Lycurgus in the seventh century,
in his Great Rhetra ("Great Pronouncement"). According to Lycurgus'
biographer Plutarch, the creation of the Gerousia was the first significant
constitutional innovation instituted by Lycurgus.
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Helepolis
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Helepolis is the Greek name for
a movable siege tower. see Helepolis and
model
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Models of modern ideas about
what the Boeotian flamethrower looked like.
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Hoplite
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Hoplites were citizen-soldiers
of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields.
Hoplite soldiers utilized the phalanx formation to be effective in war with
fewer soldiers. The formation discouraged the soldiers from acting alone, for
this would compromise the formation and minimize its strengths. The hoplites
were primarily represented by free citizens propertied farmers and
artisans who were able to afford the bronze armour suit and weapons
(estimated at a third to a half of its able-bodied adult male population). Most
hoplites were not professional soldiers and often lacked sufficient military
training. Some states maintained a small elite professional unit, known as the
epilektoi ("chosen") since they were picked from the regular citizen
infantry. These existed at times in Athens, Argos, Thebes, and Syracuse, among
others. Hoplite soldiers made up the bulk of ancient Greek armies. In the 8th
or 7th century, Greek armies adopted the phalanx formation. The formation
proved successful in defeating the Persians when employed by the Athenians at
the Battle of Marathon in 490
during the First Greco-Persian War. The Persian archers and light troops who
fought in the Battle of Marathon failed because their bows were too weak for
their arrows to penetrate the wall of Greek shields that comprised the phalanx
formation. The phalanx was also employed by the Greeks at the Battle of
Thermopylaein
480 and at the Battle of
Plataeain 479
during the Second Greco-Persian War.
See the link for more detail.
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Phalanx
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The phalanx was a rectangular
mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with
spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar pole weapons. and a
diagram
See the link for more details
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Phalangite
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A member of a phalanx
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Helot
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The helots were a subjugated
population that constituted a majority of the population of Laconia and
Messenia the territories comprising Sparta. There has been controversy
since antiquity as to their exact characteristics, such as whether they
constituted an ethnic group, a social class, or both.
The first link is to a description. The second link is to an article about the
helot revolt.
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Polemarch
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the Greek name for the chief of
the three archons in Athens
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Lochoi
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A regiment sized unit in the
Spartan army
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Moria
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A battalion sized unit in the
Spartan army
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Navarch
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the Greek name for a naval
commander - admiral
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Ostracism
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An Athenian idea to enable the
voters annually to exile the individual they believed was most likely to assume
too much power or simply too popular. By consideration of the motivations
behind each specific example the reader can gain an idea about the nature of
Athenian 'democracy' in action.
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Peltast
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A light infantryman who could
fight in irregular warfare better than hoplites
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phalanx
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The mass infantry formation the
Greeks and then Macedonians used effectively
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strategos
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the Greek name for a military
commander - general
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trireme
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A trireme was an ancient vessel
and a type of galley that was used by the ancient maritime civilizations of the
Mediterranean, especially the Phoenicians, ancient Greeks and Romans. see
Trireme and model It
was very dangerous to allow a trireme to turn in the face of the opponent, so
the seating was arranged so that in order to 'back water' keeping the bow
facing the enemy the crew could step over their oar and row powerfully while
moving astern.
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diekplous
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This is one of the main naval
tactics using triremes, described by William Rodgers. It consisted of a
maneuver to pass through the opposing line of triremes to attack him from the
rear or before they could turn. Along the passage the idea was to shere off the
opposing ship oars and then ram an opposing ship. The bows were strengthened
and mounted with a heavy bronze ram. But it was a dangerous maneuver and its
main success was achieved by
Phormio. In the battle in the Syracuse harbor the defenders greatly
reenforced their ships in order to be able to 'our ram' the Athenians.
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periplous
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This was the other main naval
tactic using triremes as described by Rodgers. It was the opposite of
penetrating the line -rather it was envelopment by deploying in a longer line
and then outflanking the opponent. To be successful it required superior
numbers. Both tactics greater manuverability by better crews. Both were new
tactics designed to use the triremes themselves. Previously (and subsequently
by the Romans) the battle consisted of a firepower between missles from both
sides followed by ship direct contact enabling marines to wage a kind of land
battle on board the opponent's ship.
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trierach
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The officer commanding a trireme
- frequently the wealthy individual who was required to build it.
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Individuals
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5th century d.459
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Achaemenes
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He was a son of king
Darius I by his queen
Atossa and thus a full brother of
Xerxes I, He was sent as
satrap of Egypt some time between 486 and 484. There he defeated the local
revolt 484. When Xerxes launched the second Persian invasion of Greece
(480479), Achaemenes was ordered to bring the Egyptian fleet and take
command of the combined Persian fleet. He commanded at
Artimisium and
at Salamis. He
faced an Athenian navy and army again in 460. After Salamis Achaemenes returned
to Egypt as satrap. In 460, under the leadership of a native prince named
Inaros, Egypt revolted once more against Persian rule. The Athenians sent a
naval-military force from Cyprus. Achaemenes confronted Inaros in the Battle of
Papremis in 459 but was defeated and slain. But eventually the Persians sent an
army and defeated the Egyptians and Athenians. Xerxes lost two other brothers
who were killed at Thermpolae.
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Acilus
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He was commander of the Oricum
fleet
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c. 246-213
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Achaeus
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General of
Antiochus III among the successors of
Alexander the Great
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377 -326
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Ada of Caria
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Ada of Caria (fl. 377
326) was a member of the House of Hecatomnus (the Hecatomnids) and ruler of
Caria during the mid-4th century, first as Persian Satrap and later as Queen
under the auspices of Alexander III (the Great) of Macedon.
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480
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Adeimantus
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He was the Corinthian naval
commander at Artemisium and
Salamis. He
opposed Themistocles but eventually agreed to follow his plan. He was the
father Aristeus, also a Corinthian general.
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5th century
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Adeimantus
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He was the son of Leucolophides
and an Athenian commander - supporter of
Alcibiades. He was
elected strategosand participated in campaign to Andros 407, and battles
of Arginusae406
and Aegospotami 405. At that battle he
opposed Philocles' motion
that captured individuals should have their right hands cut off. He was spared
after the battle but accused of treachery.
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4th century
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Aeneas Tacticus
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Military author of books on
military tactics. His book on sieges survives. He notes the importance in Greek
warfare of dealing with potential opposition parties inside a city
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d. 866
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Agesilaus I
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Agesilaus I, son of Doryssus,
was the 6th king of the Agiad line at Sparta, excluding Aristodemus. According
to Apollodorus of Athens, he reigned forty-four years, and died in 886.
Pausanias makes his reign a short one, but contemporary with the legislation of
Lycurgus. He was succeeded by his son Archelaus. His grandson was Teleclus.
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c. 444 - 359
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Agesilaus II
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He was a king who ruled over
Sparta during the 4th century. Agesilaus was from the Eurypontid family, one of
the two royal dynasties of Sparta (the other being the Agiad family). This
Spartan king is perhaps best known for his victories against the Persians in
Anatolia, as well as his successes in the
Corinthian Wars.
The Spartan defeat by the Thebans at the Battle of
Leuctra, which took place during
Agesilaus reign in 371, however, brought an end to Spartan dominance in
the Peloponnese. Agesilaus was the second son of Archidamus II, a Spartan king
reigned from around 477 to 426. and his second wife, Eupolia, the daughter of
Melesippidas. There is a biography by Plutarch who compares him to Pompey.
See the links for details.
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411
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Agesandridas or Hegesandridas
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Hegesandridas or Agesandridas
was a son of a "Hegesander" or "Agesander", perhaps the
same who is mentioned as a member of the last Spartan embassy sent to Athens
before the Peloponnesian War, was himself a Spartan general in that war. In 411
he was placed in command of a fleet of 42 ships destined to further a revolt in
Euboea. see Hegesandridas
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400-380
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Agesipolis I
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Agiad king of Sparta His father
was Pausanias
and his colleague was Agesilaus II. While he
was still a minor, the Spartan army was led by
Aristodemus. In 390 he
led the army in invasion of Argolis. In 385 he led the army against Mantinea.
In this battle the Theban generalsEpaminondas and Pelopidas were nearly
killed. He captured the town by diverting a stream against the walls to make
them collapse. In 380 he stormed Toroni, but died soon after
from a fever. See the links for details
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371 - 369
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Agesipolis II
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Agiad king of Sparta He ruled
briefly. See the links for details.
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427 - 400
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Agis II
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Eurypontid king of Sparta He was
the son of Archidamus II
for whom the first phase of the Peloponnesian war - The Arhchidamian War -
is named. In 425 he invaded Attica but was called back. In 421 he signed the
Peace of Nicias. In
418 the Athenians , Argives and Mantineans marched toward
Tegea so the Spartans had to
stop them. Agis maneuvered his troops successfully and defeated them near
Mantinea.The
Livius entry quotes Thucydides' account fully
Decelean or Ionian
War. Agis not only invaded Attica but for the first time his Spartans fortified
Decelea thus putting a
permanent garrison there to raid continually instead of periodically. In 401 he
defeated the Eleans at Elis
and died on the way back to Sparta. He was succeeded by his younger
half-brother, Agesilaus
II
See the links.
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338 - 330
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Agis III
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Eurypontid king of Sparta He was
a son of king Archidamus
III of Sparta and succeeded his father in 338. In 333, while
Alexander the Great
was busy in Persia, he began an anti-Macedonian effort by recruiting Greek
mercenaries who had served in the Persian army and had survivedIssus and he then
invaded Crete. This forced Alexander to send a fleet commanded by Amphoterus.
Agis next campaigned in Greece and defeated a Macedonian army commanded by
Corragus while Antipater was busy. But when Antipatermarched south with
a large army in 351 Agis was defeated in battle at Megalopolis.
See the links.
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244 - 241
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Agis IV
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Agis IV(c. 265 241), the
elder son of Eudamidas II, was the 25th king of the Eurypontid dynasty of
Sparta. Posterity has reckoned him an idealistic but impractical monarch.
Plutarch wrote a biography in which he compared Agis and Cleomenes with the
Roman would-be reformers Caius and Tiberius Gracchus, an excellent choice .
See links for details.
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d. 404
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Alcibiades
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Athenian politician and general
- He repeatedly switched sides between Athens and Sparta and between Greek
cities and Persia, depending on his political standing in those places. He was
both famous and notorious to contemporaries and historians.
Nepos and Plutarch both wrote assessments. He
was such an important figure in Greek history that I include a summary of his
full biography from Wikipedia here. 
The contemporary and modern historians' description of his career and
(significantly) its reception and influence on both powerful, experienced
political leaders and on the Athenian public is testimony to the role of 'great
men' in history. It contradicts the concept that individuals play no such role
but that history is created by 'forces' and abstract entities such as 'the
state'. The ancient Greeks and Romans had no such abstract concept as a
'state'.
Plutarch wrote his biography and compared him with the Roman Coriolanus, a very
striking comparison indeed.
See the links.
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427/6
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Alcidas
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Spartan leader who in 427
supported Mytilenean aristocrats against Athens. But he was so afraid of the
Athenian seamanship at the battle of Naupactus that he avoided contact and
returned home. He attacked cities along the Ionian coast. He supported the
aristocrats at Corcyra in 426 but lost the naval battle against the Athenian
and Corcyrean fleets.
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343-331
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Alexander I of Epirus
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Alexander I, king of Epirus
about 342, brother of Olympias the mother of Alexander the Great, and
son-in-law of Philip of Macedon, whose daughter Cleopatra he married (336). In
332 he crossed over to Italy to assist the Tarentines against the Lucanians,
Bruttians and Samnites. He gained considerable successes and made an
arrangement with the Romans for a joint attack upon the Samnites ; but the
Tarentines, suspecting him of the design of founding an independent kingdom,
turned against him. Although the advantage at first rested with Alexander, he
gradually lost it, and his supporters dwindled away. In 330 (or earlier) he was
defeated at Pandosia and slain by a Lucanian emigrant.
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d. 323
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Alexander The Great
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He was the son of Philip II the
king of Macedon. He led a Macedonian and other Greek army to conquer Persia.
Encyclopedia Britannica article 
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369-356
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Alexander of Pherae
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Alexander was tyrant or despot
of Pherae in Thessely, ruling from 369 to c. 356. See the link
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480
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Amompharetus
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Amompharetus, son of Poliadas,
was a Spartan company commander at the Battle of Plataea. The name means
"of irreproachable valor". Before the battle, both the Greek and
Persian armies camped in front of each other for 10 days on the plain of
Plateaea, with only small raids on each side. The plan was for the main
contingent of Greeks to set out first during the night, with the Spartans
guarding the rea. After the main contingent of Greeks had left the encampment,
and it was time for the Spartans to set off to take up the rear, Amompharetus
refused to leave the field without a fight, insisting that the unalterable law
of Sparta forbade retreat from the battlefield. There is another mention of
Amompharetus (in Plutarch's Solon) as one of the five Spartans arbitrating the
dispute over the island of Salamis between the citizens of Athens and Megara.
The verdict was in favor of Athens. See the link.
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Amphictyonic League
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Amphictyonic League was an
ancient religious association of Greek tribes formed in the dim past, before
the rise of the Greek poleis. See the links.
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d. 336
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Amyntas
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There were three Amyntas closely
connected with Macedonian family and court intrigue. This one was the son of
Perdiccas II and rightful heir to the Macedonian throne in 359. Philipp II
seized power and later married Amyntas to his daughter, Cynnane. While
Alexander was campaigning in the Balkans and Amyntas was in Athhens he was
picked due to his ancestry to replace Alexander in a coup hatched by the Greek
cities seeking independene. He was then accused of plotting against Alexander
in 336 and was executed.
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c. 560 -525
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Anaxandridas
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Agiad king of Sparta. Father of
Cleomenes and Dorieus
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c. 387
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Antalcidas
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Spartan admiral/general who in
393 attempted to end the war with Persia by giving up the Ionian Greeks. He was
unsuccessful, but in 388 he persuaded the Persian king,
Artaxerxesto decree
that all Asia Minor plus Cyprus and Cnidos was Persian territory and all other
Greek cities would be independent. In 387 Antalcidas commanded the Spartan
fleet in the Hellespont to enforce this "King's peace".
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d. 316
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Antigenes
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Antigenes died 316) was a
general of Alexander the Great, who also served under
Philip II of Macedon,and lost an eye at the
siege of Perinthus (340). After the death
of Alexander in 323 he obtained the satrapy of Susiana. He was one of the
commanders of the Argyraspides and, with his troops, took the side of
Eumenes. On the defeat of Eumenes in 316, Antigenes
fell into the hands of his enemy Antigonus, and was thrown in a pit and burnt
alive by him. The reason for Antigenes particularly cruel execution method was
due to his unit, the Silver Shields, and their exceptional performance against
Antigonus infantry during the Second War of the
Diodochi..
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c 381 - 301
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Antigonus I
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(Monophthalmus)- Macedonian
general in Alexander the Great's army who fought the other 'successor' generals
for power. But during the initial campaign into Asia,after Issus, he defeated
the remains ofthe Persian fores in 3 battles, securing the Macedonian rear and
supply lines through Asia Minor. After Alexander's death he was one of the
senior generals who was prominent in the (Wars of the
Diodachi) He was satrap of Phrygia and then took Lycia and Pamphylia. The
wars continued back and forth, waged also by his son,
Demetrius
Poliorcetes, until in 306 he declared himself king. In 301 he was attacked
by the combined forces of the other 4 dynasts at
Ipsus (also) and killed.
See the links for much more.
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c 320 - 239
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Antigonus II - Gonatas
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King of Macedon. He was son of
Demetrtius
Poliorcetes and grand son of Antigonus I. He was Demetrius' general in Greece.
When his father died in 283, he claimed to be king and won Macedon by 277. From
there he waged war against southern Greece, Sparta and Athens. And he also
waged naval war against the Ptolemies and Seleucids. His legacy was to make
Macedon a powerful kingdom ruled by his successors. His 'nickname' (besieger)
came from his extensive application of technology in the conduct of sieges.
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d. 407
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Antiochus
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Antiochus of Athens was a naval
commander in Greece during the Peloponnesian War who was left by the Athenian
commander Alcibiades at Notiumi in command of the Athenian fleet in 407,
with strict injunctions not to engage the Spartan commander Lysander. Antiochus was the
master of Alcibiades' own ship, and his personal friend; he was a skilful
seaman, but arrogant and heedless of consequences. Antiochus gave no heed to
the injunctions of Alcibiades, and provoked Lysander to an engagement in what
came to be known as the Battle of Notium, in
which fifteen Athenian ships were lost, and Antiochus himself was killed.
See the link.
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324 261
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Antiochus I Soter
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Antiochus I Soter
"Antiochus the Saviour"; c. 324/3 2 June 261) was a king of
the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. He succeeded his father Seleucus I Nicator in
281 and reigned until his death on 2 June 261. He is the last known ruler to be
attributed the ancient Mesopotamian title King of the Universe. See the link
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286 - 246
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Antiochus II Theos
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Antiochus II Theos (286
July 246) was a Greek king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire who reigned from
261 to 246. He succeeded his father Antiochus I Soter in the winter of
26261. He was the younger son of Antiochus I and princess Stratonice, the
daughter of Demetrius Poliorcetes.
See the link.
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242 - 187
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Antiochus III the Great
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Antiochus III the Great 3
July 187, ruled April/June 222 3 July 187 was a Macedonian Hellenistic
king and the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire. He ruled over the region of
Syria and large parts of the rest of western Asia towards the end of the 3rd
century. Rising to the throne at the age of eighteen in 222, his early
campaigns against the Ptolemaic Kingdom were unsuccessful, but in the following
years Antiochus gained several military victories and substantially expanded
the empire's territory. His traditional designation, the Great, reflects an
epithet he assumed. He also assumed the title Basileus Megas (Greek for
"Great King"), the traditional title of the Persian kings. A
militarily active ruler, Antiochus restored much of the territory of the
Seleucid Empire, before suffering a serious setback, towards the end of his
reign, in his war against Rome. Declaring himself the "champion of Greek
freedom against Roman domination", Antiochus III waged a four-year war
against the Roman Republic beginning in mainland Greece in the autumn of 192
before being decisively defeated at the Battle of Magnesia. He died three years
later on campaign in the east.
See the link.
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4th century
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Antiochus of Orestis
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Antiochus (Greek: 4th century
BC) was a Macedonian man who lived during the time of Philip II of Macedon
(ruled 359-336). He originally came from Orestis, Macedonia. Antiochus served
as an officer under Philip II, and gained distinction as a military general.
Antiochus was from an upper noble family. His father was probably called
Seleucus, his brother was called Ptolemy and he probably had a nephew called
Seleucus. Antiochus married a Macedonian woman called Laodice and in about 358
Laodice bore Antiochus a son Seleucus I
Nicator, who became a general of Alexander the Great and later founded and
became the first king of the Seleucid Empire;
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c. 400 - 318
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Antipater
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Macedonian general in Alexander
the Great's army. He controlled the home front in Macedon and Greece as regent.
He held the 'home front' in Greece and the Aegean from Memon's efforts and
defeated Spartan King Agis III who attempted to free Greece from Alexander. He
suppressed the Greek revolt in 323-322, in the
Lamian War. Meanwhile he
sent large reinforcement detachments to Alexander during his campaign in
Bactria and India. In 321 he joined Perdiccas' enemies.
See the links.
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271 - 213
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Aratus of Sicyon
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Aratus of Sicyon was a
politician and military commander of Hellenistic Greece. He was elected
strategos of the Achaean League 17 times, leading the League through numerous
military campaigns including the Cleomenean War and the Social War. Aratus was
exiled to Argos at the age of seven, after his father, the magistrate of
Sicyon, was killed in a coup. In 251, he led an expedition composed of other
exiles which freed Sicyon from tyranny, and assumed power in the city. Sicyon
joined the Achaean League, in which Aratus would later be elected strategos. He
had retired from active public affairs but was poisoned while in Aegium.
Plutarch wrote a lengthy biography and considered him of excellent character,
writing: "As for Aratus, he was in his behavior true statesman,
high-minded, and more intent upn the public than his private concerns, a
bittter hater of tyrants, making the common good the rule and law of his
friendships and enemies."
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413 - 399
|
Archelaus
|
King of Macedon He killed
several relatives to become king. Plato called him the 'greatest criminal in
Macedon". But Thucydides wrote that he increased Macedon's military power
more than the prior 8 kings all together. He expanded Macedonian power in
Thessaly. He was murdered as was his son.
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476 - 427
|
Archidamus II
|
He was an Eurypontid king of
Sparta. . He saved Sparta from helot rebellion in 464 during an earthquake. He
held Ithome (it was a mountain and location of a city). He is recorded by
Thucydides as urging restraint and caution before the beginning of the
Peloponnesian War. The first phase of the war is named after him. He led the
invasions of Attica in 431 - 430 and 428 and conducted the Spartan attack on
Plataea in 429.
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360 -338
|
Archidamus III
|
He was an Eurypontid king of
Sparta. He rescued the survivors of
Leuctra. He
campaigned in Arcadia in 368 and 364. He defended Sparta during
Epaminondas' invasion
in 362. He fought in the Sacred War 355 -
346. (also) He led expeditions to Crete and
Tarentum in Italy, where he died in battle at Mandurion.
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432
|
Archestratus
|
He was the son of Lycomedes. He
commanded the initial Athenian fleet of 30 ships sent to
Potidaeain 432. The town
was originally a Corinthian colony but was then a member of Athens'
Delian League. But
Archestratus considered his force insufficient to quell the rebellion in
Potidaea, so instead attacked Macedon. Corinth recruited an army and sent it
with Aristeus. The Athenians responded by sending
Callias, son of Callliades,
with 40 more ships. Then a battle was fought - Potidaea. It was
one of the immediate causes of the
Peloponnesian
War.
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309/8 -265/4
|
Areus I
|
He was an Agiad king of Sparta.
In 279 he led an unsuccessful attack on Aetolia. In 273 he defended Sparta. In
264 he was killed near Corinth while attempting to break through the Isthmus to
relieve Athens in the War of
Chermonides.
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d. 480
|
Ariabignes
|
Ariabignes was one of the sons
of the Persian king Darius I and his mother was a daughter of Gobryas. He
participated in the Second Persian invasion of Greece, as one of the four
admirals of the fleet of his brother
Xerxes I, and was killed
in the Battle of Salamis in 480.
Ariabignes was the commander of the Carian and Ionian forces. Plutarch calls
him, Ariamenes, and speaks of him as a brave man and the most just of the
brothers of Xerxes. The same writer relates that this Ariamenes laid claim to
the throne on the death of Darius, as the eldest of his sons, but was opposed
by Xerxes, who maintained that he had a right to the crown as the eldest of the
sons born after Darius had become king. The Persians appointed Artabanus to
decide the dispute; and upon his declaring in favour of Xerxes, Ariamenes
immediately saluted his brother as king, and was treated by him with great
respect.
Read the link for more details.
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490 -480
|
Arimnestos
|
Arimnestos ( early 5th century)
was the commander of the Plataean contingent at the battles of Marathon and Plataea during the Greco-Persian Wars.
Battle of Plataea:
Plutarch relates that Arimnestos was responsible for selecting the location of
the Battle of Plataea, after receiving guidance from Zeus Soter in a dream. He
shared this insight with the Athenian general
Aristides, who in turn
showed the site to the Spartan regent
Pausanias, the overall
commander of the Greek forces. He was present at the death of Callicrates later
during the battle. He was depicted by painted portrait in the Temple of Athena
Areia built on the site of the battlefield by the Athenians, beneath a statue
of the goddess made by Pheidias to commemorate the victory.
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d. 330
|
Ariobarzanes of Persis
|
Ariobarzanes died 330 and
commonly known as Ariobarzanes the Brave, was an Achaemenid prince, satrap and
a Persian military commander who led a last stand of the Persian army at the
Battle of the Persian Gate against
Macedonian King Alexander the Great in the winter of 330. See the links
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d. 362
|
Ariobarzanes of Phrygia
|
He was a Persian satrap at
Dascylium. He revolted
from his king in 360's and was assisted by the Spartan king
Agesilaus and the
Athenian Timotheus. He
was betrayed by his son, Mithridates and executed. See the links.
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d 497
|
Aristagoras
|
He was the ruler (tyrant) of
Miletus. He led the Ionian Revolt 499 - 492
and went to Athens to obtain assistance. When he was defeated by the Persians,
he fled to Myrcinus in Thrace and was killed in battle with the Edoni.
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530 - 468
|
Arist(e)ides
|
He was an archon of Athens,
known in contemporary society as 'the just' and was lauded by Cornelius
Neposfor his character - he is also listed by
Plutarch. But he actually was very wealthy. He was a political rival of
Themistocles. On the
eve of Marathon he publically made a pact of unity with Themistocles. He was
one of the 10 generals at
Marathon in 490
in command of his tribe phalanx in the central of the line in that battle.
Themistocles commanded the other. He was ostracized in 482, but was recalled in
480 to capture and then command on Psyttaleia Island during the battle of
Salamisin 480.
The island was south of but near Salamis island so holding it prevented the
Persians from using it during the battle. He commanded the Athenian troops at
Plataea in 479.
He went on to command the Athenian navy in the Aegean counter offensive and
replaced the Spartan commander,
Pausanias (who also is
listed by Nepos). Then he helped organize the Delian League and
establish the naval and financial contributions.
In his biography Plutarch compared him with the Roman Marcus Cato.
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d. 668
|
Aristomenes
|
He was a king of Messenia,
celebrated for his struggle with the Spartans in theSecond Messenian War685668 , and his
resistance to them on Mount Eira for 11 years. see Aristomenes.
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4th century
|
Arrhidaeus
|
Arrhidaeus or Arrhidaios lived
in 4th century, one of Alexander the Great's generals, was entrusted by Ptolemy
to bring Alexander's body to Egypt in 323, contrary to the wishes of Perdiccas
who wanted the body sent to Macedonia. On the murder of
Perdiccas in Egypt in
321, Arrhidaeus and Peithon
were appointed temporary commanders in chief, but through the intrigues of the
queen Eurydice they were obliged soon afterwards to resign their office at Triparadisus in Northern Syria. On the
division of the provinces which was decided by those attending Triparadisus,
Arrhidaeus obtained the Hellespontine Phrygia. In 319, after the death of
Antipater, Arrhidaeus made an unsuccessful attack upon Cyzicus; and Antigonus
gladly seized this pretext to require him to resign his satrapy. Arrhidaeus,
however, refused to resign and shut himself up in Cius.
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Arrhidaios
|
He was Alexander's half-brother,
but physically or mentally deficient to rule. He was declared king and served
as a legitimating figure head until that no longer being necessary he was
killed
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480-455
|
Artabazos of Phry gia
|
Artabazos was a Persian general
in the army of Xerxes I, and later satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia (now
northwest Turkey) under the Achaemenid dynasty, founder of the Pharnacid
dynasty of satraps. He was the son of Pharnaces, who was the younger brother of
Hystaspes, father of Darius I. Artabazos was therefore a first cousin of the
great Achaemenid ruler Darius I. Artabazus was one of the generals of Xerxes in
480 in the Second Persian invasion of Greece, in command of the Parthians and
the Chorasmians in the Achaemenid army.
See the link for more.
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389 - 328
|
Artabazos II
|
Artabazos II was a Persian
general and satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia. He was the son of the Persian
satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia Pharnabazus II,
and younger kinsman (most probably nephew) of Ariobarzanes of Phrygia who
revolted against Artaxerxes II around
356. His first wife was an unnamed Greek woman from Rhodes, sister of the two
mercenaries Mentor of Rhodes and
Memnonof Rhodes. She and his son, Hioneus,
were captured at Damascus afer the battle of Issus. Towards the end of his
life, he became satrap of Bactria for Alexander the Great.
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ca. 513 - 492
|
Artaphernes
|
He was a brother of the
Achaemenid king of Persia, Darius I, satrap of Lydia
from the capital of Sardis, and a Persian general. see
Artaphernes
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d.479
|
Artaymtes
|
He was a Persian admiral
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ca. 465 - 424
|
Artaxerxes I
|
He was the sixth King of Kings
of the Achaemenid
Empire. From 460 - 453 the Egyptians led by
Inaros II revolted with
the assistance of Athenian mercenaries, led by admiral
Charitmides, and
defeated a Persian army commanded by satrap Akheimenes. In 454 the Persians
counter attacked and conducted a two-year siege led by
Megabyzus. Artaxerxes'
strategy was to take advantage of Athenian- Spartan warfare to alternately
support one side or the other in order to keep both out of action in Asia. In
450 the Greeks attacked at the Battle of Cyprus. After
Cimon's failure to attain
much in this expedition, the
Peace of Callias
was agreed among Athens, Argos and Persia in 449. Artaxerxes I offered
asylum to Themistocles.
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404 - 358
|
Artaxerxes II
|
Artaxerxes II Mnemon was the
King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 404 until his death in 358. see
Artaxerxes II
He won the battle and war brought on by the rebellion of his younger brother, Cyrus the Younger
at Cunaxa.
Plutarch wrote a biography of this Persian king the only one for which he did
that.
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358 - 338
|
Artaxerxes III
|
Ochus better known by his
dynastic name of Artaxerxes III, was King of Kings of the Persian Empire from
358 to 338. He was the son and successor of Artaxerxes II and his mother was
Stateira.
see Artaxerxes III.
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d. 430
|
Aristeus
|
He was the son of
Adeimantus the
Corinthian fleet commander at the battle of
Salamis.in 480.
He himself commanded the Corinthian volunteer troops who went to
Potidaea when it
revolted from Athens in 432. He was captured in Thrace and executed at Athens
in 430.
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412/11
|
Astyochus
|
He was a Spartan admiral who
commanded their fleet in the Aegean in 412-411, after the Athenians lost theirs
at Syracuse. He operated around Chiosand Lesbosand established a base
at Miletus. He was considered to be too timid and was replaced by
Mindarus. He had a
complicated relationship with
Alcibiades during one of
that fellow's turns to helping Sparta.
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390 - 336
|
Attalus
|
He was a Macedonian general for
king Philip II who with Parmenion led the initial
Macedonian incursion into Asia Minor.
Peter Green in his masterful biography of Alexander describes his role in the
event of Philip II's murder and Alexander's immediately being declared king.
But he was accused of treason and executed by Alexander the Great.
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390-330
|
Autophradates
|
Autophradates was a satrap of
Lydia during the Satrap's Revolt, and then
served Darius III during
the invasion of Alexander the Great, taking joint control of the Persian fleet
in the Aegean after the death of Memnon of
Rhodes. As is so often the case with Persian figures there is no certainty
about the career of Autophradates, or even how many people were involved. Here
we will treat the satrap of the 360s and the commander of the 330s as the same
person, but they could just as easily have been two different officers.
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Bagonas
|
There were several Persian
officials with this name. One murdered Ochus and was forced by Darius to take
his own poison.
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d. 600
|
Battus I
|
He founded the Greek colony in
Cyrene in Libya in 630
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Bessus
|
He was Darius III's satrap of
Bactria who commanded 8,000 Bactrian and Massagetae cavalry at Gaugamela. He
accompanied Darius while fleeding from that battle to Bactria. He murdered
Darius and proclaimed himself king. Spitamenes captured and sent him to
Alexander who had him executed.
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d. 422
|
Brasidas
|
He was one of the most
successful Spartan generals and an aggressive proponent of expanded war. He
saved Methone from the Athenians in 431 and in 425 was wounded while leading an
ampbibious landing at the Spartan loss at Pylos. He blocked the Athenian effort to take
Megara. In 429-427 he
advised Spartan admirals at Naupactus and Corcyrea. Then he organized and led a
mercenary army to take the war into northern Greece, Chalcidice and Thrace. He
gained support (temporarily) from the Macedonian king
Perdiccas II by
assisting him against Artabaeus. In 424/3 he took Acanthus, Argilus, Stagirus,
Torone and Amphipolis
from Athenian control, The last of these was critical for Athens and
Thucydides was exiled
from Athens for failing to secure it.. He then helped Scione and Mende revolt
from Athens. In 422 he defeated the Athenian general
Cleon who lead an army to
recapture Amphipolis in a battle in which
both generals were killed..
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d. 279
|
Brennus
|
Brennus (or Brennos)(died at
Delphi, was one of the Gaul leaders of the army of the Gallic invasion of the
Balkans. He is noted as the commander of one of the three Gaulic armies at the
battle of Thermopylae in 279

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Callisthenes
|
He was Alexander's official
historian and nephew of Aristotle. But he was accused of plotting and was
executed.
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400's
|
Callixenus
|
Callixeinus was an Athenian
politician. After the Battle of Arginusae,
in 406 he argued that the generals who failed to rescue Athenian shipwreck
victims should be tried together by the Assembly. Euryptolemus brought a suit
against Callixeinus claiming that the proposal was unlawful, but was forced to
drop it in the face of public opinion. At the trial, two of the generals,
Aristogenes and Protomachus, had already
fled Athens rather than face trial were found guilty, and sentenced to
death. By coincidence the presiding judge on the final trial date was Socrates.
The other generals were Aristocrates, Erasinides, Lysias, Pericles the Younger,
Diomedon and Thrasyllus.
They were among the best Athenian commanders and their loss strongly influenced
the Athenian failures in 404. Later public opinion turned against the motion
brought by Callixeinus, a case was brought against him and he fled Athens. He
returned in the general amnesty of 403, but was disdained by the citizens and
died in Athens of starvation. The trial and speeches are prominent in
Xenophon's Hellenica.
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d. 432
|
Callias
|
He was the son of Calliades and
a prominent Athenian politician. He arranged for the transfer of 3000 talents
of gold to the Acropolis in preparation for the
Peloponnesian
War.He established the Athenian alliance with Rhegium and Leontini in
Italy. In 432 he died while commanding the Athenian troops at
Potidaea the
battle that led to the Peloponnesian War.
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Callias
|
of Caria
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4th century
|
Callias
|
Callias became tyrant of Chalis
(major city on Euboea) after his father, Mnesarchus. He allied himself with
Philip of Macedon in order to gain control overall of
Euboea.So in response
Plutarch asked Athens for assistance. The Athenians sent an army commanded by
Phocion into
Euboea. They defeated
Callias at Tamynae in 350. Callias fled to the Macedon. However, he then moved
to Thebes, in the hope of gaining Theban assistance. Failing there he moved to
Athens, in 343, where Demosthenes arranged an alliance in which Athens agreed
to Chalis' independence. In the bargain Callias promised assistance in men and
money from Megara and Euboea. Philip was trying to take
Ambracia at that time, so
Demosthenes might have considered control of Euboea would defeat Philip's
efforts. In 341 Phocion
defeated the Macedonian effort to replace Callias in control of Euboea.
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5th century
|
Callias II
|
He was the son of another
Hipponicus. His family owned the slaves whom he leased to Athens to work in the
silver mines. He was sent as an ambassador to Persia where he arranged the
"Peace of Callias' between Athens and Persia in 449, and the
Thirty Years'
Peace in 446 between Athens and Sparta after the
First
Peloponnesian War. His son, another Hipponicus, was a general (strategos)
when he died in battle at
Deliumin 424. His
son was Hipponicus III.
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392 - 367
|
Callias III
|
He was the son of Hipponicus and
was a prominent Athenian politician. His wife was Miltiades' daughter. His
grand father was Callias II. He inherited the family wealth in 424 upon the
death of his father at Delium. In 392 he commanded the Athenian troops at
Corinth when the Spartan mora was defeated by
Iphicrates. In 371 he
was one of the Athenian ambassadors to negotiate peace at Sparta. He was noted
for extravagant living and dissipating the family wealth from the silver mines.
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406/5
|
Callicratidas
|
He was a Spartan admiral who
opposed Lysander
politically. He was successful in the Aegean by taking Delphinium, Teos and
Methymna. He blockaded Conon'sAthenian fleet at
Mytilene on Lesbos but when
he attacked the Athenian relief fleet at
Arginusae he
was defeated and drowned.
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480
|
Callicrates
|
He was a Spartan soldier who
became famous after being killed at the opening of the battle at
Plataea
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d. 490
|
Callimachus
|
He was the Athenian -
polemarch- senior general - whose vote enabled
Miltiadesto take command
for the battle of Marathon in 490. He
was killed while pursuing the Persians to their boats.
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c.355-297
|
Cassander
|
Cassander "son of
Antipatros": was king of Macedon from 305 until 297 , and de facto ruler
of southern Greece from 317 until his death. Eldest son of Antipater and a
contemporary of Alexander the Great, Cassander was one of the Diadochi who
warred over Alexander's empire following the latter's death in 323 . Cassander
later seized the crown by having Alexander's son and heir Alexander IV
murdered. In governing Macedonia from 317 until 297 , Cassander restored peace
and prosperity to the kingdom, while founding or restoring numerous cities
(including Thessalonica, Cassandreia, and Thebes); however, his ruthlessness in
dealing with political enemies complicates assessments of his rule. See the
link for details.
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390 - 356
|
Chabrias
|
He was an Athenian general also
employed by foreign powers as a mercenary. (390 - 387), (379 - 369), 362, 359.
He was employed in Egypt in the 380's and 360's. (He is among Cornelius
Nepos' greatest generals). He won an important
victory at Naxos in
376 (Second Athenian Confederacy). He died in battle against rebels at Chios in
356.
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mid 4th century
|
Chares
|
He was an Athenian general. He
fought at Corcyra (modern
Corfu) in 361 and Embata in 356 where
the Athenians lost. He then served Artabazus in defeating a Persian army until
recalled by the king, Artaxerxes III. He
fought against Philip II in
Thrace and the Hellespont (353 - 340) and was a strategos at
Chaeronea
in 338. He met Alexander the Great in 334 but joined the anti-Macedonians
defending Mytilene during Alexander's siege in 332.
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mid- 4th century
|
Charidemus
|
He was from Oreus in Euboea. He
was a mercenary general in Thrace (368 - 362) alternatively fighting for and
against Athens. In 367 he served under Athenian general
Iphicrates.He served in
Asia Minor under command of Memnon and
Mentor and then back in Thrace. He became an Athenian citizen in 357 and
was elected strategos in 351 , 349, and 338. He fought atChaeronea
and then fled to Persian king Darius III who welcomed
him. But then he differed with the king on tactics and was executed..
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d. 455
|
Charitimides
|
Charitimides was an Athenian
admiral of the 5th century. At the time of the Wars of the
Delian League, a
continuing conflict between the Athenian-led
Delian League of
Greek city-states and the Persian Empire, he was sent in 460 to Egypt in
command of a fleet of triremes (some authors say 40 ships, others 200 ships) to
support Inaros II, a
Libyan ruler who was leading a revolt against the Persian rule over the
country. His fleet had been operating on the coasts of Cyprus, from where he
was diverted to Egypt. Charitimides led his fleet against the Persians in the
Nile river, and defeated a fleet of 50 Phoenician ships. It was the last great
naval encounter between the Greeks and the Persians. Of the 50 Phoenician
ships, he managed to destroy 30, and capture the remaining 20 that faced him in
that battle. When the Persians returned with a large army under Megabyzus, they lifted the
siege of Memphis (459-455) where the remaining Persian garrison had been
blockaded, and then besieged the Egyptians and their Greek allies in the Siege
of Prosopitis in 455. Charitimides perished in the battle against the Persians
at Prosopitis. Other famous Greek generals who fought for the Egyptians are
Chabrias and
Agesilaus.
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c. 510 - 450
|
Cimon
|
One of the most famous and
successful Athenian generals - admirals - who rated biographies by both
Nepos and Plutarch. His strategems are
mentioned by both Frontinus and
Polyaenus. But he is
almost unknown to modern students of military history. He was a son of
Miltiades and member of
the wealthy Philad family of Attica. He promoted a strongly anti-Persian
policy. After the Persians were driven out of Greece, Cimon led the Athenian
fleet in the combined Greek campaign throughout the Aegean. He led campaigns to
Cyprus and Byzantium. He drove the Persian garrison out of
Eion. His greatest victory was
the dual one on both land and sea at theEurymedon River in 469-466. He was ostracized in 461 (as
so many of Athens' greatest leaders were). But he was recalled and led another
naval expedition to Cyprus where he died during the siege of
Citium.
Plutarch compared Cimon with the Roman Lucullus. He begins with: "One
might bless the end of Lucillus, which was so timed as to let him die before
the great revolution, which fate, by intestine wars was already effecting
gainst the established govenment, and to close his life in a free though
troubled common wealth. And in this, above all other things, Cimon and he are
alike. For he died also when Greece was as yet undisordered, in its highest
felicity." Plutarch continues with many more points of comparison
including this: "In war, it is plain they were both soldiers of excellent
conduct, both at land and sea." The comparisons continue and in them
reveal much of interest to us about Cimon.
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Cleander
|
He was the son of Polemocrates.
Alexander sent him back to Greece to recruit and bring reinforcements, which he
did at Tyre. He was among Parmenion's assassins on orders from Alexander.
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d. 401
|
Clearchus
|
He was the son of the Spartan,
Ramphias. He fought in Attica and at Byzantium which he defended unsuccessfully
from the Athenians in 408 during the
Decelean War, 413 -
404. In 406 Callicratidas appointed
Clearchus to replace himself. In 403 the Spartan government sent him to rule
Byzantium. He moved to Cyprus, then fought for Cyrus the younger in Thrace. He
commanded Cyrus' Peloponnesian mercenaries in the campaign against Persian king
Artaxerxes II.After
Cyrus' death he was captured by
Tissaphernes and
executed.
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570
|
Cleisthenes
|
He was an Athenian aristocratic
politician. In 510 with Spartan help he overthrew the tyrant
Hippias I. He
reorganized the government, on the democratic basis. He was forced to flee
Athens by Isagoras, but
returned. He changed the 4 tribe system to 10 demes based on territory in
Athens and Attica.
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375 - 328/7
|
Cleitus the 'black'
|
Clitus was the son of Dropides,
who probably belonged to the Macedonian nobility and may have belonged to the
faction that helped Philip become king in the first weeks of 360. His daughter
was wet-nurse of Philip's son and crown-prince Alexander. Clitus became an
officer of the Companion cavalry, a unit of eight squadrons (of 225 horsemen
each) that was Macedonia's most effective weapon in battle. Its overall
commander was Philotas, the son of Philip's most reliable general Parmenion.
Clitus' exact position among the Companions is unclear, but he may already have
been commander of the agema, the squadron that served as the king's bodyguard.
In any case, he was close to the young king during the battle of the
Granicus, where Alexander defeated a Persian
satrap's army in June 334. During the fight, Clitus saved Alexander's life. He
certainly was commander of the agema during the battle of
Gaugamela (1 October 331). See the links
for the rest of the story.
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|

 |
d. 317
|
Cleitus the 'white'
|
Cleitus (Clitus) the White died
c. 317 was a general of Alexander the Great surnamed "White" to
distinguish him from Cleitus the Black. He is noted by Athenaeus and Aelian for
his pomp and luxury, and is probably the same who is mentioned by Justin among
the veterans sent home to Macedonia under
Craterusin 324.
He defeated the Athenian fleet at the battle of
Amorgos in 322
during the Lamian War.
He allied with Polyperchon and assisted
in the fall of Phocion. He
was killed after failing to block Antigonus crossing the Bosporus.
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Cleomaeus
|
He was a Rhodian admiral
|
|
 |
480 -479
|
Cleombrontus
|
Spartan Agiad family regent
between 480 and 479 . He was son of Anaxandridas II and the brother of
Cleomenes I, Dorieus and of Leonidas I. When Leonidas
died at Thermopylae he
became tutor of Leonidas' son, Pleistarchus. He then commanded the Spartan
hoplites continuing the Greco-Persian Wars. He built the wall across the
Isthmus of Corinth that was intended to keep the Persian army out of the
Peloponnesus. He died soon after that.
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380 - 371
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Cleombrontus I
|
He was an Agiad Spartan king.
His father was Pausanius But he became king of Sparta after the death of his
brother, Agesipolis
Iin 380. He and led the allied Spartan-Peloponnesian army against the
Thebans under Epaminondas in the Battle
of Leuctra. His
death and the utter defeat of his army led to the end of Spartan dominance in
ancient Greece. Cleombrotus was succeeded by his son Agesipolis II. His other
son was Cleomenes II.
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525 - 488
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Cleomenes I
|
He was an Agiad king of Sparta.
He succeeded his father in 519. He fought to expand Spartan power against
Argos. He came to aid Isagoras against
Cleisthenesin Athens in
two campaigns to oust Hippias. In 499
Aristagoras of Miletus
came to Sparta to ask Cleomenes for support of an Ionian revolt from Persia but
Cleomenes refused. In 494 he defeated the Argives at the battle of
Sepeia extending
Spartan power into northern Peloponnesus. Finally, according to some
contemporary accounts, he was considered insane and put in prison where he
died.
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369 - 390
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Cleomenes II
|
He was an Agiad King of Sparta.
His father was Cleombrotus I, but he succeeded his brother, Agesipolis II. His
son was Acrotatus I, and is grand son was Areus I
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235-222
|
Cleomenes III
|
Cleomenes III was one of the two
kings of Sparta from 235 to 222. He was a member of the Agiad dynasty and
succeeded his father, Leonidas II. He is known for his attempts to reform the
Spartan state. From 229 to 222, Cleomenes waged war
against the Achaean League under
Aratus of Sicyon.
After being defeated by the Achaeans in the Battle of Sellasia in 222, he fled to Ptolemaic Egypt.
After a failed revolt in 219, he committed suicide.
Plutarch wrote his biography along with that of Agis IV and compared them with
the Grachi brothers are wood-be but failed reformers - an excelent choice.
See the link for details.
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d. 422
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Cleon
|
He was one of the
'new politicians, that is not a member of the old aristocratic families and a
political opponent ofPericleswho was an
aristocrat. Contemporary writers including Thucydides considered him as a
violent and aggressive demagogue. For instance, he proposed that the entire
captured population of Mytilene be executed. After an Athenian naval expedition
happened to capture Pylos and
Sphacteria in 425,
during the Peloponnesian War, he refused to enable the Spartan ransom of the
captured hoplites or agree to the offered peace treaty. He tripled the annual
tribute assessed on Athens' Aegean allies. He commanded the Athenian force sent
to recover Amphipolis but
died in the battle won by the Spartan general
Brasidas.
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430-429
|
Cnemus
|
He was a Spartan admiral who
fought in Arcarnania in the Peloponnesian war. He campaigned in Arcarnania at
Zacynthus island off the
north-east coast of the Peloponnesus in 430. He was defeated by
Phormioin the second battle
of Naupactus in
429.
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360 - 326
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Coenus
|
was a son of Polemocrates and
son-in-law of Parmenion, was one of the ablest and most faithful of Alexander
the Great's generals during his eastern expedition. In the autumn of 334, while
Alexander was in Caria, he sent those of his soldiers who had been recently
married to Macedonia to spend the ensuing winter with their wives. Coenus was
one of the commanders who led them back to Europe. In the spring of the
following year, Coenus returned with the Macedonians and joined Alexander at
Gordium. He commanded infantry at Issus and
Gaugamela. Then he led the detachment that
encircled the the Persian defenders at the Persian Gate. He commanded troops in
Sogdiana in 328 and was a cavalry commander at the
Hydaspes.
See the links for more.
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c. 444 -394
|
Conon
|
Another of the great Athenian
admirals whom Nepos includes in his
biographies of the greatest. He was a strategos in 414 in command of the
Athenian fleet at Naupactus. After
Alcibiadesagain was
fired in 407, Conon took command of the Athenian fleet in the Aegean. He was
blockaded by the Spartans at Mytilene in 406 but freed after the Spartans lost
the significant battle at
Arginusae.
Lucky for him that he was not at the battle, because the vindictive Athenians
tried and executed 6 of the victorious admirals for failing to pick up some
crew members of sunken ships during a storm. He escaped the decisive Athenian
loss at Aegospotami in 404 and fled to
Cyprus. In 400 after the Spartan campaign (recorded by Xenophon) to support
Cyrus the Younger marched out of Persia, Conon was assigned by
Artaxerxes IIto use
the Persian fleet against Sparta and captured Rhodes. He defeated the Spartans
at Cnidus in 394. This ended the brief
Spartan dominance after Athens surrendered in 404. He took the Persian fleet
around Laconia and captured Cythera on
Cythera Island. Returning
to Athens he rebuilt the Long Walls then restored Athenian colonies at Lemnos,
Imbros and Scyros. He was tricked into attending a conference at Sardis by
Tiribazus but escaped
again to Cyprus where he died. His son,
Timotheus, was also an
outstanding Athenian admiral also considered great by Nepos.
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384 - 360
|
Cotys I
|
When he became king of the
Odysian kingdom (Oreus) the Athenians made him their ally. He married his
daughter to the Athenian general,
Iphicrates, who then
became his second-in-command. With the help of Iphicrates, Cotys was able to
expand his kingdom but this concerned the Athenians. In the 370s, the Athenians
formed their Second Athenian Confederacy in part to contain Cotys. In 375 he
supported Hales, leader of Triballi, a powerful Thracian tribe in NW Thrace.
The Athenian general, Chabrias, blocked his efforts
in Thrace. In 367 Ariobarzanes, the Persian satrap of Phrygia, occupied Sestos.
In 365 after Ariobarzanas began his revolt against
Artaxerxes II, Cotys
opposed him and Ariobarzanes' ally, Athens. The Athenian general,
Timotheus,was able to
capture Sestos and Krithote. Cotys then opened war with the Athenians for the
possession of the Thracian Chersonesus. Several Athenian generals in succession
fought unsuccessfully against him and his mercenary commander
Charidemus. But then a
rebellion against Cotys broke out. Iphicrates, with the help of Charidemus,
bribed the Athenian military and naval commanders to suppress the rebellion. In
361, Charidemus returned to Athens with a treaty from Cotys, proclaiming him an
ally. Cotys had successfully retained his kingdom. By 360, Cotys controlled the
whole Chersonesus peninsula. But in 360 he was murdered.
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c. 370 - 321
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Craterus
|
He was Macedonian general under
Alexander the
Greatand one of the Diadochi. Craterus was the son of a Macedonian nobleman
named Alexander from Orestis and brother of admiral Amphoterus. Craterus
commanded the phalanx and all infantry on the left wing in Battle of
Issus in 333. He
commanded again at Tyre, Gaugamela and the Persian Gates. In Hyrcania he was
sent on a mission against the Tapurians. In 326 he commanded the rear guard at
the Battle of the Hydaspes.
Craterus and
Polyperchon were
appointed to lead Macedonian veterans back home. He had reached Cilicia when
Alexander died. In 322 Craterus aided Antipater in the
Lamian War against
Athens. He sailed with his Cilician navy to Greece and led troops at the Battle
of Crannon in
322. When Antigonus rose in rebellion against Perdiccas and
Eumenes, Craterus joined
him, alongside Antipater and Ptolemy. He married Antipater's daughter Phila,
with whom he had a son, also called Craterus. He was killed in battle against
Eumenes in Asia Minor when
his charging horse fell over him, somewhere near the Hellespont, in 321.
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c. 460 - 403
|
Critias
|
He was one of the wealthiest
oligarchs in Athens. He participated in the coup in 411. Again, in 404 he
returned to Athens with the victorious Spartan army and was installed as one of
the Thirty Tyrants.
After the Spartans departed they were overthrown by
Thrasybulus, as
described by Nepos, and killed in the battles
including Munychia.
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600 -530
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Cyrus the great
|
Cyrus II of Persia -Kuru;
New Persian: Kuru; c. 600 530 commonly known as Cyrus the Great,
and also called Cyrus the Elder by the Greeks, was the founder of the
Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian Empire. Under his rule, the empire
embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded
vastly and eventually conquered most of Western Asia and much of Central Asia.
From the Mediterranean Sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the
east, Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen. Under
his successors, the empire eventually stretched at its maximum extent from
parts of the Balkans (Bulgaria-Paeonia and Thrace-Macedonia) and Eastern Europe
proper in the west, to the Indus Valley in the east.
See the links for much more detail.
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?-401
|
Cyrus the younger
|
Cyrus the Younger -Kuru,
son of Darius II of Persia and Parysatis, was a Persian prince and general,
Satrap of Lydia and Ionia from 408 to 401. His birth date is unknown, but he
died in 401 during a failed battle to oust his elder brother,
Artaxerxes II, from
the Persian throne. The history of Cyrus and of the retreat of his Greek
mercenaries is told by Xenophon in his Anabasis. Another account, probably from
Sophaenetus of Stymphalus, was used by Ephorus. Further information is
contained in the excerpts from Artaxerxes II's physician, Ctesias, by Photius;
Plutarchs Lives of Artaxerxes II and Lysander; and Thucydides' History of
Peloponnesian War. These are the only early sources of information on Cyrus the
Younger.
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550 -486
|
Darius I
|
Darius the Great, was the third
Persian King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 until his
death in 486. He ruled the empire at its peak, when it included much of West
Asia, parts of the Caucasus, parts of the Balkans (Thrace-Macedonia, and
Paeonia), most of the Black Sea coastal regions, Central Asia, as far as the
Indus Valley in the far east and portions of north and northeast Africa
including Egypt (Mudrâya), eastern Libya, and coastal Sudan.
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423 - 404
|
Darius II
|
Darius II, also called Nothus or
Darius II Ochus, was King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 423 to 405 or
404. Artaxerxes I, who died in 424, was followed by his son Xerxes II. After a
month and half Xerxes II was murdered by his brother Sogdianus. His
illegitimate brother, Ochus, satrap of Hyrcania, rebelled against Sogdianus,
and after a short fight killed him, and suppressed by treachery the attempt of
his own brother Arsites to imitate his example. Ochus adopted the name Darius
(Greek sources often call him Darius Nothos, "Bastard"). Neither the
names Xerxes II nor Sogdianus occur in the dates of the numerous Babylonian
tablets from Nippur; here effectively the reign of Darius II follows
immediately after that of Artaxerxes I.
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c. 380 - 330
|
Darius III
|
He was the last Achaemenid King
of Kings of Persia. He was the Persian king whom Alexander the Great fought in
three famous battles. As he was escaping he was murdered by one of his satrap,
Bessus.
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d. 362
|
Datames
|
He was a Persian who rose
through the ranks to become army commander and then governor of Cappadocia.
Enemies at court caused him to rebel in the 360's. (revolt of the
satraps)He eventually was enticed by a false
friendship of Mithridates and assassinated. Nepos considered him one of the bravest and most
honest of the foreign leaders along with Hannibal.
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c. 510-480
|
Demaratus
|
Demaratus (fl.510-480) was a
king of Sparta best known for serving as an advisor to Xerxes I of Persia
during his invasion of Greece in 480. His co-ruler,
Cleomenes I, was firmly
anti-Persian, and this resulted in tension between the two men.
See the link for more details.
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350 -26
|
Demetrius of Phalerum
|
Demetrius of Phalerum (also
Demetrius of Phaleron or Demetrius Phalereus) was an Athenian orator originally
from Phalerum, a student of Theophrastus, and perhaps of Aristotle, and one of
the first Peripatetics. Demetrius was a distinguished statesman who was
appointed by the Macedonian king,
Cassander, to govern
Athens, where he ruled as sole ruler for ten years, introducing important
reforms of the legal system while maintaining pro-Cassander oligarchic rule. He
was exiled by his enemies in 307, and he went first to Thebes, and then, after
297, to the court of Alexandria. He wrote extensively on the subjects of
history, rhetoric, and literary criticism. He is not to be confused with his
grandson, also called Demetrius of Phaleron, who probably served as regent of
Athens between 262 and 255, on behalf of the Macedonian King Antigonos Gonatas.
See the link for more details.
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337 - 283
|
Demetrius I
|
He was nicknamed "The
Besieger", for his conduct of many sieges. He was the son of
Antigonus I
Monophthalmus and Stratonice, was a Macedonian nobleman, military leader,
and finally king of Macedon (294288).
Plutarch wrote his biography in which he compared him with Antonius the Trumvir
and cites Plato noting "two persons who have abundantly justified the
words of Plato, that great natures produce great vices as well as virtues. Both
alike were amorous and intemperate, warlike and munificent, sumptuous in their
way of living and overbearing in their manners. And the likeness of their
fortunes carried out the resemblance in their characters. Not only were their
lives each as series of great successes and great disasters, mighty
acquisitions and tremedous losses of power, sudden overthrows followewd by
unexpected recoveries, but they died, also, Demetrius in actual captivity to
his enemies and Antony on the verge of it." A briliant evaluation and
description.
See the links.
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d. 413
|
Demosthenes
|
There were many Athenians named
Demosthenes, this one was a son of Alcisthenes and a strategos. He was a
leader during theArchidamian war431 -
421 (the first phase of the Peloponnesian War). He won the battle ofOlpae in 426. He advocated and led aggressive
land campaigns contrary to Pericles' strategy. In 417/6 he campaigned in
Aetolia and saved Naupactus. In 425 he happened to stop atPylosas he was sailing
around Lyconia on his way to Sicily. Finding a great opportunity he fortified
the place and occupied the adjacent island -
Sphacteria.
When the Spartans reacted and attempted to eject the Athenians Demosthenes
captured several hundred Spartans (unheard of ) and sent them off to Athens. In
424 he attempted to capture Megara but was prevented by the unexpected arrival
of Brasidas who was
passing by on his way to the Chersonesus. He then attempted a dangerous
invasion of Boeotia from Naupactus. But the other Athenian army was decisively
defeated at Delium. In 417 he evacuated the Athenian army after the battle of
Mantinea In 413
he was sent with a large Athenian fleet to reinforce the Athenian expedition at
Syracuse. After the defeat he was captured and executed
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c. 411 - 389
|
Dercylidas
|
The Spartan general who occupied
Abydos and Lampascus in 411. He was noted for his cunning and inventiveness.
After Conon's victory at
Cnidusin 394 he defended the Hellespont
region for Sparta until 390. He served almost continually as a Spartan leader
in Asia Minor commanding the Spartan army there from 399 to 397. In 394 he was
superseded as commander in chief of the Spartan fleet by king
Agesilaus See the
links for more details
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5th century
|
Diocles
|
He was a Syracusian leader who
reformed the constitution into more democratic politics. He lead the Syracusian
army against Carthaginians in 409
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408 - 354
|
Dion
|
He was a Syracusian leader who
served his brother-in-law, the tyrant
Dionysius
Iand then opposed Dionysius II. He invited Plato to Syracuse. He captured
Syracuse from Dionysius
IIin 357 and then the citadel at
Ortygia in 355. He was
influenced by Plato toward the Platonist idea of a dictatorial ruler . He was
murdered in a coup by Callippus.
Both Plutarch and Nepos wrote biographies
that attempt to find him worthwhile. Plutarch compared him to Brutus, the
assassin of Caesar. He wrote: "There are noble points in abundance in the
characters of these two men, and one to be first mentioned is their attaining
such a height of greatness upon such inconsiderable means; and on this score
Dion has by far the advantage". He bases this on Dion having done it all
himself while Brutus had assistance from Cassius and others.
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c. 388
|
Dionysius
|
Dionysius was an Athenian
commander during the
Corinthian War. In 388, he participated in naval operations around Abydus.
Along with fellow commanders Demaenetus, Leontichus and Phanias, Dionysius
unsuccessfully pursued the Spartan fleet under Antalcidas. However, Antalcidas
was able to evade them and link up with an ally Syracusan and Italian squadron
at Abydus.
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405 - 367
|
Dionysius I
|
He was a tyrant ruler of
Syracuse who was elected due to his success as a populist demagog against the
oligarchic faction. He was a strategos conducting war against Carthage.
With peace secured he built a fortress on
Ortygia island in Syracuse.
He began a new war with Carthage in 398 in which he kept Carthaginian influence
to western Sicily. Then he moved against Croton (388), Rhegium (386), and Pyrgi
(384), and even as far north at the Po. He sent Syracusian ships to aid Sparta
in 387. He was acclaimed by ancients as the epitome of a tyrant.
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367 - 343
|
Dionysius II
|
He was son of Dionysius I and
another tyrant. He secured peace with Carthage and had a peaceful reign. He
lost Syracuse in 357-55 but returned in 347. He was then driven out by
Timoleonand exiled to
Corinth.
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413
|
Diphilus
|
He was the Athenian admiral
commanding their squadron at Naupactus who attacked the Corinthian squadron of
33 ships across the strait at Erineus commanded by Polyanthes who had about the
same number. The battle was a draw but was very important due to the technical
improvement Polyanthes had made to the Corinthian triremes by greatly
strengthening the bow in order to smash the Athenians when they attempted their
standard tactic of bow to bow ramming. The innovation was quickly followed by
the Syracusian to defeat the Athenian fleet there.
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c. 510
|
Dorieus
|
He was a member of the Spartan
royal family as younger son of Cleomenes, king from c. 520 , and brother of
king Leonidas. Dorieus'
Expedition to Sicily in c.510 was an unsuccessful attempt by a band of Greek
adventurers to capture the town of Eryx in western Sicily and use it as the
basis of a new Greek city.
See the link for more.
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|
Dorieus
|
He was the Syracusian admiral
who brought a fleet to Rhodes and then to the Hellispont in support of the
Spartans He should not be confused with the Dorieus who went from Sparta to
Sicily in earlier century.
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d. 440
|
Ducetius
|
Ducetius (died 440) was a
Hellenized leader of the Sicels and founder of a united Sicilian state and
numerous cities. It is thought he may have been born around the town of Mineo.
His story is told through the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus in the 1st
century, who drew on the work of Timaeus.
See the link for more details
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? - 362
|
Epaminondas
|
He was a Theban politician and
general - one of the few ancient Greeks well studied by modern military history
students for his innovative tactics. He survived the pro-Spartan coup in 382
and helped with the restoration in 379 and was then the Theban ambassador to
Sparta in 372. He was elected Boeotarch in 371 and then won the famous battle
of Leuctra that
revealed that the Spartan army was not invincible. (An important psychological
change due to the nature of Greek hoplite warfare). Subsequently he led four
campaigns into the Peloponnesus. He attempted to create a naval force for
Thebes in 364. He assisted with the foundation of Messene in 369 and a counter
to Sparta. He died in battle at
Mantinea
and Mantinea in 362 although Thebes won.
Nepos wrote a biography in his book on great
commanders, but Plutarch's Life of him is lost. Cicero called him the
'greatest' of the Greeks.
Epaminondas is one of the few ancient military leaders who are studied in
detail in current courses on military history. See the links for more details.
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5th century
|
Ephialtes
|
He was an Athenian politician
and an early leader of the democratic movement. In the late 460s he oversaw
reforms that diminished the power of the Areopagus. In 465 he was elected
stragegos in command of the Athenian fleet in the Aegean . In 464 an earthquake
in Sparta enabled the helots to revolt and hold Mount Ithome. The Spartans
called for assistance from the Hellenic League including Athens. In the debate
on sending assistance Ephialties recommend against it.
Cimon was stratgeos and
recommended sending aid and won the debate in 463. He himself led 4.000
hoplites there. But then the Spartans refused help and sent them back. This
'dishonor' generated increased annimosity between Spartans and Athenians plus
cost Cimon political leadership for which he was ostracized. The radical
democratic faction gained power to politically attack the Areopagus through
which Cimon had held poltical power.
In 461 he was assassinated, probably at the instigation of resentful oligarchs,
and the political leadership of Athens passed to his deputy,
Pericles, who continued
his political program.
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c. 362 -316
|
Eumenes
|
He was a Cardian Greek (in the
Chersonesus) who served as secretary to Macedonian king
Philip II and
then served Alexander the Great in various capacities including commanding the
fleet on the Euphrates and then of the cavalry. After Alexander's death he
opposed the power struggle and diffusion amongst the generals. In 323 he was
given Cappadocia and Paphlagonia. He used the limited military power available
to support Perdicas against the other 'successors'. He defeated
Craterus in 321. But after
Perdicas died the other
generals outlawed him. He held out against a lengthy siege in his fortress,
Nora, in the Taurus mountains. He continued war against
Antigonus (and) in favor of
Polyperchon and the
rightful heirs of Alexander. He lost the battle ofGabinne to Antigonus
in 316, was captured and executed. Both Nepos
and Plutarch considered him a great leader who was overcome by superior
military power.
Plutarch compared him with the Roman Sertorius. He wrote: "These are the
most remarkable passages that are come to our knowledge concerning Eumenes and
Sertorius. In comparing their lives, we may observe that this was common to
them both; that being aliens, strangers, and banished men, they came to become
commanders of powerful forces, and had the leading of numerous and warlike
armies, made up of divers nations." ... "Their deeds in war were
equal and parallel, but their general inclinations different."
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460
|
Euphranos
|
He was a Rhodian admiral
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|

 |
d. 426
|
Eurylochus
|
He was a Spartan general
defeated by Demonsthenes at the battle of Olpae. There is no entry for him but
he is mentioned in entries for Demonsthenes and the battle of Olpae.
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|
5th century
|
Euryptolemus
|
He was an Athenian politician
and cousin of Alcibiades. Probably his most famous action was his strong and
brave speeches in defense of the 8 admirals who were put on trial - accused of
having abandoned the drowing trireme crews after the battle of
Arginusae in
406. His speechs are described by Xenophon in the Hellenica.
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480
|
Eurybiades
|
He was a Spartan admiral who
commanded the Greek fleet against the Persians at
Artemisium
andSalamisin 480
during Xerxes invasion. At Salamis he deferred to Themistocles' plan of battle.
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411 - 374
|
Evagoras
|
He was king of Salamis city in
Cyprus. He maintained strong relationship with Athens. He gave
Conon safety twice when he
fled Sparta or Persia. He arranged for the Persian king to use the Persian
fleet to attack Sparta in 398. He was murdered.
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|
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465 - 466
|
Ganymede
|
He was an Athenian commander
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 |
4th century
|
Gorgidas
|
He was a Theban general who had
a role in the expulsion of the Spartans in 379 and was then elected Boeotarch.
He was known as creator of the elite military "Sacred band". It had
an important role in the Theban victory against Sparta atLeuctra in 371. but
suffered badly against the Macedonians in their decisive victory at
Chaeronea
in 338.
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4th century
|
Gorgopas
|
He was a Spartan commander
during the Corinthian
War. In 388 the Spartans sent Hierax to Aegina to take over the Spartan
fleet. The Spartans under the command of Teleutias had earlier driven off the
Athenian fleet blockading Aegina. Soon after taking over,
Hierax departed for Rhodes with most of the fleet leaving Gorgopas, his
vice-admiral with twelve triremes as governor in Aegina, replacing Eteonicus
who held the post before. Gorgopas continued operations against the Athenian
army led by Pamphilius who was still laying siege to the city. He ultimately
forced Athens to send ships to evacuate their land forces from the area. He
subsequently sailed to Ephesus .While returning he faced the Athenian fleet
under Eunomus. Gorgopas retreated and was able to make it back to the port in
Aegina. Then, as the Athenians were returning to
Piraeus he caught them at
night by surprise and captured 4 triremes forcing the remainder to refuge in
Piraeus. Later he was ambushed by Chabrias.
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late 5th century
|
Gylippus
|
He was a Spartan general whom
Alcibiades recommended
be sent to Syracuse in 415. He took Spartan and other soldiers with him and
prevented the Athenians from completing siege lines around the city during
theirSicilian
Expedition.. In 413 he won the decisive victory destroying the Athenian
fleet in the harbor. The Athenian army attempted to retreat but was also
destroyed and its commanders, Demosthenes and Nicias were killed. In 404 he
moved the loot to Sparta, was accused of embezzlement and exiled.
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5th century
|
Hagnon
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He was an Athenian strategos
who suppressed the Samian revolt in 440. He is reputed to be the general
sent to found the Athenian colony at
Amphipolisin Thrace in
437. He was a strategos again in 431 and 429.
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6th century
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Harpagus
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Harpagus, also known as Harpagos
or Hypargus was a Median general, credited by Herodotus as having put Cyrus the
Great on the throne through his defection during the battle of Pasargadae.
According to Herodotus' Histories, Harpagus was a member of the Median
royal house in service to King Astyages, the last king of Media. When word
reached Astyages that Cyrus was gathering his forces, he ordered Harpagus, as
his primary general, to lead the army against Cyrus. After a three-day battle
on the plain of Pasargadae, Harpagus took his revenge for the death of his son
when he turned on the battlefield in favor of Cyrus, resulting in Astyages'
defeat and the formation of the Persian Empire. After the defeat of Astyages in
550 Harpagus started - according to Herodotus - a military career under the new
ruler Cyrus II: Harpagus suggested using camels as the front line against the
Lydians in Cyrus II's war against Croesus, thereby scattering the Lydian
cavalry (the horses panicked at the smell of the dromedaries). Following a
revolt by the Lydians and the death of Cyrus's infantry commander, General
Mazares, Cyrus II turned over the conquest of Asia Minor to Harpagus, who went
on to serve as Cyrus's most successful general. The Median general followed his
victory at Lydia by conquering Ionia, Phoenicia, Caria, Lycia and many other
regions of Asia Minor (except Miletus, which had earned the favor of Cyrus
through their great sage Thales's advice to stay neutral in the Lydian war).
Harpagus was also known for innovations in engineering techniques;
specifically, the use of earthwork ramps and mounds during sieges (a method
later employed by Alexander the Great during his siege of Tyre) and the use of
mountain climbers to scale opponents' walls.
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Harpalus
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He was Alexander's treasurer and
close friend. But he feared for his own misdeeds imbezelment) twice, fleeing to
Athens, the second time while Alexander was in India so fled to Athens when he
learned that Alexander was returning.
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c. 420
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Hegesandridas
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Hegesandridas or Agesandridas
was a son of a "Hegesander" or "Agesander", perhaps the
same who is mentioned as a member of the last Spartan embassy sent to Athens
before the Peloponnesian War, was himself a Spartan general in that war. In 411
he was placed in command of a fleet of 42 ships destined to further a revolt in
Euboea. News of their being seen off Las of Laconia came to Athens at the time
when the Four Hundred were building their fort of Eëtioneia on a
promontory commanding Piraeus, and the coincidence was used by Theramenes in
evidence of their treasonable intentions.
See the link for more.
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Hegelochus
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He was a Macdeonian general of
Alexander the Great
who was tasked with subduing the islands on the Aegean as Alexander
continued into Persia.
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c 356 -324
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Hephaestion
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Hephaestion, son of Amyntor, was
an ancient Macedonian nobleman and a general in the army of Alexander the
Great. He was "by far the dearest of all the king's friends; he had been
brought up with Alexander and shared all his secrets." This relationship
lasted throughout their lives, and was compared, by others as well as
themselves, to that of Achilles and Patroclus. He commanded in many operations
but is considered second rate. He led the fleet from Tyre to Gaza in 332. at
Gaugamela he was wounded. He led 1/3 of the army during the campaign in
Sogdiana in 328 He led a separate part of the army through the Kyber Pass and
bridged the Indus while Alexander was besieging Arnos. He commanded infantry at
Hydaspes and during the remainder of the campaign in India.
See the link for more.
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d. 379
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Herippidas
|
He was a Spartan general who
served as a commander in the Spartan, mercenary army king
Agesilaus IIled in to
Asia Minor. He was in the army that supported of Cyrus the younger and then was
a navarch in 392. At Coronea in 394 he
commanded the remaining mercenaries of the '10 thousand' in Agesilaus' army
winning the battle. In 382 he was garrison commander of the Spartans holding
the Cadmea in Thebes and
then was tried and executed by his government for- as they claimed - abandoning
it too easily.
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5th century
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Hermocrates
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Hermocrates was a Syracusan
general during the Athenians' Sicilian
Expedition in the midst of the
Peloponnesian
War. He is also remembered as a character in the Timaeus and Critias
dialogues of Plato. The first historical reference to Hermocrates comes from
Thucydides, where he appears at the congress of Gela in 424 giving a speech
demanding the Sicilian Greeks stop their quarrelling. In 415 he proposed a
coalition that would even include non-Sicilian cities (as well as non-Greek
cities such as Carthage) in an alliance against Athens. He was elected as one
of Syracuse's three strategoi, along with Heracleides and Sicanus, but was
dismissed from this position after a short period because of his lack of
success in battle. Later he was one of the most important advisers to the
Spartan general Gylippus,
and thus contributed to the victory over Athens during its siege of Syracuse.
In 412 he held the position of admiral during the battle ofCyzicus. In this battle, the Spartans and
their allies were badly defeated by the Athenians and, as a result, Hermocrates
was banned "in absentia". He did not return to Sicily until 408. He
died in a street fight after a failed coup in Syracuse in 407.
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4th century
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Hierax
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He was a Spartan admiral who
held Athenians off Aegina in
the Corinthian
War.In 389 he was dispatched by Sparta to Aegina, to take over the Spartan
fleet. The Spartans under the command of Teleutias had earlier driven off the
Athenian fleet blockading Aegina. Soon after taking command, Hierax departed
for Rhodes with most of the fleet, leaving
Gorgopas,
his vice-admiral, with twelve triremes as governor in Aegina. Not long
afterward, Antalcidas
was sent to replace Hierax as admiral.
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426
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Hierophon
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He was in command of the
Athenian naval force at the battle of Olpae.
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c. 547
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Hippias
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Hippias of Athens was one of the
sons of Peisistratos, and was the last tyrant of Athens between about 527 and
510. see Hippias
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459-424
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Hippocrates
|
Hippocrates of Athens, the son
of Ariphron, was a strategos of the Athenians in 424, serving alongside
Demosthenes. In the summer of 424, Hippocrates and Demosthenes set out from
Athens to seize the long walls of Megara (which connected the city with its
port Nisaea). The Spartan garrison at Nisaea surrendered, but the Athenians
were unable to capture Megara itself, and were compelled to withdraw when
Brasidas arrived to relieve the Megarans. Hippocrates then commanded an
Athenian force which invaded Boeotia. Hippocrates was given command of the land
force that was to take Delium and he succeeded in doing so and fortifying a
garrison there. When Hippocrates learned that the Boeotian army was
approaching, Hippocrates began to retreat to Athens; he was unable to do so,
and fought an army commanded by Pagondas at the Battle of
Delium. The Athenians were clearly defeated.
Hippocrates died near the beginning of the battle and nearly a thousand
Athenians were slain alongside him. Only nightfall prevented further losses.
After a siege of seventeen days, Delium fell to the Boeotians and at that point
the bodies of Hippocrates and the other men were returned to the Athenians.
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485-422
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Hipponicus III
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Hipponicus was an Athenian
military commander. He was the son of Callias II of the deme
Alopece and Elpinice of Laciadae (sister of Cimon). He was known as the
"richest man in Greece". Shortly after 455 Hipponicus married the
former wife of Pericles, whose name is unknown. By her he had two children:
Callias III and a daughter, Hipparete who later married Alcibiades. A second
son, Hermogenes was probably illegitimate since he received none of his
father's estate. Hipponicus' wealth came, from among other things, the fact
that he owned six hundred slaves working at the silver mines at Laurion in
southern Attica. In 445/4 he was secretary of the Athenian Council (boule) and
was still active as late as 426 when he, Nicias, and Eurymedon commanded
Athenian regiments in an incursion into Boeotian territory where they
successfully engaged Tanagran and Theban forces at
Tanagra. Hipponicus was reported by
Andocides to have been slain at the Battle of Delium in 424, but this appears
to have been an error, either on Andocides part or a later transcriber, for
Thucydides reports that the general at Delium was Hippocrates.
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5th Century
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Histiaeus
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He was appointed by Persian
kingDarius I as tyrant of
the conquered city, Miletus. He and other similar tyrants took part in Darius'
campaign into Thrace and across the Danube into Scythia. The Greeks were tasked
with building and defending the pontoon bridge over the Danube. There was and
still is controversy over who had the idea to destroy or keep) the bridge
intact - Histiaeus or Miltiades. After Histiaeus
returned to Sardis with Darius, Darius took him on to Susa instead of rewarding
him with Myrcinus, a town in Thrace leaving his son-in-law,
Aristagoras as tyrant
at Miletus. Histiaeus then induced Aristagoras to lead a revolt of the Ionian
Greek towns against Persia. Aristagoras was already in trouble for failing to
capture Naxos. So he went to get assistance from Sparta (which refused) and
Athens (which agreed). The Greeks attacked the Persian satrapy capital at
Sardis, held by Artaphernes, and burned
it. Artaphernes defeated the Greeks at Ephesus but Histiaeus managed to flee to
Chios. He tried to regain Miletus but could not so went to Lesbos and engaged
in outright piracy in goth the Aegean and Black Sea. Persians continued to
suppress the revolt and defeated the Ionians at Lade in 494. Histiaeus
returned to attempt to raise a revolt again but was captured by Persian
general Harpagus in 493.
Artaphernes then executed him.
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d. 344
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Idrieus
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Idrieus, or Hidrieos; died 344
was a ruler of Caria under the Achaemenid Empire, nominally a Satrap, who
enjoyed the status of king or dynast by virtue of the powerful position his
predecessors of the House of Hecatomnus (the Hecatomnids) created when they
succeeded the assassinated Persian Satrap
Tissaphernes in the
Carian satrapy. More details at the link.
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c. 418 - 353
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Iphicrates
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He was an Athenian general who
served also as a mercenary commander. He defeated a Spartan mora (battalion) in
392 near Corinth in the battle of
Lechaeum. He had
various successes in the Hellespont. After 387 he served king Cotys in Thrace
and then in 377 Persian king Artaxerxes asked the Athenians to send Iphicrates
to command his forces against Egypt but dissention in the Persian high command
aborted the campaign. He replaced
Timotheus in 373 for a
campaign in the Peloponnesus, but that was aborted. In 369 he prevented
Epaminondas from
capturing Sparta. In the 360's he campaigned in northern Greece near Amphipolis
and then in support of Thracians. He was sent with
Timotheus as advisors to
Chares to campaign against Chios.
Chares lost the battle of
Embata in 356. He
is much studied by military historians for his innovations in tactics and
individual arms and armor, especially of peltasts.
Nepos considered both Timotheus and
Iphicrates among the greatest generals. see also

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6th century
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Isagoras
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He was an Athenian politician
who was a friend of Spartan king Cleomenes.Cleomenes drove
the tyrant,Hippias, out of
Athens in 510. Then Isagoras asked him to expel Cleisthenes as well. Isagoras
was an archon in 508 who sought to rule using the Council of Three Hundred
which generated popular opposition. He and the Spartan garrison were besieged
and forced out of Athens. A Spartan effort to restore him, led by Cleomenes and
Demaratus in 505 failed and Cleisthenes remained in control of Athens.
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370 -
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Jason
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Jason of Pherae was the ruler of
Thessaly during the period just before Philip II of Macedon came to power. see
Jason
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5th century
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Lacedaemonius
|
He was a son of
Cimon and an Athenian
general. He fought at the battle of
Oenophyta in
457 as the hipparch of the cavalry. In 433 he was a strategos
commanding the fleet supporting Corcyra against Corinth.
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d. 415
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Lamachus
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He was an Athenian general who
operated in the Black Sea area in the 430's. In 435 he commanded the Athenian
fleet sent to support Sinope. In 433 his trireme was sunk in a storm off
Heraclea Pontica. He signed the
Peace of Nicias in
421. He was one of the three generals selected to lead the Athenian expedition
against Syracuse in 415 - the most experienced real military leader of the
three (Nicias and Alcibiades). Unfortunately, he was killed in the first attack
on the city.
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Leomedon
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He was brother of Erigynis and
another of Alexander's personal friends. After Alexander's death he received
Syria and Phoenicia as his satrapies.
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406
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Leon
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He was an Athenian who was
elected general by those opposed to
Alcibiades. He escaped
from Mytilene on Lesbos with
Conon in 406 when they were besieged by Callicratidas.
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530 - 480
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Leonidas
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He was an Agiad king of Sparta
succeding Cleomenes I.
He became famous in history as the commander of the Spartan and Thespian
army detachment sent to defend
Thermopylae
in 480.
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356 - 322
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Leonnatus
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He was a Macedonian general.
From 322 he was a bodyguard and kinsman of Alexander the Great. After Issus he
was sent to guard Darius' family. He advised Alexander during the Philoas
affair and attempted to restrain him durig the Clitus event. He saved
Alexander's life at the siege of Malion. He was honored for his service in
India. After Alexander's death he supported Alexander IV and became satrap of
Hellespontine Phrygia. In 322 he returned to Macedon and supported
Antipater in the Lamian War in which he was
killed in battle against the Athenians led by
Antiphilus..
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d. 379
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Leonitades
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He was pollemarch
of Thebes who, for his own purposes, persuaded Phoibidas to use the Spartan
troops to sieze the Cadmea. Phoibidas was tried in Sparta for this unauthorized
action and Leonitades spoke in his behalf. The Spartans kept the Cadmea until
Theban democrats led by Epaminondas executed a suprise coup and retook it - ans
also executed Leonitades.
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Leontichus
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was an Athenian commander during
the Corinthian War.
In 388, he participated in naval operations around Abydus and along with fellow
commanders Demaenetus, Dionysius and Phanias unsuccessfully pursued the Spartan
fleet under Antalcidas. However, Antalcidas was able to evade them and link up
with an allied Syracusan and Italian squadron at Abydos.
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d. 323
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Leosthenes
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He was an Athenian who was
commander of the combined Greek army in theLamian War.
see Leosthenes
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c. 545 - c. 469
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Leotychidas II
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Leotychidas was co-ruler of
Sparta between 491476, alongside Cleomenes I and later Leonidas I and
Pleistarchus. He led Spartan forces during the Persian Wars from 490 to 478.
Born in Sparta around 545, Leotychidas was a descendant of the Royal House of
the Eurypontids (through Menamus, Agesilaus, Hippocratides, Leotychides,
Anaxilaus, Archidamos, Anaxandridas I and Theopompus) and came to power in 491
BC with the help of the Agiad King
Cleomenes I by challenging
the legitimacy of the birth of Demaratus for the Eurypontid throne of Sparta.
Later that year, he joined Cleomenes' second expedition to Aegina, where ten
hostages were seized and given to Athens. However, after Cleomenes' death in
488, Leotychidas was almost surrendered to Aegina. In the spring of 479,
following the death of his co-ruler Leonidas at the Battle of
Thermopylae, Leotychidas commanded a
Greek fleet consisting of 110 ships at Aegina and later at Delos, supporting
the Greek revolts at Chios and Samos against Persia. Leotychidas defeated
Persian military and naval forces at the Battle of Mycale on the coast of Asia Minor in the summer
of 479 (possibly around mid-August). In 476, Leotychidas led an expedition to
Thessaly against the Aleuadae family for collaboration with the Persians but
withdrew after being bribed by the family. Upon returning to Sparta he was
tried for bribery, and fled to the temple of Athena Alea in Tegea. He was
sentenced to exile and his house burned. He was succeeded by his grandson,
Archidamus II, son of his son Zeuxidamus, called
Cyniscus, who had died in his father's lifetime. Leotychidas died some years
later, around 469. Leotychidas is not to be confused with another Eurypontid,
Leotychides, who was the (allegedly illegitimate) son of Agis II.
He is another example of what often happened to leading politicians in Greecian
cities.
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410 - 349
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Leukon I
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Leukon I of Bosporus (Leucon of
Bosporus) also known as Leucon, and Leuco, was a Spartocid ruler of the
Hellenistic Bosporan Kingdom who ruled from 389 to 349. He is arguably the
greatest ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom. He was the son of Satyros I (432 -
389), and was the grandson of Spartokos I, the first Spartocid ruler of the
Bosporan Kingdom. See the link for details.
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d. c.586
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Lycophron
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Lycophron of Corinth was the
second son of the Corinthian tyrant Periander. He was exiled by Periander in
the seventh century when he found out Periander had killed his mother Melissa.
Lycophron then lived for many years in Corcyra and some modern authors believe
that he ruled the island as tyrant for the Corinthians, but ancient sources
offer little evidence for this. At the end of his life, Periander asked his son
to return to Corinth and rule as his successor, but Lycophron refused to
accomplish, as long as his father lived in the same city. Periander then agreed
to change positions and was ready to go to Corcyra if his son came to Corinth,
but when the Corcyreans learned about this plan they killed Lycophron, probably
about 586. (Herodotus III 50-53 ; Diogenes Laërtius I 94, 95 ; comp.
Pausanias, II 28.)
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c. 820
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Lycurgus
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Plutarch wrote his biography and
compared him with the Roman Numa Pompilius, an apt comparison as both were
legendary founders and authors of the fundamental laws. He was the
quasi-legendary lawgiver of Sparta who established the military-oriented
reformation of Spartan society in accordance with the Oracle of Apollo at
Delphi. All his reforms promoted the three Spartan virtues: equality (among
citizens), military fitness, and austerity. He is referred to by ancient
historians and philosophers Herodotus, Xenophon, Plato, Polybius, Plutarch, and
Epictetus. It is not clear if Lycurgus was an actual historical figure;
however, many ancient historians believed that he instituted the communalistic
and militaristic reformsmost notably the Great Rhetrawhich
transformed Spartan society.
See the link for details.
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d. 395
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Lysander
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He was a Spartannavarch
in 407 in the Aegean. He established his base at Ephesus where he became a
friend of Persian satrap Cyrus the Younger who supplied him with resources to
build a fleet. Alcibiadesled the Athenian
fleet at Samos but Lysander refused to meet him in a sea battle. But while
Alcibiades was absent collecting resources Antichous led the fleet out and
Lysander saw his opportunity and defeated the Athenians at the battle of
Notium in 406.
Athens fired Alcibiades who retired to Thrace. Spartan law prohibited Lysander
from being navarch the next year so he was replaced by
Callicratidas.
Callicratidas sailed to Lesbos which he besieged.
Conon brought an Athenian
fleet and in the battle of
Arguinusae
defeated Callicratidas who died in battle. This brought Lysander back into
command. He outmaneuvered the Athenians and established his fleet in the
Hellespont. When the Athenians followed he outwitted them again and destroyed
their fleet at Aegospotami. He
then captured Byzantium, Chalcedon and Lesbos. He besieged Athens jointly with
king Pausanius forcing the
Athenians to surrender and destroy their wall. He established a pro-Spartan
oligarchy - the Thirty
Tyrants . This was subsequently overthrown by
Thrasybulusin 403 and
Lysander was defeated in the battle of
Munychia. He
continued in various military operations in the Hellespont. In 395 he
instigated the Spartans to begin the Corinthian War against
an alliance of Thebes, Athens, Argos and Corinth and others. He led a Spartan
army to Orchomenus and then died in the battle of
Haliartus
and outside the city walls.
His biography was written by both Nepos and
Plutarch
Plutarch compared him with the Roman Lucius Cornelius Sylla. He notes that both
were creators of their own 'greatness' but that Lysander had public approval in
this while Sylla made himself dictator.
See the links for more details.
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360 -281
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Lysimachus
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Lysimachus (360 281) was
a Macedonian officer and diadochus (i.e. "successor") of Alexander
the Great, who became a basileus ("King") in 306, ruling Thrace (306
- 281), Asia Minor (301-281)and Macedon (288-281).
See the link for much more.
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d. 479
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Mardonius
|
He was a nephew of Persian king
Darius. The king also married Mardonius' sister. He served Darius during the
Ionian revolt. In 492 he regained Persian control of Thrace. He was one of
Xerxes' generals and remained in Greece when Xerxes departed. In 479 he
destroyed Athens but was defeated and killed by the combined Greek city forces
atPlataea.
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d. 395
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Mausolus
|
He was a ruler of Caria. He
interveened in the Social War. He is most famous for his magnificent tomb from
which the generic name, Mausoleum derives.
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6th - 5th centuries
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Megabates
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He was a Persian military leader
in the late 6th and early 5th centuries. He was a cousin of Darius I and his brother
Artaphernes, satrap of
Lydia. Megabates is most notable for his joint participation in the failed 499
siege of Naxos. With Aristagoras and 200 ships, he was sent by Darius the Great
to annex the small Aegean island to the Persian Empire.
Megabates who forewarned
the Naxians of the ensuing Persian siege, as he and
Aristagoras argued
after Megabates punished a captain for not setting up a watch. As a result, the
people of Naxos gathered supplies and fortified their city to withstand a
four-month-long siege. It is believed that Megabates sought to shame
Aristagoras at the Persian court because of their dispute during the voyage to
Naxos. needed] Megabates followed in his older brother's footsteps and was
appointed satrap of Phrygia, with his residence at Dascylium. One of his sons
was Megabazus.
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c. 323
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Meleager
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Meleager was a Macedonian
officer who served Alexander the Great with distinction. Among the king's
generals who went with him to Asia, he was the most experienced as the only
military figure who exceeded his experience was the Macedonian general
Antipater who remained in Macedon during Alexander's entire Asian campaign. He
was the commander of the Macedonian phalanx. He is described by Quintus Curtius
as being very disruptive and demanding during the general's conference at
Alexander's death over who should reign and how to divide up the spoils. He
threatened to use the Macedonian infantry against the other generals. He
claimed to support Philip Arrhidaeus for king. Perdiccas maneuvered into
personal danger and had him executed.
See the link for more details.
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5th century
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Melissus
|
He commanded the Samian fleet
that initially defeated the Athenians (commanded by
Pericles) in the
Samian War441 but Samos
lost their rebellion after a 9-month siege.
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d 333
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Memnon
|
He was a Rhodian mercenary
general who fled to Macedonia in 352 where he learned about
Phillip II and
Alexander. In 339 he defended Byzantium against Philip II. He commanded the
Greek mercenaries at the battle ofGranicus.
He defended Halicarnassusuntil
overwhelmed and then burned the city and escaped. He then organized the Persian
fleet to attack Alexander's supply lines in the Aegean capturing many islands.
He almost managed to get Athens and Sparta to revolt. He nearly succeeded and
died in 333 during a siege of Mytilene.
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4th century
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Menidas
|
He was the commander of
mercenary cavalry at Gaugamela. Prior to the battle he conducted field
reconnaissance and discovered traps on the prepared field. During the battle he
defended the camp and baggage and, according to Arrian and Diodorus, was
wounded.
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385 - 340
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Mentor
|
He was Memnon's brother and also
was a Rhodian mercenary general who served his brother-in-law, Artabazus, in
the Troad and then fled with him and Memnon to Macedon. He fought both for and
against the Persian kingArtaxerxes IIIFirst, he
was hired by Egyptian Pharaoh
Nectanebo II to defend
Egypt at Sidon, where the Persians captured him. Recognizing his skill
Artaxerxes then hired him as commander of one of the mercenary units for the
reconquest of Egypt in 344 - the critical battle was at
Pelusium
in 343. For his excellent contribution he was named commander of Persian forces
in Asia Minor in 342. He died there.
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550 - 489
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Miltiades
|
He was an Athenian general. His
father and son were both named Cimon. He is frequently confused with his uncle,
Miltiades the
Elder, who established the Athenian colony in the Chersonesus in 455. But
he did succeed his uncle after the latter died in 520 and his elder brother
also died. He was then sent in 516 by the Athenian tyrant,
Hippias to take
over there. He married the daughter of Thracian king Olorus. Persian King
Darius I led
his army across the Bosporus in 513 to attack the Scythians. As a vassal,
Miltiades participated as far as the Danube. Historians question the story that
Miltiades recommended destruction of the bridge there in order to trap Darius.
In 499 he joined in support of the Ionian Revolt. He
returned to Chersonesus in 496 and then fled to Athens in 492. With some
difficulty from having been a 'tyrant' he did regain political favor. He was
elected one of the strategosgenerals and thanks to his reputed knowledge
of the Persians was given command of the Athenian army at Marathon in 490. In 489 he led a large Athenian
naval campaign to Paros.
After that effort failed (during which he was seriously wounded) and the fleet
returned, his political rivals charged him with treason, and he was found
guilty, fined, and put in prison where he died. The fine was paid by his son,
Cimon.
Nepos wrote a short biography. Plutarch
mentions him in the biographies of others.
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c.590 - 525
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Miltiades the Elder
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He was an Athenian politician
from the Philaid family. He is most famous for traveling to the Thracian
Chersonese, where he ruled as a tyrant. During his reign, Miltiades'
best-attested action is the construction of a defensive wall across the
peninsula. Miltiades was the uncle of Miltiades the Younger. The Dolonci, the
population of the Thracian Chersonese suffered several military defeats
against their rivals, the Apsinthians. Miltiades took a group of Athenian
settlers and these followers populated and fortified Cardia. He died,
childless, around 525 . He was succeeded as tyrant by his nephew, Stesagoras,
who was killed shortly afterward by the Lampsacenes.
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411-410
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Mindarus
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He was a Spartan admiral who
commanded the Peloponnesian fleet in 411 and 410, during the Peloponnesian War.
seeMindarus
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5th century
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Myronides
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was an Athenian general of the
First
Peloponnesian War. In 458 he defeated the Corinthians at Megara and then in
457 he defeated the Boeotians at the Battle of
Oenophyta.
Myronides' victory at Oenophyta led to a decade of Athenian domination over
Boeotia, Locris and Phocis sometimes called the Athenian 'Land Empire'.
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ca. 380 - 360
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Nectanebo I
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Egyptian Pharoh Kheperkare
Nakhtnebef, better known by his hellenized name Nectanebo I, was an ancient
Egyptian pharaoh, founder of the last native dynasty of Egypt, the XXXth.
Nectanebo was an army general from Sebennytos, son of an important military
officer named Djedhor and of a lady whose name is only partially recorded. see
Nectanebo I
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360-342
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Nectanebo II
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Nectanebo II ruled in
360342 and was the third and last pharaoh of the Thirtieth Dynasty of
Egypt as well as the last native ruler of ancient Egypt. see
Nectanebo II
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d.321
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Neoptolemus
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Neoptolemus died 321 ) was a
Macedonian officer who served under Alexander the Great. He then participated
in the wars of the Diodochi.
See the links for details.
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d. 413
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Nicias
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He was an Athenian politician
and general. During the
Peloponnesian War
he led campaigns to Minoa in 427, to Boeotia in 426 (Tanagra) and occupied
Cythera in 425. But he was desiring and recommending peace in opposition to
Cleon's constant advocacy of
war. In 423 he arranged a truce with Sparta. He conquered Mende and persuaded
Macedonian king Perdiccas II to become an ally. In 421 he authored the
50-year Peace of
Nicias. After Cleon's death Nicias faced the aggressive political
adventures of Alcibiades. In 415 he
reluctantly accepted joint command for an expedition against Syracuse in
Sicily, promoted by Alcibiades who was also elected to the joint command along
with Lamachus. Alcibiades
was recalled en route for trial and Lamachus did in the first battle.
Demosthenes was sent
with reinforcements. The Athenian fleet was destroyed in the harbor and the
army destroyed during its retreat. Nicias was killed.
Plutarch wrote a biography of Nicias in which he compared him to the Roman
Crassus. The obvious point is that both generals died while on loosing
campaigns far from home. But in this Plutarch gives the better grade to Crassus
who died honorably while Nicias surrendered and hoped for his life. The main
set of comparisons, however, as with Plutarch's evaluations, is about their
personal characters and public actions and in these Nicias gets the better
grade.
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d. 497
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Onesilus
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Onesilus or Onesilos; was the
brother of king Gorgos (Gorgus) of the Greek city-state of Salamis on the
island of Cyprus. Cyprus was a part of the Persian Empire, but, when the
Ionians rebelled from Persian rule, Onesilus captured the city of Salamis and
usurped his brothers throne. He was able to win over every city on the
island except for the Graeco-Phoenician city-state of Amathus, which stayed
loyal to the Persians despite being besieged by Onesilus' troops. He is known
only through the work of Herodotus (Histories, V.104115). See the link.
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354 -352
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Onomarchus
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Onomarchus was a Phocian general
in the Third Sacred
War, brother of Philomelus and son of Theotimus. After his brother's death
he became commander of the Phocians and pursued a warmongering policy.
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4th century
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Orontobates
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Orontobates was a Persian, who
married the daughter of Pixodarus, the usurping
satrap of Caria, and was sent by the king of Persia to succeed him. see
Orontobates
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d. 427
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Paches
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He was an Athenian general who
commanded the campaign to end the rebellion of Mytilene in 428.
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5th century
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Pagondas
|
Pagondas, a son of Aeolidas, was
a Theban general and statesman, who is best known for his command of the
Boeotian forces at the Battle of Delium in 424
during the Peloponnesian War. His modification of the standard hoplite
formation and his use of reserve cavalry in that battle constitute what most
historians agree is the first recorded use of formal military tactics in human
history.
See the link for much more.
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4th century
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Pammenes
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He was a Theban general 371- 362
and later. In 369Epaminondas sent him to
defend Megalopolis from the Spartans. He was sent again in 362. He supported
Artabazusin 356 and twice
defeated armies sent by Artaxerxes III. He
fought on the side of Philip II against the Phocians in the
Third Sacred War
355-346.
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d. 330
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Parmenion
|
He was a Macedonian general who
was joint commander of Phillip's invasion of Asia in 336. He was then
Alexander's second in command at battles of
Granicus,
Isssus and
Gaugamela. He
also conducted separate operations. He remained at Ecbatana in 331 as Alexander
continued east to India. He was murdered on Alexander's order.
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d. 470
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Pausanias
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He was a member of the Agiad
family and Spartan regent and general. After
Leonidas died in battle,
he was regent for Pleistarchus who died in 458. He commanded the 31 allied
Greek armies at Plataea in 479. But
when he then commanded the allied Greek fleet in the Aegean his overbearing
dictatorial methods caused revolts even though he did capture Byzantum from the
Persians in 478. The Spartan government recalled him and sent Dorieus, who also
was dismissed. Cimon drove
him out of Byzantium in ca. 475-470. He was tried and found guilty but fled to
a temple where he was then blocked in and died.
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445 - 395
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Pausanias II
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He was grandson of Pausanias and
became an Agiad king of Sparta. 445. His father was Pleisstoanax and his uncle
Cleomenes.He led the
Spartan land blockade of Athens in 405 forcing the Athenian surrender. In 403
he opposeed Lysander and
took the Spartan army back home. In 394 he failed to prevent Lysander's death
at Haliartus in
Boeotia. For which he was condemed and fled to Tegea. His son was
Aegisipolus _
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d. 395
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Peisander
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He was a Spartan general during
the Corinthian War.
His brother-in-law was King
Agesilaus II. In 395
he was assigned command of the Spartan fleet in the Aegean. But he was a
relatively inexperienced general, and in its very first action his Spartan
fleet was decisively defeated by the Persian fleet commanded by
Cononand
Pharnabazus II at
the Battle of Cnidus. Peisander
died fighting aboard his ship. The defeat ended Spartan naval power in the
Aegean.
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d. 527
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Peisistratos
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He was the son of Hippocrates,
and was a ruler of Athens during most of the period between 561 and 527. He
established the Panathenaic Games, in 566. He supported and was supported by
the lower class of Athens. He greatly reduced the power and privileges of the
wealthy to spread the wealth more equally among the Athenians. He was a distant
relative of Solon. He became politically popular by capturing Megara's port of
Nisaea in 565. This victory opened up trade to the west which improved Athenian
grain supply. But that popularity was not sufficient for him to gain complete
power. Gradually he gained sufficient support from the poorer population to
seize the Acropolis and the government. The Athenians accepted tyranny in the
name of peace and prosperity when he declared himself tyrant. But he still had
to fight opposing factions. He was removed from political office and exiled
twice during his reign, first in 555. He was exiled for 3 to 6 years then
returned to Athens. He managed to again be tyrant for a few years before being
exiled again but again after assembling forces for 10 years regained power.
When he died in 527 power was assumed by his oldest son
Hippias as tyrant.
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427
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Peithias
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Peithias was a democratic leader
of Corcyra during the Peloponnesian War. In 427 he was killed together with
"... sixty others, senators and private persons;..."This happened
because Peithias was accused by Corcyraeans (in favor of Corinth) of enslaving
Corcyra to Athens. Peithias won the charge and accused then five of the richest
of his accusers "... of cutting stakes in the ground sacred to Zeus and
Alcinous; ...",[1] who then could not pay the fee. The oligarchic party
fearing then Peithias "... to persuade the people to conclude a defensive
and offensive alliance with Athens, ..." killed him then in the senate.
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c. 410 - 364
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Pelopidas
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He was a Theban general who led
the revolution in Thebes in 379 and was then elected Boeotarch. He commanded
the "Sacred Band" in the battle at
Tegyra in 379 and
then at Leuctra in 371
and at Mantinea.
He operated with
Epaminondas in the campaign of 370 but otherwise led campaigns in north
Greece against Pherae and in Thessaly. He died fighting Alexxander of Pherae at
Cynoscephalae
in 364. He was recognized by Nepos as a
great general as well as byPlutarch who especially
comended his for his close relationship rather than rivalry with Epaminondas.
In his biography Plutarch compared him with the Roman Marcellus..
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c. 355 - 320
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Perdiccas
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Perdiccas - Perdikkas; c. 355
321/320 became a general in Alexander the Great's army and participated
in Alexander's campaign against Achaemenid Persia. Following Alexander's death,
he rose to become supreme commander of the imperial army and regent for
Alexander's half brother and intellectually disabled successor, Philip
Arridaeus (Philip III). He was murdered by his own officers while campaigning
to Egypt in 320
See the link for more.
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450 - 413
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Perdiccas II
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King of Macedon He fought civil
wars against his brothers Alceas and Philip in the 440 -430's. He supported the
rebellion of Potidaea and later made peace with Athens. He supported the
Spartans and Brasidas in 424.
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368 - 359
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Perdiccas III
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King of Macedon from 365 - 360
That year he was killed while attempting to reconquer upper Macedonia the
Illyrian Bardylis,
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d 429
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Pericles
|
He was an Athenian politician
and general. He held political power in the 440- 430's and led the city during
the first years of the
Peloponnesian War
until dying during the plague. He was at Tanagra in 457 but not involved
with the Athenian expedition to Egypt in 454 as he was commanding the Athenian
squadron in the Gulf of Corinth.
Plutarch wrote his biography and compared him with the Roman general Fabius
Maximus.
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d 342
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Phalacus
|
He was a Phocian general. from
351. He was deposed in 347 and regained power in 346. In 346 he let the
Macedonians into central Greece to defeat the Phocians and end the Third
Sacred war. He then went to Italy and Crete
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d 370/69
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Pharax
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He was a Spartan junior officer
at Aegospotami
in 405 and was promoted admiral in 398 in the Aegean. He then went to
Sicily to assist Dionysius I.
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d. before 430
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Pharnabazus I
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Pharnabazus I, was a member of
the Pharnacid dynasty that governed the province of
Hellespontine
Phrygia as satraps for the Achaemenid Empire. He is a very obscure figure,
almost always mentioned alongside his father Artabazus. He may have succeeded
his father as satrap between 455 and 430, but it is also possible that
Artabazus was directly succeeded by his grandson (Pharnabazus' son), Pharnaces
II.
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d 370
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Pharnabazus II
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He was a Persian satrap and
general in Phrygia. His Persian support and oposition to Sparta alternated
during the Peloponnesian war. In 409 he agreed with
Alcibiades. But this was
canceled in 408. Between 400 and 395 the Spartans attaked his satrapy. In 394
he financed and help lead Conon's victory at
Cnidos which
destroyed Spartan naval power and ended the war. He and Conon used the Persian
fleet to attack Sparta and restore Athens. In 392 he went to the Persian court
at Susa. In 388-6 and 373 he was Persian commander attempting to conquer Egypt
with the assistance of Athenian general
Iphicrates.
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370 -320
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Pharnabazus III
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Pharnabazus III; c.
370 - after 320 ) was a Persian satrap who fought against Alexander the Great.
His father was Artabazus II, and his mother a Greek from Rhodes. .
Pharnabazus was the son of Artabazus, satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia. However,
Artabazus was exiled after a failed rebellion against Artaxerxes III in 358.
From 352 to 342, the family went into exile to Macedonia, in the capital of
Pella in Pella, under the rule of king Philip II (360-336), where they met the
young Prince Alexander, future Alexander the Great. With Artabazus and
Pharnabazus was Memnon of Rhodes, a Greek mercenary and relative by marriage.
Artabazus, Pharnabazus and Memnon were later allowed to return to Persia, in
343.
See the links for much more detail.
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d. 351
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Phayllas
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Phayllus was the
third leader of the Phocians during the Third
Sacred War, succeeding his brother
Onomarchus. After a
fairly unsuccessful period in command he died of natural causes, and was
succeeded by his nephew Phalacus.
See the link for more details.
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d. 466
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Pherendatis
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Pherendatis was a Persian
general who was appointed Supreme Commander of the ground forces in the Battle
of the Eurymedon. He
perished in this battle.
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382 - 336
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Philip II
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King of Macedon He created the
Macedonian army that his son,
Alexander the
Great employed to conquer Persia. But first Philip conquered Greece.
See the link for much more detail.
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ca. 200
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Philoces
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Philoces was Philip V of
Macedon's prefect and commander on the island of Euboea. In 200 he was ordered
by Philip to ravage Attica with 2,000 infantry and 200 cavalry. According to
Polybius the ravaging that Philoces gave Attica was the worst since the Persian
War. In 197 he tried to relieve the city of Eretria but he was driven off by
the Roman army besieging the city. He was then put in charge of a group of
1,500 who went to Achaea and relieved Corinth and had Argos surrendered to
them. Philioces later gave Argos to Nabis of Sparta in return for a Spartan
alliance with Macedon. Philoces still remained commander of the Macedonian
garrison at Argos after the exchange and when Nabis deserted the Macedonians
and went over to the Romans, Philoces was offered by the Romans to surrender
the city to them. Philoces surrendered the city and was allowed free passage to
Macedon. This is the last that is heard about Philoces.
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416
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Philocrates
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He was Athenian general at Melos
in 416 when they surrendered .
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340's
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Philocrates
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He was a Greek politician from
Athens who first negotiated the
Peace of
Philocrates with Philip II of Macedonia after Philip devastated the city of
Olynthos in 348. The unpopularity of the treaty resulted in Philocrates being
prosecuted in 343.
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d. 354
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Philomelos
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Philomelos of Phocis was general
of the Phocians in the Third Sacred War,
brother of Onomarchus
and son of Theotimus. Philomelos, with the help of Sparta, set up as a
strategos autokrator a mercenary army and managed to defeat the Locrians. Then
he conquered Delphi and fully controlled the local Oracle, forcing Pythia to
admit and agree that he could do what he wanted as owner of the Oracle. After
that, he stole the treasures of the temple and all the valuable offerings to
the god Apollo and used them in order to form additional army corps consisting
of 10,000 mercenaries. With the support and help of Sparta, Athens and Corinth,
Philomelos again prevailed over the Locrians and Thessalians, but he was
defeated in 354 by the Boeotians and was killed falling off a cliff.
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d
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Philopoemen
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Plutarch wrote his biography and
compared him with the Roman Titus Quintius Flamininus. He rated Philopoemen the
greater in military skill but Flamininus the better in having confered benefits
to Rome while Philopoemen was fighting as a Greek against other Greeks.
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Philotas
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He was the son of Parmenion and
commanded the Companion cavalry. This critical command put him into power near
Alexander. He was accused of being an acomplis in Cebalinus's plot against
Alexander, so was tried and executed. This caused Alexander to order the murder
of his father.
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d 351
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Phyllus
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He was a Phocian general who
prevented Philip
II of Macedon from passing through Thermopyle in 352.
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d. 330
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Philoas
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He was a Macedonian general,
commanding Alexander's cavalry
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402- 318
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Phocion
|
He was an Athenian politician
and general. He was considered among the greats by both
Neposand Plutarch.
See essay on Phocion and Plutarch's Lives and both
edition of Cornelius Nepos. Plutarch compared Phocion with the Roman Cato the
Younger and found them both of excellent private and public character.
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d. 378
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Phoebidas
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He was a Spartan general who
occupied the Theban Cadmea
but since this move was unauthorized he was recalled. He was killed by Theban
cavalry in 378 as Harmos (military governor) of Thespiae.
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5th century
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Phormio
|
He was an Athenian admiral who
commanded at the battle against the rebels in Samos in 432 -
Samian war. He fought
atPotidaea and
commanded the Athenian fleet at
Naupactus in
430 - 429, where he defeated the Spartans twice. He was noted for deveoping the
new Athnenian ramming tactics in sea battles.
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d. 411
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Phrynichus
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He was one of the Athenian
admirals commanding the fleet at Samos. He became one of the
400 Hundredoligarchic
government in 411 and was assassinated. His role at Samos and Athens is
described as part of the Athenian coup.
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458 -408
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Pleistoanax
|
He was an Agiad king of Sparta.
He invaded Attica in 446 in the
First
Peloponnesian War . He was condemed for taking bribes and exiled. In 427 he
was recalled. He supported the peace with Athens in 421.
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470 -458
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Pleistarchus
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He was an Agiad king of Sparta
His tutor was Cleombrotus. His father
and mother were his uncle and niece.
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413
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Polyanthes
|
He was the Corinthian admiral
commanding their squadron at
Erineus located on
the south side of the channel that opened the Gulf of Corinth to the Adriatic.
The Corinthian squadron was based there to protect convoys west to Sicily and
Italy. He was attacked by the Diphilus commanding the Athenian squadron at
Naupactus. The battle was a draw with neither side loosing much, but it was a
critical battle because Polyanthes had made technical change to his ships by
greatly strengthing the bow in order to defeat the Athenian tactic of
bow-to-bow rammng. This was successful and was quickly adopted by the
Syracusians to enable them to defeat the Athenian fleet in their harbor.
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540 -522
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Polycrates
|
Polycrates was a son of Aeaces,
and the tyrant of Samos from
the 540s to 522. He had a reputation as both a fierce warrior and an
enlightened tyrant. . Polycrates recruited an army of 1,000 archers and
assembled a navy of 100 penteconters, which became the most powerful navy in
the Greek world at that time. Both Herodotus and Thuycides credit Polycrates
with the importance of sea power. No doubt this was in recognition of the
significance to Samos itself which gained its wealth from control of commerce
along the Aegean coast. But commerce was not his only objective.He wanted to
bring all the Greek islands and cities of Ionia under his rule. Polycrates'
rule coresponded with the Persian conquest of Lydia in 546. This made it
expedient for the coastal and island cities of Ionia to recognize this Persian
power. He took advantage of the situation. Herodotus refers to an attack on
Miletus, in which he won a great naval victory. He then conquered Delos, the
key religious centre of the Aegean. Polycrates sought a counterpalance of power
by an alliance with King Amasis of Egypt. That a local ruler on an island in
the Agean could have significant dealings with the kings of Persia and Egypt is
an indication of the wealth of Samos as much as the role of its ruler.
Polycrates also engaged in outright piracy including capture of prisoners who
could be sold as slaves. Herodotus states that Polycrates later established a
fleet 40 triremes, probably becoming the first Greek state with a fleet of such
ships. In circa 520 Sparta and Corinth invaded Samos but were unsuccessful. The
Persian satrap at Sardis, Oroetes invited Polycrates to visit at Magnesia where
he assissinated him. After the murder of Polycrates by Oroetes, Samos was ruled
by Maiandrios. Under Polycrates the Samians developed an engineering and
technological expertise to a level unusual in ancient Greece.
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d 303
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Polyperchon
|
He was a Macedonian general
commanding Tymphaean units in Alexander the Great's army. He was sent back to
Macedon as second in command to
Craterus.He assisted
Antipater defeat the
Greeks in the Lamian
War. After 319 on Antipater's death he was appointed commander of all the
Macedonian forces but soon was opposed by
Cassander. He allied with
Eumenus against rivals
Cassander, Antigonus and Ptolemy. A complex multisided series of campaigns
ensued in which Poyperchon lost out..
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370-369
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Procles
|
He was a citizen of Philus who
acted as an external advocate for reason in the diplomatic meetings in 370 and
369 between Athenians, Spartans and Corinthians and Thebans discussing if the
Athenians should or should not aid Spartans against the Theban campaign against
them. Xenophon presents the speeches in full and uses them as example of right
ethical policy. Dr. Emily Baragwanath analyzed the speeches in detail in her
article 'A Noble Alliance: Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon's Procles'
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Protomachus
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He was an Athenian general
during the Peloponnesian War.
When the Athenians lerned of the Battle of
Notium, they
denounced Alcibiades,
claiming that he had lost the ships through neglect of duty and dissolute
conduct. Protomachus was one of the new 10 strategos elected. He commanded the
right wing of the Athenian fleet at the Battle of
Arginusae, with
fifteen ships.Thrasyllus
commanded fifteen ships. Lysias was stationed behind Protomachus with
fifteen ships. Protomachus was one of the eight generals who were deposed from
their office and ordered to return to Athens to stand trial because they failed
to rescue the sailors after the battle. He fled and did not return to Athens.
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Protomachus
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He was a Macedonian
general in the Battle ofIssus commanding the
Prodromoi and replacing Amyntas (son of Arrhabaeus). In the battle of
Gaugamela he was replaced by Aretes.
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367 - 282
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Ptolemy I
|
Ptolemy I Soter
"Ptolemy the Savior"; c. 367 January 282) was a companion and
historian of Alexander the Great of the Kingdom of Macedon in northern Greece
who became ruler of Egypt, part of Alexander's former empire. Ptolemy was
pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt from 305/304 to his death. He was the founder of the
Ptolemaic dynasty which ruled Egypt until the death of Cleopatra in 30, turning
the country into a Hellenistic kingdom and Alexandria into a center of Greek
culture. Ptolemy I was the son of Arsinoe of Macedon by either her husband
Lagus or Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander.
See the link for more details.
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308 -246
|
Ptolemy II
|
Ptolemy II
Philadelphus, (Philadelphus in Greek: Brother-Loving) (born 308,
Cosdied 246), king of Egypt (285246), second king of the Ptolemaic
dynasty, who extended his power by skillful diplomacy, developed agriculture
and commerce, and made Alexandria a leading centre of the arts and sciences.
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c. 280 - 246
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Ptolemy III
|
Ptolemy III
Euergetes "Ptolemy the Benefactor"; c. 280 November/December
222 was the third king of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt from 246 to 222 . The
Ptolemaic Kingdom reached the height of its power during his reign. Ptolemy III
was the eldest son of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and his first wife Arsinoe I.
When Ptolemy III was young, his mother was disgraced and he was removed from
the succession. He was restored as heir to the throne in the late 250s and
succeeded his father as king without issue in 246 . On his succession, Ptolemy
married Berenice II, reigning queen of Cyrenaica, thereby bringing her
territory into the Ptolemaic realm. In the Third Syrian War (246-241 ), Ptolemy
III invaded the Seleucid empire and won a near total victory, but was forced to
abandon the campaign as a result of an uprising in Egypt.
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c. 470 -389
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Satyros I
|
Satyros I (died 389)
also known as Satyrus was the Spartocid ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom from 432
to 389. During his rule he built upon the expansive foreign policy of his
father, Spartokos I. He conquered Nymphaion, became involved in the political
developments of the neighbouring Sindike kingdom and laid siege to the city
of Theodosia, which was a serious
commercial rival because of its ice-free port and proximity to the grain fields
of eastern Crimea. He presided over a strengthening of ties with Athens, and at
one point possibly had a statue raised in his honour in the city. He was also
the father of Leukon and Gorgippos who would expand their realm into a powerful
kingdom.
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358 -281
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Selucus I Nicantor
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Seleucus I Nicator .
'Seleucus the Victor') was one of the Diadochi (the rival generals, relatives,
and friends of Alexander the Great who fought for control over his empire after
his death). Having previously served as an infantry general under Alexander the
Great, he eventually assumed the title of basileus and established the Seleucid
Empire over the bulk of the territory which Alexander had conquered in Asia. He
was the last living of Alexander's generals and was one of the most sucessful
in founding a ruling dynast.
See the link for details.
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265 -225
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Selucus II
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Seleucus II
Callinicus Pogon -Kallinikos means "gloriously triumphant"; Pogon
means "the Beard"; July/August 265 December 225 was a ruler of
the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, who reigned from 246 to 225 . Faced with
multiple enemies on various fronts, and not always successful militarily, his
reign was a time of great turmoil and fragmentation for the Seleucid empire,
before its eventual restoration under his second son and eventual successor,
Antiochus III. See the link for details.
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243 - 223
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Seleucus III
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Seleucus III Soter,
called Seleucus Ceraunus c. 243 April/June 223, ruled December 225
April/June 223, was a ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom, the
eldest son of Seleucus II Callinicus and Laodice II. He was assassinated.
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d
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Solon
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Plutarch wrote his biography and
compared him with the Roman, "Poplicola" - Publius Valerius - both
famous servants of their respective societies.
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4th century
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Sphodrias
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Sphodrias was a Spartan general.
In 379, he was in command of a garrison in the Spartan-occupied city of
Thespiae in Boeotia. Aiming to increase Spartan power in the region, he
attempted to march by night to seize the Piraeus, the port of Athens. He
miscalculated the length of the march, however, and when the sun rose he and
his army were caught out in the middle of the Thyrian plain, still some miles
from the Piraeus. He retreated back to Boeotia. The Athenians, furious at
Sphodrias' action, seized several Spartan emissaries who were in Athens at the
time, and released them only when the Spartans promised that Sphodrias would be
executed. Sphodrias' son Cleonymos, however, got
Archidamus, the son of
the Spartan king Agesilausto intervene.
Agesilaus then used his influence to secure Sphodrias' unexpected acquittal.
Together with Phoebidas, who had seized Thebes several years earlier, Sphodrias
came to be seen as representative of an aggressive Spartan foreign policy that
alienated other states throughout Greece. In 371 Sphodrias died in the battle
of Leuctra
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Spitamenes
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He was a Bactrian noble who,
with Dataphernes and Catanes, arrested Bessus. But he then opposed Alexander
and ambushed Menedemus when Alexander sent the latter to capture him. He
conducted war against Alexander. Eventually he was murdered by his wife.
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5th century
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Strombichides
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Strombichides was an Athenian
admiral and politician. His father was Diotimus. Strombichides was appointed to
command the eight ships which the Athenians sent to the coast of Asia Minor,
following the news of the revolt of Chios in 412. On his arrival at Samos he
added a Samian trireme to his squadron and sailed to Teos to check on the
rebellion there. But soon after, he was compelled to flee to Samos from a
superior Peloponnesian fleet, underChalcideus and
Alcibiades and, as a
result, Teos revolted. Not long after this Strombichides seems to have returned
to Athens, and later in the same year he was one of three commanders who were
sent to the Athenians at Samos with a reinforcement of thirty-five ships, which
increased their whole force to 104. This they now divided, retaining the
greater part of the fleet at Samos to command the sea, and to carry on the war
against Miletus, while Strombichides and two others were despatched to Chios
with thirty triremes. On their way they lost three of their vessels in a storm.
However, with the rest of the fleet they proceeded to Lesbos, and made
preparations for the Siege of Chios, to which island they then crossed over,
fortified a strong post named Delphinium, and reduced, for a time, the
population of Chios to great extremities. In 411, following the revolt of
Abydos and Lampsacus, Strombichides sailed from Chios with twenty four ships
and recovered Lampsacus, but was unable either to persuade or compel Abydos to
return to its allegiance. Accordingly he crossed over to Sestus, and there
established a garrison to command the whole of the Hellespont. Soon after this,
he was summoned to reinforce the Athenians at Samos, who were unable, before
his arrival, to make headway against the superior force of the Peloponnesians
under Astyochus. Lysias regarded Strombichides as was one of the friends of
democracy who expressed their indignation at the terms of the peace with which
Theramenes and his
fellow-ambassadors returned to Athens from Lacedaemon in 404. Having thus made
himself an enemy of the oligarchs, he was involved with the other prominent men
of his party, in the accusation brought against them by Agoratus before the
council, of a conspiracy to oppose the peace. They were all accordingly thrown
into prison, and not long after were put to death following a mockery of a
trial under the government of the Thirty. Strombichides is believed to have
been the father of the Athenian statesman, Autocles. With Strombichides'
father, Diotimus, being head of the fleet as Nauarch, himself being a Taxiarch,
and his son, Autocles rising to lead the army as strategos, this family from
the southern Deme of Euonymeia was one of the most influential of Athenian
politics and military hierarchy.
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Taxiles
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His former name was Omphis. He
was ruler of Taxila in the Punjab and became Alexander's ally. He gave
Alexander 30 elephants. His brother died in battle with Porus.
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d. 381
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Teleutias
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Teleutias was the brother of the
Spartan king Agesilaus
II, and a Spartan naval commander in the
Corinthian War.or Corinthian war. He first
saw action in the campaign to regain control of the Corinthian Gulf after the
Spartan naval disaster at Cnidus in 394, and
was later active in the Spartan campaign against Argos in 391.
See the link for more.
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c. 524 - c.459
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Themistocles
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He was an Athenian populist
politician and military commander. Nepos and
Plutarchwrote his
biographies. He is one of the few classical era Greeks well known to students
today. He led the contingent of his clan in the center of the Athenian phalanx
at Marathon in
490. When silver was discovered at Laureum in 483 he insisted that it be used
to finance the construction of 200 triremes. In 481 he advocated an alliance
with Sparta to prepare defense against the coming Persian attack. In 480 he led
the Athenian fleet at
Artemisium.
Then he enticed Xerxes to attack the combined Greek fleets at
Salamiswhere he
convinced the Spartans and others to fight in the constricted area instead of
retreating into Peloponnessus.
After the war he personally went to Sparta to manipulate deplomacy that enabled
the Athenians to refortify the city and also build walls to Piraeus. He was
politially opposed to Cimon.
He was ostracized in 471 and fled to Persia.
There is much more about this very famous Athenian leader. His fate after
saving Athens was similar to quite a few other Athenian and other Greek leaders
- execution - exile - or move to Persia. I include on the left links to various
articles but they are woefully brief. And most essays are more about his
activities in the Persian invasion than about the individual himself. So I also
copied the complete Plutarch Life of Themistocles to read. and the essay by
Rickard here. Nepos included Themistocles in
his list of greatest commanders, there are two editions of his book available
now.
See the links.
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d. 404
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Theramenes
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He was a
controversial Athenian politician and military commander. His father was
Hagnon, the founder of
Amphipolis. In 411 he was a member of the oligarchic faction that staged the
coup and installed the 400 but he was too moderate for the likes of the extreme
oligarchs. He was one of the commanders at Arginusaein 406
but escaped the execution of 6 other admirals. He served at sea with
Thrasybulus in the
Aegean campaigns. After Athens surendered in 404 he became a member of the
Thirty Tyrants but again
opposed extreme oligarchy and was executed.
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d. 391
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Thibron
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He was a Spartan general who was
sent in 400 with 5,000 mercenaries to oppose
Tissapherenes. He was
not successful until he also used the remaining mercenaries of the Ten Thousand
to march along the Asiatic coast to Ephesus in an attempt to block
Tissapherenes. He was recalled but sent again in 391 with 8,000 soldiers to
combat the satrap, Strythas, but was defeated and killed.
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Timaeus
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He was son of Mentor and
commanded theGreek mercenaries in Darius' service on the Aegean. He brought
then to darius at Issus whee he commanded the 30,000 Greeks.
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430- 389
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Thrasybulus
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He was an Athenian democratic
politican and general who was included in Nepos' essays on great generals. But he is little
known today. In 441 he was elected by the democratic faction on Samos to resist
the oligarchic coup in Athens. He then recalled Alcibiades and worked with him
on naval actions in the Aegean and Hellelspont-
Cynossemia and
Abydos and
Cyzicus. In 406
he was only a triarch at the Battle of
Arginusae, thus
escaping the vindictive Athenian assembly that executed 6 of the admirals.
Nepos wrote that he was
responsible for victories but Alcibiades got credit. After Athens lost and was
occupied by the Spartans in 404, who also installed an oligarchy - the
Thirty Tyrants,
Thrasybulus organized a resistance and then defeated both the Spartans and
oligarchs at Munychia. After
which he restored the democracy. He continued to serve and was the leading
politician in Athens for years. But he lost the battles at
Nemea and
Coronea in the
Corinthian war and
was replaced by the victorious naval commander,
Conon. When Conon had to flee
a Persian prison to Cyprus in 392, Thrasybulus regained political power. In 389
he commanded an Athenian fleet campaign around the Aegean, capturing Byzantium,
imposing customs taxes on shipping there, and resetablishing Athenian control
of many islands. In 388 during his attack on Aspendus he was killed by the
Aspendians. See also Thrasybulus
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d. 406
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Thrasyllus
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Thrasyllus was an Athenian
strategos and statesman who rose to prominence in the later years of the
Peloponnesian
War. First appearing in Athenian politics in 410, in the wake of the
Athenian coup of 411 , he played a role in organizing democratic resistance in
an Athenian fleet at Samos. There, he was elected strategos by the sailors and
soldiers of the fleet, and held the position until he was controversially
executed several years later after the Battle of
Arginusae.
See the links for much more detail including his trial.
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460 - 400
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Thucydides
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He was an Athenian military
commander but is famous throughout history and today as the historian who wrote
a history of the Peloponnesian War. In 424 he was the strategos controling
Thasos when Brasidies besieged Amphipolis. Thucydides was urged to relieve the
city but he arrived too late. For that he was blamed and exiled. Thus the world
benefited from his travels around Greece observing the Peloponnesian War at
first hand and writing his influential account.
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411
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Thymochares
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He was an Athenian general. In
411 he was sent with a fleet to Eretria on Euboea Island. This was during a
civil struggle in Athens plus revolt of come members of Delian League and of
course Spartan atttacks. While Spartan naval commander Agesandridas led his
fleet around Laconia and based at Epidaurus from which he attacked Aegeina, and
then moved closer to Athens at Megara. When he departed there there Athenians
spotted his fleet and discovered it was going around Attica to Eretreia. He
stopped opposite Euobea at Oropus. Thymochares had about 36 ships at Eretria
and thought the city was friendly and competly safe as he set the sailors into
town to eat. But there were many pro- Spartans in the city. They alerted
Agesandridas that the Athenians were away from this ships and also delayed them
as they rushed back. Agesandridas did the same maneuver that Lysander did in
404, he attacked while the Athenians were looking for lunch. Some Athenians
managed to reach Chalsis (rival city to Eretria on Euboea). The Spartans enbled
all of Euboea to revolt. At Athens citizens were terrified that the Spartans
could then attack Piraeus which was undefended.
He also commanded a small Athenian fleet in the Hellespont.
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c. 411 - 337
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Timoleon
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He was a Corinthian who was well
known as the liberator of Syracuse from the tyrant Dionysus II. He also freed
Corinth from his own brother, Timophanes. Both Nepos and
Plutarch considered him
great. He was sent to assist Syracuse against Dionysius II in 345. At the time
Dionysus was already trapped in the
Ortygia by Hicetas. So he
had to rescue Syracuse from both Dionysus and the Carthaginians. He reorganized
politics in Syracuse. He then defeated a Carthagian army at
Crimisus in 341
or 339. In 338 he became blind and retired from public life.
In his biography Plutarch compared him with the Roman Aemilius Paulus who also
fought abroad.
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d. 354
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Timotheus
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He was an Athenian general. His
father was Conon. He worked
hard to revive Athens and make it dominant in a
Second Athenian
League but by then conditions had changed. Between 378 and 356 he was
repeatedly elected strategos. In 375 during the
Boeotian war he
commanded an Athenian fleet that sailed around the Peloponnesus and to gain
friendship of Acarnanians and Molossians.
Nepos considered him one of the great leaders
and notedthat this was unique when both father and son were awarded with
statues in Athens.
See links for much more.
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455 - 395
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Tissaphernes
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He was a Persian satrap of Lydia
and Caria, with capital as Sardis, from 413. He sometimes gave Sparta
assistance against Athens and in 412 signed a treaty to supply a navy in
exchange for ending Greek support of the Ionian ciies. In 408 he was replaced
at Lydia by Cyrus the Younger but retained Caria. He remained loyal to king
Artaxerxes II and
warned him about Cyrus, then supplied his cavalry at
Cunaxa in 401. He
arrested the main Greek commanders and had them executed, then harrassed the
Greek "Ten Thousand" as the retreated. He returned to Lydia and
continued to try to keep the Athenians and Spartans in equal balance. He was
defeated by Agesilaus at
the Pactolus River near Sardis in 395.
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Tithrantes
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He was a Persian satrap who
partnered with Pharnabazus in the
failed expedition to regain Egypt from
Nechtanbo I
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d. 446
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Tolmidas
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He was an Athenian admiral. He
commanded the expedition around the Peloponnesese in 454 and campaigned in
Boeotia in 455. He commanded the Athenian army that was defeated at
Coroneain 446. as a result
Athens lost all of Boeotia and faced revolts elsewhere.
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5th century
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Xanthippus
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He was an Athenian political
leader and father of Pericles.
He served in the Athenian fleet that landed and then defeated the Persians
at Mycale in 479, which ended the Persian invasion effort. He then led the
fleet to the Chersonese, reconquered
Sestos in 479 and
established Athenian control of the grain route from the Black Sea.
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c. 455
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Xenophon
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He was an Athenian military
commander and then a famous historian. He was sufficiently wealthy to serve in
the cavalry. He wrote two important books about horsemanship and cavalry. In
402 he joined the Spartan (and other) mercenary army that Cyrus the Younger
recruited to campaign into Persia. He surviveed the battle at
Cunaxa and led the
Greek survivors on the famous march through modern Turkey to the Black Sea.
(His book recounting this is famous) After that he served as a mercenary for
Sparta and well knew Agesillaus in Asia Minor and
back into the Corinthian
War. He fought against the Athenians at Coronea in 394. He was exiled and
was given an estate by Sparta. After
Leuctra in 371 he
moved to Corinth. Along with Thucydides he was a active general who fought in
the very wars about which he wrote as an eye witness. His many works include:
Hellenica, Anabasis, Cyropaedia, Memorabilia, Hipparchicus and others.
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Ancient Greek generals
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Ancient Athenian generals
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Ancient Athenian admirals
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Ancient Spartan generals
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Ancient Spartan admirals
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Ancient Theban generals
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Ancient Phocian generals
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Ancient Macedonian generals
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Ancient Macedonian admirals
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Ancient Macedonian military
personnel
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Places
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Abydos
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Abydos was an ancient city on
the Asiatic coast the Hellespont, opposite the ancient city of Sestos, and near
the city of Çanakkale in Turkey. see Abydos
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Acarnania
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Was a region of west-central
Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River
for a boundary, and north of the gulf of Calydon, which is the entrance to the
Gulf of Corinth. The main city in ancient times was Stratos. Because it is
located strategically on the maritime route to Italy, Acarnania was involved in
many wars. see Arcanania
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Achaea
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It is part of theregion of
Western Greece and is located in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese
peninsula, occupying the coastal strip north of Arcadia. It is generally a
mountainous region.
The twelve cities of Achaea were grouped into an early
Achaean League which
had an important position in general Greek politial and military events. see Achaea.
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Aegina
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The importance of Aegina during
theGreco-Persian
and Peloppnesian wars
in largely omitted in our text books. It is one of the Saronic Islands in
the Saronic Gulf, only 17 miles from Athens. In that location it was a
significant economic - trading rival of Athens until it was finally conquered.
see Aegina
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Aegospotami
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It was the name of a river on
the European side of the Hellespont northeast of Sestos in Thrace of which the
mouth was the scene of the decisivebattlein 405 in
which Lysander destroyed
the Athenian fleet, ending the Peloponnesian War. There was a Greek village
nearby.
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Aetolia
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It is a mountainous region of
Greece on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth. The Aetolians were one of the
most powerful military people of the time but refused to participate in the
Persian Wars. In 426, led by Aegitios, they defeated the Athenians and their
allies, who had turned against Apodotia and Ophioneia under the general command
of Demosthenes.
However, they failed to regain Naupaktos, which had meanwhile been captured by
the Athenians. At the end of the
Peloponnesian
War, the Aetolians took part as mercenaries of the Athenians in the
expedition against Syracuse. In 338, Naupaktos was again taken by the
Aetolians, with the help of Philip II. During the
Lamian War, the
Aetolians helped the Athenian general Leosthenes defeat
Antipater (temporarily).
As a result, they came into conflict with Antipater and
Craterus,they saved by the
disagreement between the two Macedonian generals and
Perdiccas. The
Acarnanians then attempted to invade their land, but the Aetolians were able to
force them to flee. The great courage shown by the Aetolians during the
fighting against the Macedonians increased their glamour and fame, especially
after winning the last Amphictyonic war.
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Ambracia
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It was a city of classical
Greece on the site of modern Arta, located 7 miles from the Ambraian Gulf on
the Arachthos river. It was founded between 650 and 625 by Gorgus, son of the
Corinthian tyrant, Cypseius. After the expulsion of Gorgus's son, Periander,
its government developed into a strong democracy. The early policy of Ambracia
was determined by its loyalty to Corinth as it was a commercial base for trade
to the west. It was a strong rival of Corcyra and in 433 allied with Corinth in
the Battle of Sybota.
Ambraciot politics featured many frontier disputes with the Amphilochians
and Acarnanians. It played an important role in the
Peloponnesian War
until the crushing defeat atIdomene in 426. In
the 4th century it continued its traditional policy, but in 338 was besieged
byPhilip II of
Macedon. With the assistance of Corinth and Athens, it escaped complete
domination, but was forced to accept a Macedonian garrison. In 294, after
forty-three years of semi-autonomy under Macedonian suzerainty, Ambracia was
given by the son of Cassander to Pyrrhus, king of Epirus.
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Ambracian gulf
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The Ambracian Gulf, also known
as the Gulf of Arta or the Gulf of Actium, and in some official documents as
the Amvrakikos Gulf. It is a gulf of the Ionian Sea in northwestern Greece.
About 25 miles long and 9 miles wide.
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Amfilochia
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Amfilochia is located by the
Ambracian Gulf north of the Gulf of Corinth. It was the site of Amphilochian
Argos and Limnaia.
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Amphilochian Argos
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This was the chief town of
Amphilochia, located at the eastern end of the Ambracian Gulf, on the river
Inachus. seeamphilochianargos
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Amphipolis
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Amphipolis was located on the
north-west coast of the Aegean Sea and was an Athenian ally until captured by
the Spartans. Throughout the 5th century, Athens sought to consolidate its
control over Thrace, which was strategically important because of its primary
materials (the gold and silver of the Pangaion hills and the dense forests
essential for naval construction), and the sea routes vital for Athens' supply
of grain from Scythia. see Amphipolis
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Andros
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The island is the northernmost
of the Greek Cyclades archipelago, about 6 miles southeast of Euboea, and about
2 miles north of Tinos. It is mostly mountainous, with many valleys. It was an
important maritime center and one of the earliest examples of fortification in
Greece. In 480 it supplied ships to Xerxes and was then raided by the Greek
fleet. It joined the Delian League, but never
really allied itself with Athens. In 477 the Athenians created a colony with
imported Athenians. In 411 Andros proclaimed its freedom, and in 408 withstood
an Athenian attack. As a member of the second Delian League, it was again
controlled by an Athenian garrison. In 333,
Antipater established a
Macedonian garrison and in 308 it was freed by Ptolemy I. In the Chremonidean
War (266263) it passed again to Macedon after a battle fought off its
shores. The Ptolemaic empire was at its height then, with a considerable fleet
stationed at Andros.
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Arginusae
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There were three islands off the
Dikili Peninsula on the Ionian coast, famous as the site of the Battle of
Arginusae. They
were also collectively referred to as Canaea after the city of Canae on the
largest island.
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Argos
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The city was the largest one in
Argolis, in the north-eastern part of the Peloponnese. As a strategic location
it was a major stronghold during the Mycenaean era. During the classical era
Argos was a powerful rival of Sparta for dominance over the Peloponnese. It
remained neutal by not participating in the defense from the Persian invasion
in 480, resulting its being somewhat politially outcast there after.
In 494 the Argives were decisively defeated by the Spartans at the Battle of Sepeiaafter which
they considered Spartans constant enemies. As usual in Greece there were
internal opposing oligarchic and democratic factions in the city. In 462 Argos
joined a tripartite alliance with Athens and Thessaly. This alliance was
somewhat dysfunctional, however, and the Argives are only thought to have
provided marginal contributions to the alliance at the Battles of Oenoe and
Tanagra.
Following the allies' defeat at Tanagra in 457, the alliance began to fall
apart, resulting in its dissolution in 451. Argos remained neutral or the
ineffective ally of Athens during the first phase of the Peloponnesian War -
called the Archidamian War. In 421 Argos organized and led an alliance against
both Sparta and Athens. They included Mantinea, Corinth, Elis, Thebes, Argos,
and eventually Athens. This alliance also collapsed after the allied loss at
the Battle of Tegea
in 418. There was an oligarchic coup in 417. Democracy was restored within a
year, but Argos was left permanently weakened. Argos played a minor role in the
Corinthian War
against Sparta.
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Artemisium
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is a cape in northern Euboea,
Greece. The Battle of
Artemisium, a
series of naval engagements over three days during the second Persian invasion
of Greece in 480, simultaneously with the more famous land battle at Battle of
Thermopylae,
took place here.
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Athens
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Athens became a significant
naval power as well as leading culltural center after the Persian invasions.
see Athens.
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Attica
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The peninsula was the location
of the landowning farmers of Athens. On the north it borders Boeotia and on the
west it borders theMegaris the eastern end of the Corinthian isthmus. The
Athenians disovered profitable silver mines on the southern tip of the
peninsula. The area was divided into municipalities reorganized by Cleisthenes
in 508/7 and grouped into three zones: urban (astu) in the region of Athens
main city and Piraeus (port of Athens), coastal (paralia) along the coastline,
and inland (mesogeia) in the interior. The wealthy land owners frequently lived
in suburbs of Athens itself. It was after Peisistratos's tyranny and the
Cleisthenes' reforms that the local communities lost their independence and
were incorporated into the central government in Athens. For political purposes
the citizenry was organized into three categories, town dwellers, farmers and
seamen divided into ten tribes with each having voting rights. Several
fotresses were built along the northern frontier. Of course Athens itself was
strongly fortified. The mines at Laurium, were also defended.
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Byzantium
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was an ancient Greek city later
renamed Constantinople and then Istanbul. Byzantium was colonized by Greeks
from Megara in 667 - 657 on the north side of the Bosporus opposit opposite
Chalcedon on the Asiatic side. It was founded as a trading city at the entrance
to the Black Sea. It was captured during
Darius I expedition to
Scythia in 512, along with other sities in Thrace including another port,
Sestos. After Xerxes retreated to Persia in 479 the Greeks recaptured it.
During the Peloponnesian War it
was a very important strategic target as it controlled the grain supply from
the Black Sea to Athens. The Spartans captured it in 411 and the Athenians
retook it in 408 but lost it again after the disaster at Agesopotamia.
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Caria
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Caria was a region of western
Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia (Mycale) south to Lycia and
east to Phrygia. The Ionian and Dorian Greeks colonized the west of it and
joined the Carian population in forming Greek-dominated states there. The
inhabitants of Caria, known as Carians, had arrived there before the Ionian and
Dorian Greeks. They were described by Herodotus as being of Minoan descent,
while the Carians themselves maintained that they were Anatolian mainlanders
intensely engaged in seafaring and were akin to the Mysians and the Lydians.
The Carians did speak an Anatolian language, known as Carian, which does not
necessarily reflect their geographic origin, as Anatolian once may have been
widespread.[citation needed] Also closely associated with the Carians were the
Leleges, which could be an earlier name for Carians or for a people who had
preceded them in the region and continued to exist as part of their society in
a reputedly second-class status.Caria was then incorporated into the Persian
Achaemenid Empire as a satrapy (province) in 545. The most important town was
Halicarnassus, from where its sovereigns, the tyrants of the Lygdamid dynasty
(c.520-450), reigned. Other major towns were Latmus, refounded as Heracleia
under Latmus, Antiochia, Myndus, Laodicea, Alinda and Alabanda. Caria
participated in the Ionian
Revolt(499493) against the Persian rule.
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Carystus
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Town on southern end of Euboea
that was besieged by Persians at opening of the campaign to Marathon after the
citizens refused to surrender. The city was stormed and population taken to
Persia in 490.
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Chalcedon
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Chalcedon (sometimes
transliterated as Chalkedon) was an ancient maritime town of Bithynia, in Asia
Minor. It was located almost directly opposite Byzantium, south of Scutari
(modern Üsküdar) and it is now a district of the city of Istanbul
named Kadiköy. The name Chalcedon is a variant of Calchedon, found on all
the coins of the town as well as in manuscripts of Herodotus's Histories,
Xenophon's Hellenica, Arrian's Anabasis, and other works. Except for a tower,
almost no above-ground vestiges of the ancient city survive in Kadiköy
today; artifacts uncovered at Altiyol and other excavation sites are on display
at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. The site of Chalcedon is located on a
small peninsula on the north coast of the Sea of Marmara, near the mouth of the
Bosphorus. A stream, called the Chalcis or Chalcedon in antiquity, flows into
Fenerbahçe Bay. There Greek colonists from Megara in Attica founded the
settlement of Chalcedon in 685, some seventeen years before Byzantium. The
colonists from Megara settled on a site that was viewed in antiquity as so
obviously inferior to that visible on the opposite shore of the Bosphorus (with
its small settlements of Lygos and Semistra on Seraglio Point), that the
6th-century Persian general Megabazus allegedly remarked
that Chalcedon's founders must have been blind.
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Chalkidiki
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Chalkidiki - Chalcidice, is a
peninsula and regional unit of Greece, part of the Region of Central Macedonia
in Northern Greece.The first Greek settlers in this area came from Chalcis and
Eretria, cities in Euboea, around the 8th century who founded cities such as
Mende, Toroni and Scione a second wave came from Andros in the 6th century who
founded cities such as Akanthos. The ancient city of Stageira was the
birthplace of the great philosopher Aristotle. Chalkidiki was an important
theatre of war during the
Peloponnesian War
between Athens and Sparta. Later, the Greek colonies of the peninsula were
conquered by Philip II of Macedon and Chalkidiki became part of Macedonia.
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Chersonesos
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According to the Greek Historian
Herodotus,Militiades the
Elder was chosen by the Dolonci to be tyrant of Chersonesos. His most notable
achievement was building a long wall to guard from invaders crossing the
isthmus. Following the death of Militiades the Elder, his maternal half
brother, Stesagoras acquired power. Stesagoras only ruled for approximately
three years (519 - 516), when he was struck in the head by an axe. After
Stesagoras' death, the Peisistratids of Athens sent Militiades the Younger,
Stesagoras' brother, to mourn and honor him. After grieving for a period of
time, Militiades the Younger restrained all the powerful men of Chersonesos and
seized control of the area. He later abandoned the area when Darius I invaded
in 493.
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Chios
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Chios is the fifth largest of
the Greek islands, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated
from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic gum
and its nickname is "the Mastic Island". The principal town of the
island and seat of the municipality is Chios.Chios was one of the original
twelve member states of the Ionian League. In 546, Chios was conquered by the
Persians. Chios joined the
Ionian Revolt against
the Persians in 499. The naval power of Chios during this period is
demonstrated by the fact that the Chians had the largest fleet (100 ships) of
all of the Ionians at the Battle of
Lade in 494. At
Lade, the Chian fleet doggedly continued to fight the Persian fleet even after
the defection of the Samians and others, but the Chians were ultimately forced
to retreat and were again subjected to Persian domination. The defeat of Persia
at the Battle of
Mycale in 479 meant the liberation of Chios from Persian rule. When the
Athenians formed the
Delian League, Chios joined as one of the few members who did not have to
pay tribute but who supplied ships to the alliance. By the fifth to fourth
centuries , the island had grown to an estimated population of over 120,000
(two to three times the estimated population in 2005), based on the huge
necropolis at the main city of Chios. It is thought that the majority of the
population lived in that area. In 412, during the
Peloponnesian
War, Chios revolted against Athens, and the Athenians besieged it. Relief
only came the following year when the Spartans were able to raise the siege. In
the 4th century, Chios was a member of the
Second Athenian
League but revolted against Athens during the
Social War
(357355), and Chios became independent again until the rise of
Macedonia.
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Cirrha
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Cirrha or Kirra was a town in
ancient Phocis on the coast, which served as the harbour of Delphi. Cirrha was
built at the head of the gulf, and rose into a town from being the port of
Crissa. The original town is built upon a height at some distance from the sea,
to secure it against hostile attacks, especially by sea; but in course of time,
when property has become more secure, and the town itself has grown in power, a
second place springs up on that part of the coast which had served previously
as the port of the inland town. This was undoubtedly the origin of Cirrha,
which was situated at the mouth of the river Pleistus, and at the foot of Mount
Cirphis. Thus Crissa declined, as Cirrha and Delphi rose in importance. The
power of Cirrha excited the jealousy of the Delphians, more especially as the
inhabitants of the former city commanded the approach to the temple by sea.
Moreover, the Cirrhaeans levied exorbitant tolls upon the pilgrims who landed
at the town upon their way to Delphi, and were said to have maltreated Phocian
women on their return from the temple. In consequence of these outrages, the
Amphictyons declared war, the First Sacred War,
against the Cirrhaeans about 595, and at the end of ten years besieged (see
Siege of Cirrha) and succeeded in taking the city, which was razed to the
ground, and the plain in its neighbourhood dedicated to Apollo, and curses
imprecated upon any one who should till or dwell in it.
Cirrha is said to have been taken by a stratagem which is ascribed by some to
Solon. The town was supplied with water by a canal from the river Pleistus.
This canal was turned off, filled with hellebore, and then allowed to resume
its former course; but scarcely had the thirsty Crissaeans drank of the
poisoned water, than they were so weakened by its purgative effects that they
could no longer defend their walls. This account sounds like a romance; but it
is a curious circumstance that near the ruins of Cirrha there is a salt spring
having a purgative effect like the hellebore of the ancients.
Cirrha was thus destroyed; but the fate of Crissa is uncertain. It is not
improbable that Crissa had sunk into insignificance before this war, and that
some of its inhabitants had settled at Delphi, and others at Cirrha. At all
events, it is certain that Cirrha was the town against which the vengeance of
the Amphictyons was directed. The spoils of Cirrha were employed by the
Amphictyons in founding the Pythian Games. Near the ruins of the town in the
Cirrhaean plain was the Hippodrome, and in the time of Pindar the Stadium also.
Cirrha remained in ruins, and the Cirrhaean plain continued uncultivated down
to the time of Philip II of Macedon. He became involved in the
Second Sacred War,
in which Amphissa was taken by Philip, to whom the Amphictyons had
entrusted the conduct of the war, in 338.
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Citum
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A town on the south-east coast
of Cyprus was the principal Phoenician city in Cyprus, situated on the
southeast coast near modern Larnaca. The earliest remains at Citium are those
of an Aegean colony of the Mycenaean Age (c. 14001100). The biblical name
Kittim, representing Citium, was also used for Cyprus as a whole. A Phoenician
dedication to the god Baal of Lebanon, found at Citium, suggests
that the city may have belonged to Tyre; and an official monument of the
Assyrian king Sargon II indicates that Citium was the administrative centre of
Cyprus during the Assyrian protectorate (709c. 668). During the Greek
revolts of 499, 386 and following years, and 353, Citium led the side loyal to
Persia. It remained an important city even after Alexander the Great conquered
Persia.
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Cnidus
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Kindos was a Greek city in Caria
and part of the Dorian group of colonies in south-western Asia Minor. It was
located on the Datça peninsula.
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Colophon
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Colophon was an ancient city in
Ionia. Founded around the turn of the first millennium , it was likely one of
the oldest of the twelve cities of the Ionian League. It was located between
Lebedos (120 stadia to the west) and Ephesus (70 stadia to its south). Its
ruins are south of the town Degirmendere in the Menderes district of Izmir
Province, Turkey. Colophon was the strongest of the Ionian cities and renowned
both for its cavalry and for the inhabitants' luxurious lifestyle, until Gyges
of Lydia conquered it in the 7th century. Colophon then went into decline and
was eclipsed by neighbouring Ephesus and by the rising naval power of Ionia,
Miletus. After the death of Alexander the Great, Perdiccas expelled the
Athenian settlers on Samos to Colophon, including the family of Epicurus, who
joined them there after completing his military service. In the 3rd century ,
it was destroyed by Lysimachusa Macedonian officer, one of the successors
(Diadochi) of Alexander the Great, later a king (306 in Thrace and Asia Minor,
during the same era when he nearly destroyed (and did depopulate by forced
expulsion) the neighboring Ionian League city of Lebedos. Notium served as the
port, and in the neighbourhood was the village of Clarus, with its famous
temple and oracle of Apollo Clarius, where Calchas vied with Mopsus in
divinatory science.
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Corfu
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Corfu is the modern name of the
Greek island, Corcyra, on the east shore of the Ionian Sea north of mainland
Greece. It was orignially a colony of Corinth., founded about 730,, but as it
became very powerful, itself, aserted independence and sought support from
Athens. Its commercial weallth came from its key location as the last Greek
port in the shipping route west to Italy and Sicily. It had the third largest
navy in Greece. Its history is full of battles and conquests. The first such
naval battle mentioned in Greek history took place in 665, in which the
Corinthians won and held it for a short period. And it suffered internally by
the typical Greek conflict between oligarchial and democratic factions leading
to rebellions and revolts, during which a faction would call for aid from
Corinth or Athens. During the Persian invasion of 480 Corcyra had the second
largest Greek fleet but did not participate. A battle which was an immediate
cause of the Peloponnesian War was between a Corinthian fleet and the
Corcyrians with a small Athenian squadron near the island and nearby
Sybota. in 435.
This new alliance with Athens was one of the chief immediate causes of the
Peloponnesian War, in which Corcyra was of considerable use to the Athenians as
a naval station, but did not render much assistance with its fleet. The island
was nearly lost to Athens by two attempts - in 427 and 425 - of the oligarchic
faction to effect a revolution; on each occasion the popular party ultimately
won the day and took a most bloody revenge on its opponents. During the
Sicilian campaigns of Athens Corcyra served as a supply base. After a third
abortive rising of the oligarchs in 410 it practically withdrew from the war.
In 375 it again joined the Athenian alliance; two years later it was besieged
by a Spartan force, but in spite of the devastation of its flourishing
countryside held out successfully until relieved.
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Coroneia
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Coroneia was a town in Boeotia,
and a member of the Boeotian League. It was located on a hill south of Mt.
Helicon. It was founded by Thessalians along with
Haliartus. Several
significant battles were fought in the plain in front of the town. Battle of
Coroneain
447 in which the Athenians commanded by
Tolmides were defeated by
the Boeotians forcing the Athenians to lose their control over Boeotia.
Coronea
was again the location of a battle in 394 in which the Spartans comanded by
King Agesilaus II
defeated the Thebans and their Argive allies in the
Corinthian War. In
the Third Sacred
War, Coroneia was twice taken by the Phocians under
Onomarchus. Philip II of
Macedon, after he conquered the Phocians, gave the town to the Thebans.
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Cynossema
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Was a cape on the European -
north - side of the Hellispont in the Thracian Cheronesse It was a point at
which the Hellispont had a sharp turn which blocked the view of anyone on
either side seeing what was occuring in the watter on the other side. It was
the location of a significant naval battle between the Ahenians - who won - and
the Spartans with allies during the Peloponnesian War.
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Cyzicus
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Cyzicus was an ancient town of
Mysia in Anatolia in the current Balikesir Province of Turkey. It was located
on the shoreward side of the present Kapidag Peninsula (the classical
Arctonnesus), a tombolo which is said to have originally been an island in the
Sea of Marmara only to be connected to the mainland in historic times either by
artificial means or an earthquake.The city was said to have been founded by
Pelasgians from Thessaly, according to tradition at the coming of the
Argonauts; later it received many colonies from Miletus, allegedly in 756, but
its importance began near the end of the
Peloponnesian
Warwhen the conflict centered on the sea routes connecting Greece to the
Black-Sea. At this time, the cities of Athens and Miletus diminished in
importance while Cyzicus began to prosper. The Athenian fleet defeated the
Spartan fleet at a major naval engagement near Cyzicus known as the Battle of
Cyzicus in 410.
During the Peloponnesian War (431404) Cyzicus was subject to the
Athenians and Lacedaemonians alternately. At the peace of Antalcidas (387),
like the other Greek cities in Asia, it was given to Persia. Alexander the
Great later captured it from the Persians in 334 and was later claimed to be
responsible for the land bridge connecting the island to the mainland.
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Dardanelles
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"Hellespont" redirects
here. For the ancient town, see Hellespontine Phrygia. Dardanelles is located
beteen Europe and Asia
Classical Antiquity it was called the Hellespont It is one of the world's
narrowest straits used for international navigation, the Dardanelles connects
the Sea of Marmara with the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, while also allowing
passage to the Black Sea by extension via the Bosphorus. The Dardanelles is 61
kilometres (38 mi) long, and 1.2 to 6 kilometres (0.75 to 3.73 mi) wide,
averaging 55 metres (180 ft) deep with a maximum depth of 103 metres (338 ft)
at its narrowest point adjacent to Çanakkale. The Persian army of Xerxes
I of Persia and later the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great crossed the
Dardanelles in opposite directions to invade each other's lands, in 480 and 334
respectively. Herodotus says that, circa 482, Xerxes I (the son of Darius) had
two pontoon bridges built across the width of the Hellespont at Abydos, in
order that his huge army could cross from Persia into Greece. According to
Herodotus (vv.34), both bridges were destroyed by a storm and Xerxes had those
responsible for building the bridges beheaded and the strait itself whipped. He
provides details of building and crossing of Xerxes' Pontoon Bridges. Xerxes is
then said to have thrown fetters into the strait, given it three hundred lashes
and branded it with red-hot irons as the soldiers shouted at the water.
Herodotus commented that this was a "highly presumptuous way to address
the Hellespont" but in no way atypical of Xerxes. Harpalus the engineer
eventually helped the invading armies to cross by lashing the ships together
with their bows facing the current and, so it is said, two additional anchors.
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Dascylium
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Dascyliumm, also known as
Dascylus, was a town in Anatolia some 30 kilometres (19 mi) inland from the
coast of the Propontis. After the Conquests of Cyrus the Great in 547,
Dascylium was chosen as the seat of the Persian satrapy of Hellespontine
Phrygia, comprising lands of the Troad, Mysia and Bithynia.
Pharnabazus was
satrap of Darius III there, until Alexander the Great appointed Calas, who was
replaced by Arrhidaeus in the Treaty of Triparadisus. It was a member of the
Delian League. When Alexander of Macedon invaded Asia in 334, the first of the
major battles by which he overthrew the Achaemenid Empire was fought at the
Granicus river on his way to Dascylium from Abydos on the coast.
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Decelea
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This town was a key strategic
one on the border of Attica. was a deme and ancient village in northern Attica
serving as a trade route connecting Euboea with Athens, Greece. It was situated
near the entrance of the eastern pass across Mount Parnes, which leads from the
northeastern part of the Athenian plain to Oropus, and from thence both to
Tanagra on the one hand, and to Delium and Chalcis on the other. It was
situated about 120 stadia from Athens, and the same distance from the frontiers
of Boeotia: it was visible from Athens, and from its heights also might be seen
the ships entering the harbour of Peiraeeus. It was originally one of the
twelve cities of Attica. The historian Herodotus reports that Decelea's
citizens enjoyed a special relationship with Sparta. The Spartans took control
of Decelea around 413. With advice from
Alcibiades in 415, the
former Athenian general wanted on Athenian charges of religious crimes, the
Spartans and their allies, under king
Agis II, fortified Decelea
as a major military post in the later stage of the Peloponnesian War, giving
them control of rural Attica and cutting off the primary land route for food
imports. This was a serious blow to Athens, which was concurrently being beaten
in the Sicilian Expedition it had undertaken in the west. The Spartan military
presence in Attica, in a deviation from previous policy where Spartans returned
home for the winter months, was maintained year-round. Spartan patrols through
the Attic countryside strained the Athenian cavalry and curtailed the ability
of Athens to continue exploiting the Laurium silver mines in southeastern
Attica that were an important source of income. Thucydides estimated that
20,000 slaves, many of them skilled workers, escaped to Decelea, from 413 until
the close of the Peloponnesian War in 404.
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Delium
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was a small town in ancient
Boeotia with a celebrated temple of Apollo. It was located by the sea-coast in
the territory of Tanagra in Boeotia, and at the distance of about a mile from
the territory of Oropus. This temple, which like the town took its name from
the island of Delos. There were two important battles at Delium. In the first
battle, called the Battle of Delium, the
Athenians suffered a critical defeat from the Boeotians in the eighth year of
the Peloponnesian
War, in 424. This battle lasted for several days. Hippocrates, the Athenian
commander, had seized the temple at Delium, which he converted into a fortress
by some temporary works, and after leaving there a garrison, was on his march
homewards, and had already reached the territory of Oropus at the distance of
10 stadia from Delium, when he met the Boeotian army advancing to cut off his
retreat. In the battle which ensued, the Athenians were defeated with great
loss; Hippocrates was killed; and on the seventeenth day after the battle, the
Boeotians retook the temple. Socrates fought at this battle among the hoplites,
and, according to one account, saved the life of Xenophon, while, according to
another, his own retreat was protected by Alcibiades, who was serving in the
cavalry. The Boeotians outnumbered the Athenians, resulting in the Boeotian
victory. The Athenians began the battle 15,000 total and the Boeotians began
with 18,500. The Athenians lost 1,200 and the Boeotians lost much fewer, only
500.
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Delphi
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Delphi, formerly also called
Pytho, is the ancient sanctuary that grew rich as the seat of Pythia, the
oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient
classical world. The ancient Greeks considered the centre of the world to be in
Delphi, marked by the stone monument known as the omphalos (navel). It occupies
a site on the south-western slope of Mount Parnassus, overlooking the coastal
plain to the south and the valley of Phocis. Apollo's sacred precinct in Delphi
was a Panhellenic Sanctuary, where every four years, starting in 586 athletes
from all over the Greek world competed in the Pythian Games, one of the four
Panhellenic Games, precursors of the Modern Olympics. The victors at Delphi
were presented with a laurel crown (stephanos) which was ceremonially cut from
a tree by a boy who re-enacted the slaying of the Python. Delphi is perhaps
best known for its oracle, the Pythia, the sibyl or priestess at the sanctuary
dedicated to Apollo. According to Aeschylus in the prologue of the Eumenides,
the oracle had origins in prehistoric times and the worship of Gaea. Apollo
spoke through his oracle. She had to be an older woman of blameless life chosen
from among the peasants of the area. Alone in an enclosed inner sanctum she sat
on a tripod seat over an opening in the earth. According to legend, when Apollo
slew Python its body fell into this fissure and fumes arose from its
decomposing body. Intoxicated by the vapours, the sibyl would fall into a
trance, allowing Apollo to possess her spirit. In this state she prophesied.
The oracle could not be consulted during the winter months, for this was
traditionally the time when Apollo would live among the Hyperboreans. Dionysus
would inhabit the temple during his absence. The time to consult pythia for an
oracle during the year is determined from astronomical and geological grounds
related to the constellations of Lyra and Cygnus but the hydrocarbon vapours
emitted from the chasm. While in a trance the Pythia "raved"
probably a form of ecstatic speech and her ravings were
"translated" by the priests of the temple into elegant hexameters. It
has been speculated that the ancient writers, including Plutarch who had worked
as a priest at Delphi, were correct in attributing the oracular effects to the
sweet-smelling pneuma escaping from the chasm in the rock. That exhalation
could have been high in the known anaesthetic and sweet-smelling ethylene or
other hydrocarbons such as ethane known to produce violent trances. Ancient
sources describe the priestess using laurel to inspire her
prophecies. Several alternative plant candidates have been suggested including
Cannabis, Hyoscyamus, Rhododendron and Oleander. The Pythia may have chewed
oleander leaves and inhaled their smoke prior to her oracular pronouncements
and sometimes dying from the toxicity. The toxic substances of oleander
resulted in symptoms similar to those of epilepsy, the sacred
disease, which may have been seen as the possession of the Pythia by the
spirit of Apollo. The Delphic oracle exerted considerable influence throughout
the Greek world, and she was consulted before all major undertakings including
wars and the founding of colonies. She also was respected by the
Greek-influenced countries around the periphery of the Greek world, such as
Lydia, Caria, and even Egypt. The town started to gain pan-Hellenic relevance
as both a shrine and an oracle in the 7th century. Initially under the control
of Phocaean settlers based in nearby Kirra (currently Itea).
Delphi was reclaimed by the Athenians during the
First Sacred War
(597585). The conflict resulted in the consolidation of the
Amphictyonic
League, which had both a military and a religious function revolving around
the protection of the Temple of Apollo. This shrine was destroyed by fire in
548 and then fell under the control of the Alcmaeonids banned from Athens. In
449448, the Second Sacred War
(fought in the wider context of the First
Peloponnesian War between the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta and the
Delian-Attic League led by Athens) resulted in the Phocians gaining control of
Delphi and the management of the Pythian Games. In 356 the Phocians under
Philomelos captured and sacked Delphi, leading to the
Third Sacred War
(356346), which ended with the defeat of the former and the rise of
Macedon under the reign of Philip II. This led to the
Fourth Sacred War
in 339, which culminated in the Battle of
Chaeronea in
338 and the establishment of Macedonian rule over Greece. In Delphi, Macedonian
rule was superseded by the Aetolians in 279, when a Gallic invasion was
repelled, and by the Romans in 191.
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Echinades
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The Echinades mentioned by Homer
Echinae are a group of islands in the Ionian Sea, off the coast of Acarnania,
Greece. The archipelago is commonly subdivided into three groups: the
Drakoneres in the north, the Modia in the middle and the Ouniades in the south.
Administratively, the Echinades form part of two regional units: Ithaca and
Cephalonia. The Battle of the Echinades in 1427 and the Battle of Lepanto in
1571 were fought at or near the islands.
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Eion
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Eion was a Greek Eretrian colony
in Thracian Macedonia specifically in the region of Edonis at the mouth of the
Strymon River which flows into the Aegean from the interior of Thrace.
Athenians for the first time attempted to capture Eion in 497 during the
Ionian Revolt, which
was unsuccessful as the revolt ended with Persians re-establishing control over
Thrace, including Eion, and a Persian fortress meant for permanent stay was
built there, probably in 492. Eion functioned as one of the main Persian cities
in Thrace where food was stored for the king Xerxes I for his campaign. Xerxes
had recalled most of the Persian troops from the area in the winter of 480/479.
It was then captured by the
Delian League in 475
under the leadership of the Athenian general
Cimon, the son of
Miltiades the Younger.
Refusing Cimon's offer of an honorable withdrawal, the Persian commander,
Boges, destroyed the treasure, killed his family, and committed suicide as the
food ran out. Cimon turned the course of the River Strymon so that it flowed
against the city walls, causing the mud brick fortifications to dissolve. The
inhabitants were enslaved. The capture of Eion was the beginning of a military
campaign undertaken by the newly formed Delian League, whose objective was to
clear the Aegean Sea of Persian fleets and pirates in order to facilitate
Athenian access to the Hellespont. The nearby Athenian colony of
Amphipolis was founded
in 437 three miles up the Strymon River. The settlers, led by
Hagnon, used Eion as their
initial base of operations; and Eion functioned as the harbour of Amphipolis.
In 424, during the Peloponnesian War, Eion was the site where the Athenian
commander Aristides
intercepted a Persian messenger named
Artaphernes. The
message, which was on its way to Sparta, was a letter from the Persian king
addressing previous requests made to him by the Spartans. Later in the war, in
the winter of 424/423, the Spartan general
Brasidascaptured
Amphipolis. When he moved against Eion, however, he was unable to overcome the
Athenian defenders, who were led by
Thucydides, who had come
from Thasos with his squadron in time to save it. Although he held Eion,
Thucydides was subsequently ostracized by the Athenians for his failure to
defend the more pivotal city of Amphipolis.
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Elis
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Elis is in southern Greece in
the Peloponnese, bounded on the north by Achaea, east by Arcadia, south by
Messenia, and west by the Ionian Sea. Over the course of the archaic and
classical periods, the polis "city-state" of Elis controlled much of
the region of Elis, most probably through unequal treaties with other cities;
many inhabitants of Elis were Perioeciautonomous free non-citizens.
Perioeci, unlike other Spartans, could travel freely between cities. Thus the
polis of Elis was formed. The local form of the name was Valis, or Valeia, and
its meaning, in all probability was, "the lowland" (compare with the
word "valley"). In its physical constitution Elis is similar to
Achaea and Arcadia; its mountains are mere offshoots of the Arcadian highlands,
and its principal rivers are fed by Arcadian springs. Elis held authority over
the site of Olympia and the Olympic games. The spirit of the games had
influenced the formation of the market: apart from the bouleuterion, the place
the boule "citizen's council" met, which was in one of the gymnasia,
most of the other buildings were related to the games, including two gymnasia,
a palaestra, and the House of the Hellanodikai. The original inhabitants of
Elis were called Caucones and Paroreatae. They are mentioned by Homer for the
first time in Greek history under the title of Epeians, as setting out for the
Trojan War, and they are described by him as living in a state of constant
hostility with their neighbours the Pylians. At the close of the 11th century
the Dorians invaded the Peloponnese, and Elis fell to the share of Oxylus and
the Aetolians. These people, amalgamating with the Epeians, formed a powerful
kingdom in the north of Elis. Olympia was in Elian land, and tradition dates
the first games to 776. The Hellanodikai, the judges of the Games, were of
Elian origin. In the Prloponnesian war, Elis sided at first with Sparta. But
Sparta, jealous of the increasing prosperity of its ally, availed itself of the
first pretext to pick a quarrel. At the
Battle of
Mantinea (418), the Eleans fought against the Spartans, who later took
vengeance upon them by depriving them of Triphylia and the towns of the
Acrorea. The Eleans made no attempt to re-establish their authority over these
places until Thebes rose in importance after the Battle of
Leuctra in 371.
In 366 hostilities broke out between Eleans and Triphylians, and though the
Eleans were at first successful, they were soon overpowered; their capital very
nearly fell into the hands of the enemy, and the territory of Triphylia was
permanently ceded to Arcadia in 369. Unable to make head against their
opponents, they applied for assistance to the Spartans, who invaded Arcadia,
and forced the Arcadians to recall their troops from Elis. The general result
of this war was the restoration of their territory to the Eleans, who were also
again invested with the right of holding the Olympic games. During the
Macedonian supremacy in Greece they sided with the victors, but refused to
fight against their countrymen. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323
they renounced the Macedonian alliance. At a subsequent period they joined the
Aetolian League.
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Ephesus
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was a Greek city on the coast of
Ionia, three kilometres southwest of present-day Selçuk in Izmir
Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century on the site of the former
Arzawan capital by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek
era it was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League. . Croesus made the
populations of the different settlements around Ephesus regroup (synoikismos)
in the vicinity of the Temple of Artemis, enlarging the city. Later in the same
century, the Lydians under Croesus invaded Persia. The Ionians refused a peace
offer from Cyrus the Great, siding with the Lydians instead. After the Persians
defeated Croesus, the Ionians offered to make peace, but Cyrus insisted that
they surrender and become part of the empire. They were defeated by the Persian
army commander Harpagos in 547. The Persians then incorporated the Greek cities
of Asia Minor into the Empire. Those cities were then ruled by satraps. Ephesus
continued to prosper, but when taxes were raised under Cambyses II and Darius,
the Ephesians participated in the
Ionian revoltagainst
Persian rule in the Battle of Ephesus 498,
an event which instigated the
Greco-Persian
wars. In 479, the Ionians, together with Athens, were able to oust the
Persians from the shores of Asia Minor. In 478, the Ionian cities with Athens
entered into the Delian
League against the Persians. Ephesus did not contribute ships but gave
financial support. During the
Peloponnesian
War, Ephesus was first allied to Athens but in a later phase, called the
Decelean War, or the Ionian War, sided with Sparta, which also had received the
support of the Persians. As a result, rule over the cities of Ionia was ceded
again to Persia. These wars did not greatly affect daily life in Ephesus. The
Ephesians were surprisingly modern in their social relations: they allowed
strangers to integrate and education was valued. In 356 the temple of Artemis
was burnt down, according to legend, by a lunatic called Herostratus. The
inhabitants of Ephesus at once set about restoring the temple and even planned
a larger and grander one than the original.
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Epidaurus
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Epidaurus was a small city
(polis) on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Thait is it was almost
directly across the gulf from Athens with Aegina Island in between. Epidaurus
was independent of Argos and not included in Argolis until the time of the
Romans. With its supporting territory, it formed the small territory called
Epidauria. Reputed to be founded by or named for the Argolid Epidaurus, and to
be the birthplace of Apollo's son Asclepius the healer. The Asclepeion at
Epidaurus was the most celebrated healing center of the Classical world, the
place where ill people went in the hope of being cured. To find out the right
cure for their ailments, they spent a night in the enkoimeteria, a big sleeping
hall. In their dreams, the god himself would advise them what they had to do to
regain their health.
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Euboea
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It is the second-largest Greek
island in area and population, after Crete. It is separated from Boeotia in
mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait (only 40 m (130 ft) at its
narrowest point). It is a long and narrow island; it is about 180 km (110 mi)
long, and varies in breadth from 31 miles) to 3.7 miles. On it are two main
cities, Chalcis and Eretria. Both cities were settled by Ionian Greeks from
Attica. The Athenians settled 4.000 colonists there in 506. The commercial
influence of these cities resulted in the Euboic scale of weights and measures
being used among the Ionic cities generally, and in Athens until the end of the
7th century. Chalcis and Eretria were rival cities. One of the earliest major
military conflicts in Greek history took place between them, known as the
Lelantine War, in
which many other Greek city-states also took part. The Euboeans joined the
Athenians in the campaign to Sardis in support of the Ionian rebellion. As part
of their invasion in 490 the Persians deported the population and destroyed
Eretria. After Marathon the Athenians restored what they could but it never
returned to former status. After the second Persian invasion and battles at
Thermopylae and Artemisium, the Persians again occupied it and went on to sack
Athens as they occupied northern and central Greece. The Athenians considered
Euboea as a critical strategic region. It was an important source of grain and
cattle, and controlling the island meant Athens could prevent invasion and
better protect its trade routes from piracy. In 446 the Euboeans attempted to
gain independence. Pericles, led the Athenian supression and settled more Attic
citizens in Histiaea. During the Peloponnesian war War in 410, Euobea succeeded
in regaining its independence until taken by Philip of Macedon in 338.
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Gallipoli
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The Gallipoli
peninsula is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of
Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east.
In ancient times, the Gallipoli Peninsula was known as the Thracian Chersonesus
to the Greeks and later the Romans. It was the location of several prominent
towns, including Cardia, Pactya, Callipolis (Gallipoli), Alopeconnesus, Sestos,
Madytos, and Elaeus. The peninsula was renowned for its wheat. It also
benefited from its strategic importance on the main route between Europe and
Asia, as well as from its control of the shipping route from Crimea. The city
of Sestos was the main crossing-point on the Hellespont. Settlers from Ancient
Greece, mainly of Ionian and Aeolian stock, founded about 12 cities on the
peninsula in the 7th century. The Athenian statesman Miltiadesthe
Elder founded a major Athenian colony there around 560. He took authority over
the entire peninsula, building up its defences against incursions from the
mainland. It eventually passed to his nephew, the more famous
Miltiades the Younger,
around 524. The peninsula was abandoned to the Persians in 493 after the
outbreak of the Greco-Persian Wars
(499478). The Persians were eventually expelled, after which the
peninsula was for a time ruled over by Athens, which enrolled it into the
Delian League in 478.
The Athenians established a number of cleruchies on the Thracian Chersonese and
sent an additional 1,000 settlers around 448. Sparta gained control after the
decisive battle of
Aegospotami
in 404, but the peninsula subsequently reverted to the Athenians. In the 4th
century, the Thracian Chersonese became the focus of a bitter territorial
dispute between Athens and Macedon, whose king Philip II sought possession. It
was eventually ceded to Philip in 338. After the death of Philip's son
Alexander the Great in 323, the Thracian Chersonese became the object of
contention among Alexander's successors. Lysimachus established his
capital Lysimachia here. In 278, Celtic tribes from Galatia in Asia Minor
settled in the area. In 196, the Seleucid king Antiochus III seized the
peninsula. This alarmed the Greeks and prompted them to seek the aid of the
Romans, who conquered the Thracian Chersonese, which they gave to their ally
Eumenes II of Pergamon in 188..
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Gulf of Corinth
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The Gulf of Corinth or the
Corinthian Gulf ) is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea, separating the Peloponnese
from western mainland Greece. It is bounded in the east by the Isthmus of
Corinth which includes the shipping-designed Corinth Canal and in the west by
the Strait of Rion which widens into the shorter Gulf of Patras (part of the
Ionian Sea) and of which the narrowest point is crossed since 2004 by the
RioAntirrio bridge. The gulf is bordered by the large administrative
divisions: Aetolia-Acarnania and Phocis in the north, Boeotia in the northeast,
Attica in the east, Corinthia in the southeast and south and Achaea in the
southwest.
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Haliartus
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Haliartus was a town in Boeotia,
and one of the cities of the Boeotian League. It was situated on the southern
side of Lake Copais in a pass between the mountain and the lake. In the
invasion of Greece by Xerxes I, in 484, it was the only town that remained true
to the cause of Greece, and was in consequence destroyed by the Persians. It
was, however, soon rebuilt, and in the
Peloponnesian War
appears as one of the chief cities of Boeotia. It is chiefly memorable in
history on account of the Battle of
Haliartus in
395 fought under its walls between
Lysander and the Thebans,
in which the former was slain,
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Halicarnnaisus
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was an ancient Greek city at
what is now Bodrum in Turkey. It was located in southwest Caria on a
picturesque, advantageous site on the Ceramic Gulf. The city was famous for the
Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, also known simply as the Tomb of Mausolus, whose
name provided the origin of the word "mausoleum". The mausoleum,
built from 353 to 350, ranked as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Halicarnassus' history was special on two interlinked issues. Halicarnassus
retained a monarchical system of government at a time when most other Greek
city states had long since rid themselves of their kings. And secondly, while
their Ionian neighbours rebelled against Persian rule, Halicarnassus remained
loyal to the Persians and formed part of the Persian Empire until Alexander the
Great captured it at the siege of Halicarnassus in 334. Halicarnassus
originally occupied only a small island near to the shore called Zephyria,
which was the original name of the settlement and the present site of the great
Castle of St. Peter built by the Knights of Rhodes in 1404. However, in the
course of time, the island united with the mainland, and the city was extended
to incorporate Salmacis, an older town of the Leleges and Carians and site of
the later citadel. Ruins of the fortifications of Halicarnassus (modern
Bodrum); 4th c. The inhabitants appear to have accepted Anthes, a son of
Poseidon, as their legendary founder, as mentioned by Strabo, and were proud of
the title of Antheadae.[1] At an early period Halicarnassus was a member of the
Doric Hexapolis, which included Kos, Cnidus, Lindos, Kameiros and Ialysus; but
it was expelled from the league when one of its citizens, Agasicles, took home
the prize tripod which he had won in the Triopian games, instead of dedicating
it according to custom to the Triopian Apollo. In the early 5th century
Halicarnassus was under the sway of Artemisia I of Caria (also known as
Artemesia of Halicarnassus), who made herself famous as a naval commander at
the battle of Salamis.
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Hellespontine Phrygia
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Hellespontine Phrygia was a
Persian satrapy (province) in northwestern Anatolia, directly southeast of the
Hellespont. Its capital was Dascylium, and for most
of its existence it was ruled by the hereditary Persian Pharnacid dynasty.
Together with Greater Phrygia, it made up the administrative provinces of the
wider Phrygia region.The satrapy was created in the beginning of the fifth
century, during the time of administrative reorganisations of the territories
in western Asia Minor, which were amongst the most important Achaemenid
territories. The first Achaemenid ruler of Hellespontine Phrygia was Mitrobates
(ca. 525522), who was appointed by Cyrus the Great and continued under
Cambises. He was killed and his territory absorbed by the satrap of
neighbouring Lydia, Oroetes. Following the reorganization of Darius I,
Mitrobates was succeeded by Oebares II (c.493), son of Megabazus. Artabazus
then became satrap circa 479 and started the Pharnacid dynasty, which would
rule Hellespontine Phrygia until the conquests of Alexander the Great (338 . As
Alexander the Great was conquering and incorporating the Achaemenid Empire, he
appointed Calas, a Macedonian General to govern Hellespontine Phrygia in 334,
after he had sent Parmenion to secure Dascylium, the provincial capital. Calas,
being the very first non-Achaemenid ruler of the province, was awarded the
Persian title of "satrap", rather than a Macedonian title, and
Alexander instructed him to collect the same tribute from his subjects that had
been paid to Darius III. After Alexander's death in 323, the satrapy was
awarded to Leonnatus, who was killed in action in the
Lamian War. The region
was seized by Lysimachus, was added to the Seleucid Empire after the Battle of
Corupedium in 281, and was finally integrated in the Bithynian kingdom.
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Hysiae - Argolis
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Hysiae or Hysiai was a garrison
town of ancient Argolis, also called the Argeia, southern Greece during the
archaic period. It was located to the southwest of Argos and east of Tegea, on
the road between them, at the foot of Mount Parthenium, not far from the Argive
border with Laconia. In c.669, the First
Battle of
Hysiae was fought between the Spartans and the Argives, who won to repulse
a Spartan invasion of Argolis. It appears to have been destroyed by the
Argives, along with Tiryns, Mycenae, and the other towns in the Argeia, after
the Greco-Persian Wars; but it was afterwards restored, and was occupied by the
Argives in the Peloponnesian War as a frontier-fortress. During the
Peloponnesian War, in 417, the Second
Battle of
Hysiae was fought, again between the Spartans and the Argives, and resulted
in a decisive Spartan victory. The Spartans captured Hysiae and destroyed it;
all captured male citizens were executed.
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Hysiae - Boeotia
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Hysiae or Hysia, was a town in
Boeotia, in the Parasopia, at the northern foot of Mount Cithaeron, and on the
high road from Thebes to Athens. It was said to have been a colony from Hyria,
and to have been founded by Nycteus, father of Antiope. Herodotus says that
both Hysiae and Oenoe were Attic demoi when they were taken by the Boeotians in
507. It probably, however, belonged to Plataea. Oenoe was recovered by the
Athenians; but, as Mt. Cithaeron was the natural boundary between Attica and
Boeotia, Hysiae continued to be a Boeotian town. Hysiae is mentioned in the
operations which preceded the Battle ofPlataea.
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Idomene
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was a town in Ambracia The
Battle of Idomene
was a battle in the
Peloponnesian War
in 426, between the Athenians and the Ambracians. The Ambracians, who were
allies of the Spartans, had sent a relief force to help the army that had
invaded Amphilochia previously. Unbeknownst to the Ambracians, the first army
had been defeated, surrounded and scattered by the allied Athenians,
Amphilochians and Acarnanians the day before. The Ambracians, unaware of the
incoming Athenian army, camped on the lower of two steep hills.
Demosthenes, the
Athenian commander, occupied the higher hill, obtaining a strategic advantage.
Before dawn, while the Ambracians were still asleep, they were attacked and
destroyed by the Athenians. Overall, the Ambraciots lost about 1,000 men over
the two battles. Thucydides describes this disaster as: "The greatest
disaster to strike a single city in an equal number of days in this war."
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Imbros
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Imbros is the largest island of
Turkey and the seat of Gökçeada District of Çanakkale
Province. It is located in the north-northeastern Aegean Sea, at the entrance
of Saros Bay, and is the westernmost point of Turkey (Cape Incirburnu). In
classical antiquity, Imbros, like Lemnos, was an Athenian cleruchy, a colony
whose settlers retained Athenian citizenship; although since the Imbrians
appear on the Athenian tribute lists, there may have been a division with the
native population. The original inhabitants of Imbros were Pelasgians, as
mentioned by Herodotus In 511 or 512 the island was captured by the Persian
general Otanes. But later, Miltiades conquered the island from Persia after the
battle of Salamis; the colony was established about 450, during the first
Athenian empire, and was retained by Athens (with brief exceptions) for the
next six centuries. During the
Social War
(357355) the Chians, Rhodians and Byzantians attacked Imbros and
Lemnos, which were allies of Athens.
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Ionia
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Ionia was a region on the
central part of the western coast of Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region
nearest Izmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost
territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. see Ionia
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Ionian revolt
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The Ionian Revolt, and
associated revolts in Aeolis, Doris, Cyprus and Caria, were military rebellions
by several Greek regions of Asia Minor against Persian rule, lasting from 499
to 493. At the heart of the rebellion was the dissatisfaction of the Greek
cities of Asia Minor with the tyrants appointed by Persia to rule them, along
with the individual actions of two Milesian tyrants,
Histiaeus and
Aristagoras. see
Ionian Revolt
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Knidos - Cnidus
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Knidos or Cnidus was a Greek
city of ancient Caria and part of the Dorian Hexapolis, in south-western Asia
Minor, modern-day Turkey. It was situated on the Datça peninsula, which
forms the southern side of the Sinus Ceramicus, now known as Gulf of
Gökova. By the 4th century, Knidos was located at the site of modern
Tekir, opposite Triopion Island. . It was built partly on the mainland and
partly on the Island of Triopion or Cape Krio. The walls, both of the island
and on the mainland, can be traced throughout their whole circuit; and in many
places, especially round the acropolis, at the northeast corner of the city,
they are remarkably perfect.
Knidos was a Hellenic city of high antiquity. According to Herodotus, the
Cnidians were Lacedaemonian colonists; however, the presence of demiurges there
argues for foundation or later influence by other Doric Greeks, possibly
Argives. Along with Halicarnassus (present day Bodrum, Turkey) and Kos, and the
Rhodian cities of Lindos, Kamiros and Ialyssos it formed the Dorian Hexapolis,
which held its confederate assemblies on the Triopian headland, and there
celebrated games in honour of Apollo, Poseidon and the nymphs. This was also
the site of the Temple of Aphrodite, Knidos. The city was at first governed by
an oligarchic senate, composed of sixty members, and presided over by a
magistrate; but, though it is proved by inscriptions that the old names
continued to a very late period, the constitution underwent a popular
transformation. The situation of the city was favourable for commerce, and the
Knidians acquired considerable wealth, and were able to colonize the island of
Lipara, and founded a city on Corcyra Nigra in the Adriatic. They ultimately
submitted to Cyrus, and from the battle of Eurymedon to the latter part of the
Peloponnesian War they were subject to Athens.
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Kythira
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Kythira also Cythera, is an
island in Greece lying opposite the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese
peninsula. It is traditionally listed as one of the seven main Ionian Islands,
although it is distant from the main group. The island is strategically located
between the Greek mainland and Crete, and from ancient times until the mid 19th
century was a crossroads of merchants, sailors, and conquerors. As such, it has
had a long and varied history and has been influenced by many civilisations and
cultures. This is reflected in its architecture (a blend of traditional, Aegean
and Venetian elements), as well as the traditions and customs, influenced by
centuries of coexistence of the Greek, and Venetian cultures. In classical
times, Kythira was part of the territory of several larger city-states. Sparta
took the island from Argos early in the sixth century, and ruled it under a
kytherodíkes, in Thucydides' time Athens occupied it three times when at
war with Sparta (in 456 during her first war with Sparta and the
Peloponnesians; from 426 to 410, through most of the great
Peloponnesian
War;and from 393 to 387/386, during the
Corinthian War
against Spartan dominance) and used it both to support her trade and to
raid Laconia.
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Laconia
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Laconia is bordered by Messenia
to the west and Arcadia to the north and is surrounded by the Myrtoan Sea to
the east and by the Laconian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. It
encompasses Cape Malea and Cape Tainaron and a large part of the Mani
Peninsula. The Mani Peninsula is in the west region of Laconia. The islands of
Kythira and Antikythera lie to the south, but they administratively belong to
the Attica regional unit of islands. The island, Elafonisos, situated between
the Laconian mainland and Kythira, is part of Laconia. The Eurotas is the
longest river in the prefecture. The valley of the Eurotas is predominantly an
agricultural region that contains many citrus groves, olive groves, and pasture
lands. The main mountain ranges are the Taygetus 2,407 m (7,897 ft) in the west
and the Parnon 1,961 m (6,434 ft) in the northeast. Taygetus, known as
Pentadaktylos (five-fingers) throughout the Middle Ages, is west of Sparta and
the Eurotas valley. It is the highest mountain in Laconia and the Peloponnese
and is mostly covered with pine trees. Two roads join the Messenia and Laconia
prefectures: one is a tortuous mountain pass through Taygetus and the other
bypasses the mountain via the Mani district to the south. The stalactite cave,
Dirou, a major tourist attraction, is located south of Areopolis in the
southwest of Laconia. The history of Laconia is described as part of the
history of Sparta.
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Lade
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Location of the critical naval
battle in which the Persians defeated the Ionian revolt.
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Lamia city
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In antiquity, the city played an
important role due to its strategic location, controlling the narrow coastal
plain above Thermopylae that connected southern Greece with Thessaly and the
rest of the Balkans. The city formed a polis. The city was therefore fortified
in the 5th century, and was contested by the Macedonians, Thessalians and
Aetolians until the Roman conquest in the early 2nd century. After Alexander
the Great's death in 323, the Athenians and other Greeks rebelled against
Macedonian overlordship. Antipatros, the regent of Macedon, took refuge behind
the substantial walls of the city (Lamian War, 323322).
The war ended with the death of the Athenian general
Leosthenes, and the
arrival of a 20,000-strong Macedonian army. Lamia prospered afterwards,
especially in the 3rd century under Aetolian hegemony, which came to an end
when Manius Acilius Glabrio sacked the city in 190.
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Lampachus
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Lampsacuswas an ancient Greek
city strategically located on the eastern side of the Hellespont in the
northern Troad. An inhabitant of Lampsacus was called a Lampsacene. Originally
known as Pityusa or Pityussa, it was colonized from Phocaea and Miletus. In the
6th century Lampsacus was attacked by Miltiades the Elder and Stesagoras, the
Athenian tyrants of the nearby Thracian Chersonese. During the 6th and 5th
centuries, Lampsacus was successively dominated by Lydia, Persia, Athens, and
Sparta. The Greek tyrants Hippoclus and later his son Acantides ruled under
Darius I.
Artaxerxes I assigned
it to Themistocles with the expectation that the city supply the Persian king
with its famous wine. When Lampsacus joined the
Delian League after
the battle of Mycale in 479, it
paid a tribute of twelve talents, a testimony to its wealth; it had a gold
coinage in the 4th century, an activity only available to the more prosperous
cities.A revolt against the Athenians in 411 was put down by force. Suda writes
that the people of Lampsacus were pro-Persian and Alexander the Great was
furiously angry, and threatened to do them massive harm. In order to save their
women, children and homeland they asked from Anaximenes of Lampsacus, who was a
tutor and historian of Alexander, to intercede. Alexander knew why he had come,
and swore by the gods that he would do the opposite of what he would ask, so
Anaximenes said, 'Please do this for me, your majesty: enslave the women and
children of Lampsacus, burn their temples, and raze the city to the ground.'
Alexander had no way round this clever trick, and since he was bound by his
oath he reluctantly pardoned the people of Lampsacus.
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Lechaeum
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Lechaeum or Lechaion, also
called Lecheae and Lecheum, was the port in ancient Corinthia on the Corinthian
Gulf connected with the city of Corinth by means of the Long Walls, 12 stadia
in length. The Long Walls ran nearly due north, so that the wall on the right
hand was called the eastern, and the one on the left hand the western or
Sicyonian. The space between them must have been considerable; since there was
sufficient space for an army to be drawn up for battle. Indeed, the area was
the scene of battles between Sparta and Athens in 391, leaving Spartans in
command of Lechaeum, which they garrisoned with their troops (see Battle of
Lechaeum). The flat
country between Corinth and Lechaeum is composed only of the sand washed up by
the sea; and the port must have been originally artificial, though it was no
doubt rendered both spacious and convenient by the wealthy Corinthians.
Lechaeum was the chief station of the Corinthian ships of war; and during the
occupation of Corinth by the Macedonians, it was one of the stations of the
royal fleet. It was also the emporium of the traffic with the western parts of
Greece, and with Italy and Sicily. The proximity of Lechaeum to Corinth
prevented it from becoming an important town like Piraeus.
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Lefkada
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Lefkada, also known as Lefkas or
Leukas and Leucadia, is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of
Greece, connected to the mainland by a long causeway and floating bridge. The
principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Lefkada.
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Lesbos
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is a Greek island located in
the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of 1,633 km2 (631 sq mi) with 321
kilometres (199 miles) of coastline, making it the third largest island in
Greece. It is separated from Turkey by the narrow Mytilini Strait and in late
Palaeolithic/Mesolithic times was joined to the Anatolian mainland before the
end of the last glacial period. According to later Greek writers, Mytilene was
founded in the 11th century by the family Penthilidae, who arrived from
Thessaly and ruled the city-state until a popular revolt (590580) led by
Pittacus of Mytilene ended their rule. The name Mytilene itself seems to be of
Hittite origin. When the Persian king Cyrus defeated Croesus (546) the Ionic
Greek cities of Anatolia and the adjacent islands became Persian subjects and
remained such until the Persians were defeated by the Greeks at the Battle of
Salamisin 480.
The island was governed by an oligarchy in archaic times, followed by
quasi-democracy in classical times. For a short period it was a member of the
Athenian confederacy, its apostasy from which is recounted by Thucydides in the
Mytilenian Debate.
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Leuctra
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was a village of ancient
Boeotia, situated on the road from Thespiae to Plataea, and in the territory of
the former city. Its name only occurs in history on account of the celebrated
Battle of Leuctra
fought in its neighbourhood between the Spartans and Thebans in 371, by
which the supremacy of Sparta was for ever overthrown. In the plain of Leuctra,
was the tomb of the two daughters of Scedasus, a Leuctrian, both were violated
by Spartans, and had afterwards slain themselves; this tomb was crowned with
wreaths by Epaminondas
before the battle, since an oracle had predicted that the Spartans would be
defeated at this spot. The site of Leuctra is near the modern village of
Lefktra, renamed to reflect to connection with the ancient place.
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Limnos
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is a Greek island in the
northern part of the Aegean Sea. The principal town of the island and seat of
the municipality is Myrina. It is the 8th-largest island of Greece. But in 510
it was reconquered by Miltiades the Younger, the tyrant of the Thracian
Chersonese. Miltiades
later returned to Athens and Lemnos was an Athenian possession until the
Macedonian empire absorbed it. By 450 Lemnos was an Athenian cleruchy. The
Athenian settlers brought with them Athenian drama, dated to at least 348.
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Lydia
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The Satrapy of Lydia, known as
Sparda in Old Persian, was an administrative province (satrapy) of the
Achaemenid Empire, located in the ancient kingdom of Lydia, with Sardis as its
capital. Tabalus, appointed by Cyrus the Great, was the first satrap; however,
his rule did not last long as the Lydians revolted. The insurrection was
suppressed by general Mazares and his successor Harpagus. After Cyrus' death,
Oroetus was appointed as satrap. Oroetus ruled during the reign of Cambyses,
and after the chaotic period that followed the Persian king's death, he
conquered the Greek isle of Samos, killing its ruler Polycrates. Due to his
growing power, Darius the Great had Bagaeus kill Oroetus. Bagaeus himself may
have become satrap for a short period, but the next rulers were Otanes and
Darius' younger brother, Artaphernes.
During theIonian
revolt in 499, Sardis was sacked by the Greeks. Five years later, the
rebellion was suppressed and to the surprise of the Greek world,
Artapherneswas very
lenient in his treatment of the rebels. After this period, many Persians
settled in Lydia. The worship of eastern gods such as Anahita, as well as
persified Lydian deities, began. Although members of the Persian aristocracy
were given estates in the region following the Greek revolt, Greeks loyal to
the Persian Empire were also given estates.
Invasion of Greece (480-479)
Artaphernes was succeeded as satrap in 492 by his son Artaphernes II. Lydians
enrolled in the Achaemenid army, and participated to the Second Persian
invasion of Greece (480479). Sardis was where all the troops of Xerxes
stationed during the winter of 481-480 to prepare for the invasion of Greece.
From the period of 480 to 440, there is little historical information about the
satrap of Lydia. In 440, the satrap Pissuthnes attempted to retake Samos, which
had rebelled against Athens, but failed. In 420, Pissuthnes revolted against
the Persian king Darius
II. The Persian soldier and statesman
Tissaphernes, a
grandson of Hydarnes, was sent by Darius II to Lydia to arrest and execute
Pissuthnes. Tissaphernes became satrap of Lydia in 415 and continued to fight
Amorges, son of Pissuthnes. After Sparta had defeated Athens, the Greeks
invaded Lydia. Tissaphernes overcame the invasion of Thibron in 399 but was
defeated at Sardis by the Spartan King
Agesilaus II. The
satrap was executed and replaced by Tiribazus, who restored order in Lydia and
was responsible for a series of treaties between the Persian king and the Greek
city states. Autophradates was probably Tiribazus' direct successor, and was
loyal to the Achaemenid monarch during a series of revolts in 370. The last
satrap of Lydia was Spithridates, who was killed by Alexander the Great at the
battle of Granicus.
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Lyncestis
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was a region of the kingdom of
Macedonia, located on the southern borders of Illyria and Paeonia. It was
fought over by the Macedonians - See battle of
Lyncestis
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Macedon
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Mantinea
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Mantineia was a city in ancient
Arcadia, Greece, which was the site of two significant battles in Classical
Greek history. The city emerged from the amalgamation of several neighbouring
villages around 500. Its patron god was Poseidon. It was a large city with
numerous temples. The fortifications originally were polygonal. The city was
the place of the First Battle of
Mantineia,
in 418, the largest land battle of the
Peloponnesian
war. On one side were Sparta and its remaining allies, and on the other
were Athens, its allies, plus the cities that had revolted against the
Spartans. After the Athenians' commander, Laches, was killed, the battle turned
into a rout of the Athenian and allied armies, a result attributed to greater
Spartan courage. Mantineia had been a member of the Peloponnesian League, but
during the Peloponnesian War, the city joined Athens. After the war, it was
forced to rejoin the Peloponnese. Later, Sparta used the Peace of
Antalcidas in 387 as a pretext to break Mantineia into its constituent
villages. In response, the Mantineans expelled pro-Spartans from the city, but
were vanquished in the
Siege of Mantinea
in 385, and the city was dismembered and destroyed. After the Spartan defeat at
the end of the Corinthian War,
Mantineia re-formed into a single city. The fortifications now became almost
circular, keeping some parts of the old walls. The Second Battle of
Mantinea,
in 362, led to the fall of Theban hegemony. In that battle, Athens and Sparta
were allied. Thebes won the battle, but its greatest general,
Epaminondas, was killed
in the fighting.
Macedonian king Antigonus III Doson sacked the city at 223. Antigonus handed
the city to the Achaeans, which colonized it, under Aratos, and renamed the
city to Antigonia. Roman emperor Hadrian restored Mantineia's name.
Democracy in Mantineia
There was a democracy in place in Mantineia by 420, when Thucydides says that
the Mantineans joined an alliance led by Argos because it was a fellow
democracy. Aristotle describes an unusual feature of the Mantinean system:
officials were elected, not by the people as a whole, but by a special
committee selected by the people. For this committee to be selected, the people
did have to attend an Assembly of sorts, probably once a year, and there was
also a Council, like in other Greek democracies. Officials included damiourgoi
(a political role) as well as theoroi (a religious one) and polemarchoi
(military). In 385 the Spartans forcibly suppressed the democracy, though it
did have a brief revival in the 360s when Mantineia was part of the Arcadian
League.
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Marathon
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Marathon is the site of the
Battle of Marathon in 490, in which the heavily outnumbered Athenian army
defeated the Persians. Legend has it that Pheidippides, a Greek herald at the
battle, was sent running from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory, which
is how the marathon running race was conceived in modern times.
(This is pure modern legend as there is no contemporay such account, rather
Pheidippides did run from Athens to Sparta in record time to urge the Spartans
to hurry for the battle, which they did not.
In ancient times, Marathon was located on a small plain in the northeast of
ancient Attica, which contained four places, Marathon, Probalinthus,
Tricorythus, and Oenoe, which originally formed the Tetrapolis, one of the 12
districts into which Attica was divided before the time of Theseus. Here
Xuthus, who married the daughter of Erechtheus, is said to have reigned; and
here the Heracleidae took refuge when driven out of Peloponnesus, and defeated
Eurystheus. The Marathonii claimed to be the first people in Greece who paid
divine honours to Heracles, who possessed a sanctuary in the plain. Marathon is
also celebrated in the legends of Theseus, who conquered the ferocious bull,
which used to devastate the plain. Marathon is mentioned in Homer's Odyssey in
a way that implies that it was then a place of importance. In mythology, its
name was derived from an eponymous hero Marathon, who is described by Pausanias
as a son of Epopeus, king of Sicyon, who fled into Attica in consequence of the
cruelty of his father. Plutarch calls him an Arcadian, who accompanied the
Dioscuri in their expedition into Attica, and voluntarily devoted himself to
death before the battle. After Theseus united the 12 independent districts of
Attica into one state, the name of Tetrapolis gradually fell into disuse; and
the four places of which it consisted became Attic demi, Marathon, Tricorythus,
and Oenoë belonging to the tribe Aeantis, and Probalinthus to the tribe
Pandionis; but Marathon was so superior to the other three, that its name was
applied to the whole district down to the latest times. Hence Lucian speaks of
"the parts of Marathon about Oenoë". Few places have obtained
such celebrity in the history of the world as Marathon, on account of the
victory which the Athenians here gained over the Persians in 490 (Battle of
Marathon). After Miltiades (the general of the Greek forces) defeated
Darius' Persian forces, the Persians decided to sail from Marathon to Athens in
order to sack the unprotected city. Miltiades ordered all his hoplite forces to
march "double time" back to Athens, so that by the time Darius'
troops arrived they saw the same Greek force waiting for them.
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Megalopolis
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This settlement was located in
northern Peloponnesus at 1,400 feet on the Akhíllion plain on both banks
of the river Elisson. It was founded on a grandiose scale (371368 by
Epaminondascapital of
the Arcadian League and as a bastion for the southern Arcadians
containment of Sparta. Megalopolis on the Helisson was populated by the
wholesale transfer of inhabitants from 40 local villages and by contingents
from Tegéa, Mantineia, and other locations to form a counter weight to
Sparta. Encompassed by strong walls, the city reached about 5.5 miles (9 km) in
circumference; its territory, extending 24 miles (39 km) northward, was the
greatest of any city-state in Arcadia. Spartan attempts to take the city, which
had been weakened by the failure of the Arcadian League, were foiled in 353 and
331as well as after 234, when Megalopolis joined the Achaean League.
Megalopolis was a member of the Arcadian League after its foundation until the
dissolution of the federation in 362. In 331, Megalopolis was invaded by the
Spartans and there was a battle with the Macedonians that came to Megalopolis'
help. In 317 at the start of the Second War of the Diadochi,Polyperchon, the new
Regent of the Macedonian Empire, besieged Megalopolis which had sided with his
enemy Cassander. The
siege failed. In the 270s, Aristodamos the Good managed to take control over
the city as a tyrant backed by Macedon. In 235, the second tyrant of the city,
Lydiades, gave up control over the polis and the city became a member of the
Achaean League. In 222, the Spartan king Cleomenes III burnt down the city but
it was rebuilt in the years after the destruction. As a member of the Achaean
League, Megalopolis had a profound influence on the federal politics and it was
the hometown of several notable Achaean figures such as Philopoemen, Lykortas
and Polybius.
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Megara
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It was the main city of its
region knowed as the Megarid. It was at the eastern end of the Corinthian
Istmus and had ports on both the Gulf of Corinth and Saronic gulf. It was thus
adjacent to Attica. Megara was also a trade port, its people using their ships
and wealth as a way to gain leverage on armies of neighboring poleis. Megara
specialized in the exportation of wool and other animal products including
livestock such as horses. It possessed two harbors, Pagae to the west on the
Corinthian Gulf, and Nisaea to the east on the Saronic Gulf of the Aegean Sea.
In historical times, Megara was an early dependency of Corinth, in which
capacity colonists from Megara founded Megara Hyblaea, a small polis north of
Syracuse in Sicily. Megara then fought a war of independence with Corinth, and
afterwards founded Chalcedon in 685, as well as Byzantium (c. 667). Megara is
known to have early ties with Miletos, in the region of Caria in Asia Minor. In
the 7th/6th century Megara and Miletos acted in concordance with each other.
Both cities acted under the leadership and sanction of an Apollo oracle. Megara
cooperated with that of Delphi. Miletos had her own oracle of Apollo Didymeus
Milesios in Didyma. Also, there are many parallels in the political
organisation of both cities. In the late 7th century Theagenes established
himself as tyrant of Megara by slaughtering the cattle of the rich to win over
the poor. During the second Persian invasion of Greece (480479) Megara
fought alongside the Spartans and Athenians at crucial battles such asSalamisand
Plataea. Megara
defected from the Spartan-dominated Peloponnesian League (c. 460 ) to the
Delian league due to border disputes with its neighbour Corinth; this defection
was one of the causes of the
First
Peloponnesian War (460 c. 445). By the terms of the Thirty Years'
Peace of 446445 Megara was forced to return to the Peloponnesian League.
In the (second) Peloponnesian War
(c. 431 404), Megara was an ally of Sparta. The
Megarian decree is
considered to be one of several contributing "causes" of the
Peloponnesian War. Athens issued the Megarian decree, which banned Megarian
merchants from territory controlled by Athens; its aim was to constrict the
Megarian economy. The Athenians claimed that they were responding to the
Megarians' desecration of the Hiera Orgas, a sacred precinct in the border
region between the two states. Arguably the most famous citizen of Megara in
antiquity was Byzas, the legendary founder of Byzantium in the 7th century. The
6th century poet Theognis also came from Megara. During the
Chremonidean War,
in 266, the Megarians were besieged by the Macedonian king Antigonus
Gonatas and managed to defeat his elephants employing burning pigs. Despite
this success, the Megarians had to submit to the Macedonians. In 243, exhorted
by Aratus of Sicyon, Megara expelled its Macedonian garrison and joined the
Achaean League, but when the Achaeans lost control of the Isthmus in 223 the
Megarians left them and joined the Boeotian League. Not more than thirty years
later, however, the Megarians grew tired of the Boeotian decline and returned
their allegiance to Achaea. The Achaean strategos Philopoemen fought off the
Boeotian intervention force and secured Megara's return, either in 203 or in
193.
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Melos
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Was an island south east of
mainland Greece.
In thesiege of
Melosduring the Peloponnesian War
(431-404 ) between Athens and Sparta, the Melians made some small donations to
the Spartan war effort, but remained largely neutral despite sharing the
Spartans' Dorian ethnicity. In 426 the Athenians raided the Melian countryside,
and the following year demanded tribute, but Melos refused. In the summer of
416, Athens invaded again with 3,400 men, and demanded that Melos ally with
them against Sparta, or be destroyed. The Melians rejected this, so the
Athenian army laid siege to the city and eventually captured it in the winter.
After the city's fall, the Athenians executed all the adult men, and sold the
women and children into slavery. They then settled 500 of their own colonists
on the island. In 405 with Athens losing the war, the Spartan general
Lysander expelled the
Athenian settlers from Melos and repatriated the survivors of the siege. Sparta
annexed Melos, which would mean that like other liberated islands, it received
a military governor (a harmost). The tribulations of its population and the
loss of its independence meant that the cultural distinctiveness of Melos faded
away as it was absorbed into mainstream Greek culture. In 338,
Philip II of
Macedon defeated the Greeks at the Battle of Chaeroneia and
became the overlord of Greece and the Cyclades. During this time, Melos and the
nearby island Kimolos disputed each other over the ownership of the islands of
Polyaigos, Heterea, and Libea (the last two are probably today's uninhabited
islands of Agios Efstathios and Agios Georgios). In the past, this dispute
would have been settled by war, but the two communities took their dispute to
Argos on the Greek mainland. The Argives decided the islands belonged to
Kimolos.
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Miletus
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was a Greek city on the western
coast of Anatolia, near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria. Its
ruins are located near the modern village of Balat in Aydin Province, Turkey.
Before the Persian invasion in the middle of the 6th century, Miletus was
considered the greatest and wealthiest of Greek cities. Evidence of first
settlement at the site has been made inaccessible by the rise of sea level and
deposition of sediments from the Maeander. The first available evidence is of
the Neolithic. In the early and middle Bronze Age the settlement came under
Minoan influence. Legend has it that an influx of Cretans occurred displacing
the indigenous Leleges. The site was renamed Miletus after a place in Crete. In
the 13th century speakers of the Luwian language from south central Anatolia
calling themselves the Carians moved there. Later in that century other Greeks
arrived. The city at that time rebelled against the Hittite Empire. After the
fall of that empire the city was destroyed in the 12th century and starting
about 1000 was resettled extensively by the Ionian Greeks. Legend offers an
Ionian foundation event sponsored by a founder named Neleus from the
Peloponnesus. In 479 the Greeks decisively defeated the Persians on the Greek
mainland at the Battle of Plataea, and Miletus was freed from Persian rule.
During this time several other cities were formed by Milesian settlers,
spanning across what is now Turkey and even as far as Crimea. The city's
gridlike layout became famous, serving as the basic layout for Roman cities. In
387 the Peace of
Antalcidas gave the Persian Empire under king
Artaxerxes II control
of the Greek city-states of Ionia, including Miletus. In 358 Artaxerxes II died
and was succeeded by his son
Artaxerxes III, who
in 355 forced Athens to conclude a peace which required its forces to leave
Asia Minor (Anatolia) and acknowledge the independence of its rebellious
allies. In 334 the Siege of Miletus by the forces of Alexander the Great of
Macedonia liberated the city from Persian rule, soon followed by most of Asia
Minor. In this period the city reached its greatest extent, occupying within
its walls an area of approximately 90 hectares (220 acres). When Alexander died
in 323, Miletus came under the control of Ptolemy, governor of Caria and his
satrap of Lydia Asander, who had become autonomous. In 312 Macedonian general
Antigonus I Monophthalmus sent Docimus and Medeius to free the city and grant
autonomy, restoring the democratic patrimonial regime. In 301, after Antigonus
I was killed in the Battle of Ipsus by the
coalition of Lysimachus, Cassander, and Seleucus I Nicator, founder of the
Seleucid Empire, Miletus maintained good relations with all the successors
after Seleucus I Nicator made substantial donations to the sanctuary of Didyma
and returned the statue of Apollo that had been stolen by the Persians in 494.
In 295 Antigonus I's son Demetrius Poliorcetes was the eponymous archon
(stephanephorus) in the city, which allied with Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt, while
Lysimachus assumed power in the region, enforcing a strict policy towards the
Greek cities by imposing high taxes, forcing Miletus to resort to lending.
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Mithymna
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Mithymna also sometimes spelled
Methymna is a town and former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North
Aegean, Greece. Methymna had a long-standing rivalry with Mytilene, and during
the Peloponnesian War it sided with Athens during the Mytilenaean revolt in 428
when all the other cities of Lesbos sided with Mytilene. When the Athenians put
down the revolt the following year, only Methymna was spared from having its
territory turned into a cleruchy. After 427, Methymna and Chios were the only
members of the Delian League to remain self-governing and exempt from tribute,
indicating the privileged position Methymna held within the Athenian Empire.
Methymna was briefly captured by the Spartans in summer 412, before quickly
being retaken by the Athenians: in describing this episode, the historian
Thucydides indicates that the Methymnaeans were much more inclined to side with
Athens than Sparta. This was likewise the case in 411, when a group of
Methymnaeans who were in exile at Cyme in Aeolis attempted to return to
Methymna by force, but were rebuffed by the population. When the Spartan
commander Callicratidasbesieged
Methymna in 406, the city stayed loyal to its Athenian garrison and held
out until it was betrayed by several traitors. By at least the 340s, the tyrant
Cleommis had expelled the city's democrats and remained in power for the next
decade. Lesbos changed hands several times between the Macedonian forces of
Alexander the Great and the Persian forces of
Memnon of Rhodes, who
captured Methymna in 333, and that when Alexander's admiral Hegelochus
recaptured Methymna in 332 its tyrant was Aristonicus not Cleommis.
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Naxos
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is a Greek island and the
largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The
island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until
modern time was one of the best abrasives available. Naxos dominated commerce
in the Cyclades. Naxos was the first Greek city-state to attempt to leave the
Delian League circa 476; Athens quickly squashed the notion and forcibly
removed all military naval vessels from the island's control. Athens then
demanded all future payments from Naxos in the form of gold rather than
military aid. In 502, an unsuccessful attack on Naxos by Persian forces led
several prominent men in the Greek cities of Ionia to rebel against the Persian
Empire in the Ionian Revolt, and then to the Persian War between Greece and
Persia.
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Nemea
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Nemea is an ancient site in the
northeastern part of the Peloponnesehaia Nemea is immediately southwest of the
archaeological site, while the new town of Nemea lies to the west. In 394 the
Battle of the Nemea
River was fought between Sparta and her allies the Achaians, Eleians,
Mantineians, and the Tegeates against a coalition of Boetians, Euboeans,
Athenians, Corinthians, and Argives. This was the last clear-cut victory that
Sparta enjoyed. The tactics were similar to all other Greek hoplite battles,
except that when the armies were arrayed, with the Spartans having the
customary honour of being on the right, the army drifted right as it advanced.
This was not good for the Spartan allies, as it exposed the soldiers to a
flanking attack, but it gave the Spartans the opportunity to use their superior
coordination and discipline to roll up the flank of the Athenians, who were
stationed opposite. The result of the battle was a victory for Sparta, even
though her allies on the left suffered significant losses. This willingness to
accept losses on the left flank for flanking position on the right was a
dramatic change from typical conservative hoplite military tactics.
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Nothm
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Oenophyta
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Oenophyta or Oinophyta a town in
Boeotia. During the
First
Peloponnesian War, in the Battle of
Oenophyta
fought here in 457, the Athenians under Myronides gained a signal victory
over the Boeotian League. As this victory was followed by the destruction of
Tanagra, there can be little doubt that it was in the territory of the latter
city, not far from the frontier of Attica. Its name, moreover, shows that it
was the place where the wine was chiefly produced, for which the territory of
Tanagra was celebrated. Its site is located near modern Oinofyta (Staniates).
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Olpae
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was a town of ancient
Amphilochia, where the Battle of
Olpae was fought
between the Spartans and the Athenians in 426 during the
Peloponnesian
War. Olpae sat upon a fortified hill, in the territory of Amphilochian
Argos, about 3 miles from Argos itself. Eurylochus, the Spartan commander,
marched from Aetolia, with 3000 hoplites into the territory of Amphilochian
Argos, and captured Olpae. Thereupon the Acarnanians marched to the protection
of Argos, and took up their position at Crenae. Meantime Eurylochus, with the
Peloponnesian forces, had marched through Acarnania, and had succeeded in
joining the Ambraciots at Olpae, passing unperceived between Argos itself and
the Acarnanian force at Crenae. He then took post at Metropolis, probably
northeast of Olpae. Shortly afterwards
Demosthenes, who had
been invited by the Acarnanians to take the command of their troops, arrived in
the Ambraciot Gulf with 20 Athenian ships, and anchored near Olpae. Having
disembarked his men, and taken the command, he encamped near Olpae. The two
armies were separated only by a deep ravine: and as the ground was favourable
for ambush, Demosthenes hid some men in a bushy dell, so that they might attack
the rear of the enemy. The stratagem was successful, Demosthenes gained a
decisive victory, and Eurylochus was slain in the battle. This victory was
followed by another still more striking. The Ambraciots at Olpae had some days
before sent to Ambracia, to beg for reinforcements; and a large Ambraciot force
had entered the territory of Amphilochia about the time when the Battle of
Olpae was fought. Demosthenes being informed of their march on the day after
the battle, formed a plan to surprise them in a narrow pass above Olpae.
Demosthenes sent forward a detachment to secure the peak above the pass, and
then marched through the pass in the night. The Ambraciots had obtained no
intelligence of the defeat of their comrades at Olpae, or of the approach of
Demosthenes; they were surprised in their sleep, and put to the sword without
any possibility of resistance.
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Olynthus
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Olynthus was an ancient city of
Chalcidice, built mostly on two flat-topped hills 3040m in height, in a
fertile plain at the head of the Gulf of Torone, near the neck of the peninsula
of Pallene, about 2.5 kilometers from the sea, and about 60 stadia (c.
910 kilometers) from Poteidaea. The city was fought over by Macedonians
and Greeks. It was at war with Sparta in 382- 379.
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Orchomenus in Arcadia
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Orchomenus or Orchomenos was a
city of Arcadia, Greece, called by Thucydides the Arcadian Orchomenus to
distinguish it from the Boeotian town. Orchomenos was a prehistoric settlement
and became one of the powerful cities in West Arcadia along with Tegea and
Mantineia. The heyday of the city was between 7th6th century and it
became a rich city which minted its own currency. Its ruins are near the modern
village of Orchomenos. Orchomenos was initially established at the foot of the
acropolis on a plain surrounded on every side by mountains. Later the
settlement was built on the mountain where the most important monuments of the
city have been found. This plain was bounded on the south by a low range of
hills, called Anchisia, which separated it from the territory of Mantineia: on
the north by a lofty chain, called Oligyrtus, through which lie the passes into
the territories of Pheneus and Stymphalus, and on the east and west by two
parallel chains running from north to south. Upon the summit of the western
hill stood the acropolis of Orchomenus, nearly 900 m (3,000 ft) high,
resembling the strong fortress of Messenian Ithome and, like the latter,
commanding two plains.
Orchomenus is mentioned by Homer, who gives it the epithet of "abundant in
sheep," In the Persian Wars, Orchomenus sent 120 men to
Thermopylae,
and 600 to Plataea.
In the
Peloponnesian War, the Lacedaemonians deposited in Orchomenus the hostages
they had taken from the Arcadians; but the walls of the city were then in a
dilapidated state; when the Athenians and their Peloponnesian allies advanced
against the city in 418, the Orchomenians dared not offer resistance, and
surrendered the hostages. At the time of the foundation of Megalopolis,
Orchomenians was exercising supremacy over Theisoa, Methydrium, and Teuthis;
but the inhabitants of these cities were then transferred to Megalopolis, and
their territories assigned to the latter. The Orchomenians, through their
enmity to the Mantineians, refused to join the Arcadian confederacy, and made
war upon the Mantineians. Henceforth, Orchomenus lost its political importance;
but, from its commanding situation, its possession was frequently an object of
the belligerent powers in later times. In the war between
Cassander and
Polyperchon, it fell
into the power of the former, 313. It subsequently espoused the side of the
Aetolians, made an agreement with the Achaean League under a ruler named
Nearchus around 234 was taken by Cleomenes III in 229 with the acquiescence of
the Aetolians, and was in 223 retaken by Antigonus Doson, who placed there a
Macedonian garrison.
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Orchomenus in Boeotia
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The town is best known as a rich
archaeological site in Boeotia, Greece, that was inhabited from the Neolithic
through the Hellenistic periods. Orchomenus is also referenced as the
"Minyean Orchomenus" in order to distinguish the city from the
"Arcadian Orchomenus". According to the founding myth of Orchomenos,
its royal dynasty had been established by the Minyans, who had followed their
eponymous leader Minyas from coastal Thessaly to settle the site. In
480479, the Orchomenians joined their neighbouring rivals the Thebans to
turn back the invading forces of Xerxes in the Greco-Persian Wars. In
mid-century, Orchomenos sheltered the oligarchic exiles who freed Boeotia from
Athenian control. In the fourth century the traditional rivalry with Thebes
made Orchomenos an ally of Agesilaus IIand Sparta
against Thebes, in 395 and again in 394. The Theban revenge after their defeat
of Sparta in the battle of Leuctrain 371 was
delayed by the tolerant policies of
Epaminondas: the
Boeotian League sacked Orchomenos in 364. Although the Phocians rebuilt the
city in 350, the Thebans destroyed it again in 349. The broad plain between
Orchomenos and the acropolis of Chaeronea witnessed two battles of major
importance in Classical antiquity. In 338, after a whirlwind march south into
central Greece, Philip II of Macedon defeated Thebes and Athens on the plain of
Chaeronea during the First Battle of
Chaeronea,
establishing Macedonian supremacy over the Greeks. During Alexander's campaign
against Thebes in 335, Orchomenos took the side of the Macedonians. In
recompense, Philip and Alexander rebuilt Orchomenos, when the theatre and the
fortification walls, visible today, were constructed. The Second Battle of
Chaeronea occurred when Roman Republican forces under Dictator Sulla defeated
those of King Mithridates VI of Pontus near Chaeronea, in 86 during the First
Mithridatic War. This Second Battle of Chaeronea was followed by the Battle of
Orchomenus, when Archelaus' forces were completely destroyed.
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Ormea
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Ozolian Locris
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Ozolian Locris or Hesperian
Locris was a region in Ancient Greece, inhabited by the Ozolian Locrians a
tribe of the Locrians, upon the Corinthian Gulf, bounded on the north by Doris,
on the east by Phocis, and on the west by Aetolia. They first appear in history
in the time of the Peloponnesian War, when they are mentioned by Thucydides as
a semi-barbarous nation, along with the Aetolians and Acarnanians, whom they
resembled in their armour and mode of fighting. In 426, the Locrians promised
to assist Demosthenes,
the Athenian commander, in his invasion of Aetolia; but, after the defeat of
Demosthenes, most of the Locrian tribes submitted without opposition to Spartan
Eurylochus, who marched through their territory from Delphi to Naupactus. They
belonged at a later period to the Aetolian League.
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Pedasus
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City in Caria where during the
Ionian Revolt the rebels defeated the Persians in 497
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Perinthus
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The town was located a few miles
west of Byzantium on the north (European) side of the Sea of Mamora. It was a
Samian colony, founded about 599. Before and during the
Peloponnesian War
it was very important as it was a port on the vital Athenian route for shipping
grain from the Black Sea to Athens. It was particularly renowned for its
obstinate defence against Philip V of Macedon. At that time it appears to have
been a more important and flourishing town even than Byzantium and being both a
harbour and a point at which several main roads met, it was the seat of
extensive commerce. After the fourth century AD it assumed the name of Heraclea
or Heracleia
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Phocaea
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Phocaea was an Ionian Greek city
on the western coast of Anatolia. Greek colonists from Phocaea founded the
colony of Massalia. Phocaea was the northernmost of the Ionian cities, on the
boundary with Aeolis. It was located near the mouth of the river Hermus (now
Gediz), on the coast of the peninsula separating the Gulf of Cyme to the north,
named for the largest of the Aeolian cities, and the Gulf of Smyrna (now Izmir)
to the south. Along with the other Greek coastal cities it was captured by
Cyrus the Great in 546. It participated in the Ionian Revolt in 500. The
Phocaean leader, Dikonysius was chosen to command the Ionian fleet at the
decisive Battle of Lade, in 494. The
Ionian fleet was defeated and the revolt ended shortly thereafter., Phocaea
joined the Delian
League, paying tribute to Athens of two talents. In 412 , during the
Peloponnesian
War,with the help of Sparta, Phocaea rebelled along with the rest of Ionia.
The Peace of
Antalcidas, which ended the
Corinthian War,
returned nominal control to Persia in 387. see Phocaea city
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Phocis
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Phocis was an ancient region in
the central part of Ancient Greece, which included Delphi. The early history of
Phocis remains quite obscure. During the Second Persian invasion of Greece in
480 the Phocians at first joined in the national defence, but, by their
irresolute conduct at the Battle of
Thermopylae
lost that position for the Greeks; at the Battle of
Plataea they were
enrolled on the Persian side. They participated in the many subsequent wars as
well. see Phocis region
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Phyle
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The best-attested new government
system was that created by
Cleisthenes for Attica in or just after 508. The landscape was regarded as
comprising three zones: urban (asty), coastal (paralia) and inland (mesogeia).
Each zone was split into ten sections called trittyes ('thirdings'), to each of
which were assigned between one and ten of the 139 existing settlements,
villages or town-quarters, which were henceforth called demoi. Three sections,
one each from urban, coastal and inland, were then put together to form a
tribe. The 30 sections therefore yielded ten tribes, each named after a local
hero and each with a geographically scattered membership roughly equal in size
and hereditary in the male line thenceforward. They rapidly took on various
functions. They became the brigading units for the army; constituencies for the
election of magistrates, especially the ten generals (strategoi), for the
section of members of the Council of 500 (boule) and of the 6,000 jurors, and
for the selection of boards of administrative officials of every kind: and
bases for the selection of competing teams of runners, singers or dancers at
various festivals. They had their own corporate life, with officials and
sanctuaries, and came to have an official order: 1. Erechtheis, 2. Aigeis, 3.
Pandionis, 4. Leontis, 5. Acamantis), 6. Oineis, 7. Kekropis, 8. Hippothontis,
9. Aiantis and 10. Antiochis.
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Potidaea
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was a colony founded by the
Corinthians around 600 in the narrowest point of the peninsula of Pallene, the
westernmost of three peninsulas at the southern end of Chalcidice in northern
Greece. While besieged by the Persians in 479, the town may have been saved by
a tsunami rather than a particularly high tide. Herodotus reports how the
Persian attackers who tried to exploit an unusual retreat of the water were
suddenly surprised by "a great flood-tide, higher, as the people of the
place say, than any one of the many that had been before".
In 2012 researchers from Aachen University announced that they had discovered
evidence that the area should be included among Greek regions prone to
tsunamis. Tsunami are generally associated with earthquakes, but Herodotus, the
source of this story, makes no mention of an earthquake at the time. This makes
it more likely that the event was a meteotsunami. Not only are such events
relatively common in the Mediterranean, but their effect is amplified in a
long, narrow body of water, which is a good description for the situation of
Potidaea, which lies at the head of Toroneos Gulf. During the time of the
Delian League,
conflicts occurred between Athens and Corinth. However, the Corinthians still
sent a supreme magistrate each year. Potidaea was inevitably involved in all of
the conflicts between Athens and Corinth. The people revolted against the
Athenians in 432, and it was besieged at the beginning of the
Peloponnesian War
and taken in theBattle of Potidaea
in 430. The
Athenians retook the city in 363, but in 356 Potidaea fell into the hands of
Philip II of Macedon. Potidaea was destroyed and its territory handed to the
Olynthians. Cassander built a city on the same site which was named
Cassandreia. It was probably at this time that the canal, which still exists
today, was dug through the sandy soil at the narrowest part of the isthmus,
perhaps with the aim of making the city a naval base.
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Pylos
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Pylos also known as Navarino, is
a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. It was a
significant kingdom in Mycenaean Greece, with remains of the so-called
"Palace of Nestor" excavated nearby, named after Nestor, the king of
Pylos in Homer's Iliad. In Classical times, the site was uninhabited, but
became the site of the Battle of Pylos in 425, during
thePeloponnesian
War.
It was one of the last places which held out against the Spartans in the
Second Messenian
War, after which the inhabitants emigrated to Cyllene, and from there, with
the other Messenians, to Sicily.
During the Peloponnesian war
Demosthenes, was
sailing around the Peloponneses and put in at Pylos, then recognized it might
be useful to establish a fort there. He completed the fort in 424. The erection
of this fort led to one of the most memorable events in the Peloponnesian War.
Thucydides has given a minute account of the topography of the district, which,
though clear and consistent with itself, does not coincide, in all points, with
the existing locality, Thucydides describes the harbour, of which the
promontory Coryphasium (Koryphasion) formed the northern termination, as
fronted and protected by the island Sphacteria, which stretched along the
coast, leaving only two narrow entrances to the harbour,--the one at the
northern end, opposite to Coryphasium, being only wide enough to admit two
triremes abreast, and the other at the southern end wide enough for eight or
nine triremes. The island was about 15 stadia in width, covered with wood,
uninhabited and untrodden. A little later the Athenians captured a number of
Spartan troops besieged on the adjacent island of Sphacteria (see Battle of Sphacteria).
Spartan anxiety over the return of the prisoners, who were taken to Athens as
hostages, contributed to their acceptance of the Peace of Nicias in 421.
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Salamis
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Salamis has an area of 93 km2
(36 sq mi); its highest point is Mavrovouni at 404 m (1,325 ft). A significant
part of Salamis Island is rocky and mountainous. On the southern part of the
island a pine forest is located, which is unusual for western Attica.
Unfortunately, this forest is often a target for fires.[13] While the inland
inhabitants are mainly employed within the agricultural sector, the majority of
Salamis' inhabitants work in maritime occupations (fishing, ferries, and the
island's shipyards) or commute to work in Athens.[15][16] The maritime industry
is focused on the north-east coast of the island at the port of Paloukia
(?a?????a), where ferries to mainland Greece are based, and in the dockyards of
Ampelakia and the north side of the Kynosoura peninsula. Salamis Island is very
popular for holiday and weekend visits from Athens mainland; its population
rises to 300,000 in peak season of which c. 31,000 are permanent
inhabitants.[13] This supports a strong service industry sector, with many
cafes, bars, ouzeries, tavernas and consumer goods shops throughout the island.
On the south of the island, away from the port, there are a number of less
developed areas with good swimming beaches including those of Aianteio,
Maroudi, Perani, Peristeria, Kolones, Saterli, Selenia, and Kanakia.[17]
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Salamis
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In Cyprus
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Sestos
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Sestos was a city in Thrace. It
was located at the Thracian Chersonese peninsula on the European coast of the
Hellespont, opposite Abydos. Sestos is first mentioned in Homer's Iliad as a
Thracian settlement, and was allied with Troy during the Trojan War. The city
was settled by colonists from Lesbos in c. 600 In c. 512, Sestos was occupied
by the Persian Empire, and Darius I ferried his army across from the city to
Asia Minor after his Scythian campaign. In 480, at the onset of the Second
Persian invasion of Greece, Xerxes I bridged the Hellespont near Sestos. In
479, after the Greek victory at the Battle of Mycale, Sestos was besieged by
Athenian forces led by Xanthippus. The Greek siege was resisted by a joint
force of Persian soldiers and the city's native inhabitants and endured the
whole winter, however, food supplies were inadequate as the siege was
unexpected, and the city's garrison suffered from famine. The garrison
subsequently capitulated and the Persian soldiers were imprisoned. Artayctes,
the Persian governor of Sestos, had escaped, but was captured and crucified.
However, Athenian influence over Sestos lapsed briefly, according to Plutarch,
as Cimon retook the city in a second campaign at some point between 478 and
471. Sestos became a member of the Athenian-led Delian League, and was part of
the Hellespontine district. The city contributed a phoros of 500 drachmas
annually from 446/445 to 435/434, after which Sestos provided 10 drachmas until
421/420. At Sestos, a 10 per cent tax was levied on westbound, non-Athenian,
merchant grain ships. The city served as a base for the Athenian fleet until it
was occupied by Spartan forces led by Lysander in 404, during the Peloponnesian
War. Sestos' population was briefly expelled and replaced by Spartan settlers,
but the city's native inhabitants were permitted to return to the city soon
after. During theCorinthian War, Sestos
was occupied by Athenian forces led by Conon in 393, and the city came under
the control of Ariobarzanes, Satrap of Phrygia. In 365, an attack on Sestos by
Cotys I, King of Thrace, was repelled with the aid of Timotheus, for which
Athens was awarded with Sestos and Krithotai in the same year. A cleruchy was
established at Sestos in 364, but the city was conquered by Cotys I after a
surprise attack in 360, and a Thracian garrison was established. The Athenian
general Chares seized Sestos in 353 and carried out andrapodismos whereby the
male population was killed and women and children were enslaved; the city was
repopulated by Athenian cleruchs. Sestos remained under Athenian control until
the Peace of 337 and dissolution of the Second Athenian League, after which
Sestos joined the Macedonian-led League of Corinth. Alexander the Great, King
of Macedonia, crossed over from Sestos to Asia Minor in 334. After the death of
Alexander the Great in 323, the city, alongside other Macedonian dependencies
in Thrace, was allocated to Lysimachus as a result of the Partition of Babylon.
The mint of Sestos was established in c. 300. Lysimachus retained control of
the city until his death at the battle of Corupedium in 281. The city was
seized by Philip V, King of Macedonia, in 200, and remained under Macedonian
control until the conclusion of the Second Macedonian War in 196 with the Peace
of Flamininus, which proclaimed Sestos a free city. In 196, during the
RomanSeleucid War, Sestos surrendered to Antiochus III, Megas Basileus of
the Seleucid Empire, who refortified the city in 191 in preparation for a Roman
attack, only for the city to surrender to Gaius Livius Salinator in 190. At the
end of the war, the Treaty of Apamea of 188 awarded Sestos to the Kingdom of
Pergamon. By the end of the Hellenistic period, the offices of gymnasiarch and
of ephebarch, with responsibility for the neoi (young) and epheboi
(adolescents), are attested at Sestos.
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Sicyon
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Sicyon was built on a low
triangular plateau west of Corinth and about two miles from the Corinthian
Gulf. Between the city and its port lay a fertile plain with olive groves and
orchards.
During the Persian Wars, the Sicyonians participated with fifteen triremes in
the Battle of Salamis and with
3,000 hoplites in the Battle of Plataea. In 479 a
Sicyonian contingent fought bravely in the Battle of
Mycale, where they
lost more men than any other city.
The Sicyonians fought two battles against the Athenians, first against their
admiral Tolmides in 455 and then in a land battle against Pericles with 1000
hoplites in 453. In the Peloponnesian War
Sicyon followed the lead of Sparta and Corinth. At the beginning of the 4th
century, in the
Corinthian war, Sicyon sided again with Sparta and became its base of
operations against the allied troops round Corinth. In 369 Sicyon was captured
and garrisoned by the Thebans in their successful attack on the Peloponnesian
League. see Sicyon city
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497
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Soli
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Soli was a town on Cyprus that
was besieged and taken by the Persians as part of their defeat of the Ionian
Revolt.
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Spahacteria
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Island on west coast of
Peloponneses- Location of an unexpected battle in which the Athenians captured
Spartan hoplites.
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Sparta
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Sparta was a prominent
city-state (actually mostly a collection of villages) in ancient Greece. In
antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon, while the name Sparta
referred to its main settlement on the banks of the Eurotas River in Laconia,
in south-eastern Peloponnese. Around 650, it rose to become the dominant
military land-power in ancient Greece. Given its military pre-eminence, Sparta
was recognized as the leading force of the unified Greek military during the
Greco-Persian
Wars, in rivalry with the rising naval power of Athens. Sparta was the
principal enemy of Athens during the
Peloponnesian
Warbetween 431 and 404 from which it emerged victorious. The decisive
Battle of Leuctra
in 371 ended the Spartan hegemony, although the city-state maintained its
political independence until the Roman conquest of Greece in 146.
Sparta was unique in ancient Greece for its social system and constitution,
which were supposedly introduced by the semi-mythical legislator Lycurgus. His
laws configured the Spartan society to maximize military proficiency at all
costs, focusing all social institutions on military training and physical
development. The inhabitants of Sparta were stratified as Spartiates (Spartan
citizens with full rights), mothakes (non-Spartan free men raised as Spartans),
perioikoi (free residents engaged in commerce), and helots (state-owned serfs,
enslaved non-Spartan locals). Spartan men underwent the rigorous agoge training
and education regimen, and Spartan phalanx brigades were widely considered to
be among the best in battle. Spartan women also enjoyed considerably more
rights and equality with men than elsewhere in classical antiquity. Sparta was
frequently a subject of fascination in its own day, as well as in Western
culture following the revival of classical learning. The admiration of Sparta
is known as Laconism or Laconophilia.
Bertrand Russell wrote:The ancient Greeks used one of three words to refer to
the Spartan city-state and its location. First, "Sparta" refers
primarily to the main cluster of settlements in the valley of the Eurotas
River. The second word, "Lacedaemon" was often used as an adjective
and is the name referenced in the works of Homer and the historians Herodotus
and Thucydides. The third term, "Laconice" referred to the immediate
area around the town of Sparta, the plateau east of the Taygetos mountains, and
sometimes to all the regions under direct Spartan control, including Messenia.
Herodotus seems to use "Lacedaemon" for the Mycenaean Greek citadel
at Therapne, in contrast to the lower town of Sparta. This term could be used
synonymously with Sparta, but typically it denoted the terrain in which the
city was located. In Homer it is typically combined with epithets of the
countryside: wide, lovely, shining and most often hollow and broken (full of
ravines), suggesting the Eurotas Valley. "Sparta" on the other hand
is described as "the country of lovely women", an epithet for people.
The residents of Sparta were often called Lacedaemonians. This epithet utilized
the plural of the adjective Lacedaemonius. The ancients sometimes used a
back-formation, referring to the land of Lacedaemon as Lacedaemonian country.
As most words for "country" were feminine, the adjective was in the
feminine: Lacedaemonia. Eventually, the adjective came to be used alone.
"Lacedaemonia" was not in general use during the classical period and
before. It does occur in Greek as an equivalent of Laconia and Messenia during
the Roman and early Byzantine periods, mostly in ethnographers and lexica of
place names. For example, Hesychius of Alexandria's Lexicon (5th century CE)
defines Agiadae as a "place in Lacedaemonia" named after Agis. The
actual transition may be captured by Isidore of Seville's Etymologiae (7th
century CE), an etymological dictionary. Isidore relied heavily on Orosius'
Historiarum Adversum Paganos (5th century CE) and Eusebius of Caesarea's
Chronicon (early 5th century CE), as did Orosius. The latter defines Sparta to
be Lacedaemonia Civitas, but Isidore defines Lacedaemonia as founded by
Lacedaemon, son of Semele, which is consistent with Eusebius' explanation.
There is a rare use, perhaps the earliest of "Lacedaemonia", in
Diodorus Siculus' The Library of History, but probably with
(chora, "country") suppressed. Lakedaimona
was until 2006 the name of a province in the modern Greek prefecture of
Laconia.
In the Second Messenian War, Sparta established itself as a local power in the
Peloponnesus and the rest of Greece. During the following centuries, Sparta's
reputation as a land-fighting force was unequalled. At its peak around 500,
Sparta had some 20,00035,000 citizens, plus numerous helots and
perioikoi. The likely total of 40,00050,000 made Sparta one of the larger
Greek city-states; however, according to Thucydides, the population of Athens
in 431 was 360,000610,000, making it much larger.
In 480 a small force led by King Leonidas (about 300 full Spartiates, 700
Thespians, and 400 Thebans, although these numbers were lessened by earlier
casualties) made a legendary last stand at the Battle of Thermopylae against
the massive Persian army, inflicting very high casualties on the Persian forces
before finally being overwhelmed. The superior weaponry, strategy, and bronze
armour of the Greek hoplites and their phalanx fighting formation again proved
their worth one year later when Sparta assembled its full strength and led a
Greek alliance against the Persians at the battle of Plataea.
Ancient Sparta. The decisive Greek victory at Plataea put an end to the
Greco-Persian War along with Persian ambitions to expand into Europe. Even
though this war was won by a pan-Greek army, credit was given to Sparta, who
besides providing the leading forces at Thermopylae and Plataea, had been the
de facto leader of the entire Greek expedition.
In later Classical times, Sparta along with Athens, Thebes, and Persia were the
main powers fighting for supremacy in the northeastern Mediterranean. In the
course of the Peloponnesian War, Sparta, a traditional land power, acquired a
navy which managed to overpower the previously dominant flotilla of Athens,
ending the Athenian Empire. At the peak of its power in the early 4th century ,
Sparta had subdued many of the main Greek states and even invaded the Persian
provinces in Anatolia (modern day Turkey), a period known as the Spartan
Hegemony. During the Corinthian War, Sparta faced a coalition of the leading
Greek states: Thebes, Athens, Corinth, and Argos. The alliance was initially
backed by Persia, which feared further Spartan expansion into Asia. Sparta
achieved a series of land victories, but many of her ships were destroyed at
the battle of Cnidus by a Greek-Phoenician mercenary fleet that Persia had
provided to Athens. The event severely damaged Sparta's naval power but did not
end its aspirations of invading further into Persia, until Conon the Athenian
ravaged the Spartan coastline and provoked the old Spartan fear of a helot
revolt. After a few more years of fighting, in 387 the Peace of Antalcidas was
established, according to which all Greek cities of Ionia would return to
Persian control, and Persia's Asian border would be free of the Spartan threat.
The effects of the war were to reaffirm Persia's ability to interfere
successfully in Greek politics and to affirm Sparta's weakened hegemonic
position in the Greek political system. Sparta entered its long-term decline
after a severe military defeat to Epaminondas of Thebes at the Battle of
Leuctra. This was the first time that a full strength Spartan army lost a land
battle. As Spartan citizenship was inherited by blood, Sparta increasingly
faced a helot population that vastly outnumbered its citizens. The alarming
decline of Spartan citizens was commented on by Aristotle. Sparta never fully
recovered from its losses at Leuctra in 371 and the subsequent helot revolts.
Nonetheless, it was able to continue as a regional power for over two
centuries. Neither Philip II nor his son Alexander the Great attempted to
conquer Sparta itself. Even during its decline, Sparta never forgot its claim
to be the "defender of Hellenism" and its Laconic wit. An anecdote
has it that when Philip II sent a message to Sparta saying "If I enter
Laconia, I will raze Sparta", the Spartans responded with the single,
terse reply: "if". When Philip created the League of Corinth on the
pretext of unifying Greece against Persia, the Spartans chose not to join,
since they had no interest in joining a pan-Greek expedition unless it were
under Spartan leadership. Thus, upon defeating the Persians at the Battle of
the Granicus, Alexander the Great sent to Athens 300 suits of Persian armour
with the following inscription: "Alexander, son of Philip, and all the
Greeks except the Spartans, give these offerings taken from the foreigners who
live in Asia". During Alexander's campaigns in the east, the Spartan king
Agis III sent a force to Crete in 333 with the aim of securing the island for
Sparta. Agis next took command of allied Greek forces against Macedon, gaining
early successes, before laying siege to Megalopolis in 331. A large Macedonian
army under general Antipater marched to its relief and defeated the Spartan-led
force in a pitched battle. More than 5,300 of the Spartans and their allies
were killed in battle, and 3,500 of Antipater's troops. Agis, now wounded and
unable to stand, ordered his men to leave him behind to face the advancing
Macedonian army so that he could buy them time to retreat. On his knees, the
Spartan king slew several enemy soldiers before being finally killed by a
javelin. Alexander was merciful, and he only forced the Spartans to join the
League of Corinth, which they had previously refused.
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Sybota
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The battle of Sybota in 433 was
an inconclusive naval battle between Corinth and Corcyraean that saved Corcyra
from invasion, but that also played a part in the outbreak of the Great
Peloponnesian War.
The Corinth-Corcyra War (435-431) broke out because of a dispute over the city
of Epidamnus, on the Illyrian coast (modern Albania). The city was a colony of
Corcyra (Corfu), but its official founder had been provided by Corinth,
Corcyra's mother city. Since then relationships between Corinth and Corcyra had
broken down.
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Syracuse
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Tanagra
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Tanagra sometimes written
Tanagraea, was a town of ancient Boeotia, situated upon the left bank of the
Asopus, in a fertile plain, at the distance of 130 stadia from Oropus and 200
from Plataeae. Several ancient writers identified Tanagra with the Homeric
Graea; but others supposed them to be distinct places, and Aristotle regarded
Oropus as the ancient Graea.
In the First Battle of
Tanagra,
both sides fought with great bravery; but the Lacedaemonians gained the
victory, chiefly through the treacherous desertion of the Thessalians in the
very heat of the engagement. At the beginning of the following year(456), and
only sixty-two days after their defeat at Tanagra, the Athenians under
Myronides again invaded
Boeotia, and gained at
Oenophyta, in
the territory of Tanagra, a brilliant and decisive victory over the Boeotian
League, which made them masters of the whole country. The walls of Tanagra were
then razed to the ground. The Second Battle of
Tanagra
was fought in 426. The Athenians made an incursion into the territory of
Tanagra, and on their return defeated the Tanagraeans and Boeotians. see
Tanagra City
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Tegea
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Tegea was a settlement in
Arcadia, The legendary founder of Tegea was Tegeates, a son of Lycaon. It was
one of the most ancient and powerful towns of ancient Arcadia, situated in the
southeast of the country. Its territory, called Tegeatis was bounded by Cynuria
and Argolis on the east, from which it was separated by Mount Parthenium, by
Laconia on the south, by the Arcadian district of Maenalia on the west, and by
the territory of Mantineia on the north.
Tegea's struggle against Spartan hegemony in Arcadia came to an end, about 560
and it was forced into some form of collaboration, maybe as one of the earliest
members of what would become the Sparta-centered Peloponnesian League. Tegea,
however, still retained its independence, though its military force was at the
disposal of Sparta; and in the Greco-Persian Wars
it appears as the second military power in the Peloponnesus, having the place
of honour on the left wing of the allied army. Five hundred of the Tegeatae
fought at the Battle of
Thermopylae,
and 3000 at the Battle of Plataea, half of
their force consisting of hoplites and half of light-armed troops. As it was
not usual to send the whole force of a city upon a distant march, it is likely
that on this occasion as not more than three-fourths of their whole number were
dispatched. This would give 4000 for the military population of Tegea, and
about 17,400 for the whole free population. Soon after the Battle of Plataea,
the Tegeatae were again at war with the Spartans.
TheTegeatae fought twice against the Spartans between 479 and 464, and were
each time defeated; first in conjunction with the Argives, and a second time
together with the other Arcadians, except the Mantineians at Dipaea, in the
Maenalian district. During the Peloponnesian War
the Tegeatae were the firm allies of the Spartans, to whom they remained
faithful both on account of their possessing an aristocratical constitution,
and from their jealousy of the neighbouring democratical city of Mantineia,
with which they were frequently at war.
They accompanied the Lacedaemonians in their expedition against Argos in 418.
They also fought on the side of the Spartans in the
Corinthian War, 394.
After the Battle of Leuctra in 371,
however, the Spartan party in Tegea was expelled, and the city joined the other
Arcadian towns in the foundation of Megalopolis and in the formation of the
Arcadian League. They fought under
Epaminondas against the
Spartans at the great Battle of
Mantineia in
362. see Tegea city.
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Thrace
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Thrace is a geographical and
historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and
Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea
to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. It comprises southeastern Bulgaria
(Northern Thrace), northeastern Greece (Western Thrace), and the European part
of Turkey (East Thrace). The region's boundaries are based on that of the Roman
Province of Thrace; the lands inhabited by the ancient Thracians extended in
the north to modern-day Northern Bulgaria and Romania and to the west into the
region of Macedonia.
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Thermopylae
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Thermopylae is a place in Greece
where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from
its hot sulphur springs. The Hot Gates is "the place of hot springs"
and in Greek mythology it is the cavernous entrances to Hades. Thermopylae is
world-famous for the battle in 480 that took place there between the Greek
forces (notably the Spartans, Lachedemonians, Thebans and Thespians) and the
invading Persian forces, commemorated by Simonides in the famous epitaph,
"Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, That here obedient to their
laws we lie." Due to its critical location there were several other
battles there. see Thermopylae pass
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Thessaly
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Toroni
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Toroni was an ancient Greek city
on the southwest edge of Sithonia peninsula in Chalkidiki, Greece. The ancient
city was founded by Chalkidian settlers probably during the 8th century. Its
strategic location and rich resources developed Toroni into one of the most
significant cities in Chalkidiki, giving its name to the gulf that forms
between Pallene and Sithonia peninsulas. During theGreco-Persian Wars
it allied with the Persians, who as a reward gave Olynthus to Kritoboulos, a
local ruler, in 479 and later became part of the Athenaean League, contributing
one of the highest taxes that reached 12 Attic talents per year, giving an
indication of its prosperity. When the
Peloponnesian War
broke out, the Athenians, fearing a revolt against them, placed a garrison
in the city but that did not stop
Brasidas, the Spartan
general from seizing the city with a surprise attack during the night, before
he came to an understanding with the Toronaeans in 423. He then tried to expand
the city's walls by including the harbour suburb, before leaving to attack
Amphipolis. However, the Athenians recaptured Toroni under
Cleon, just before the return
of Brasidas, who was 2 miles away. When war ended, Toroni, a leading member of
the Olynthian synoecism, became part of the Chalcidian League, which included
most of the peninsula's cities. It was besieged by the Athenian General
Timotheus by means of
cutters attached to the top of masts made to cut open sandbags used in the
city's defence.After 348, and the abolition of the league by Phillip, Toroni
became part of Macedon.
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