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The siege of Scione in 423-421 came after
the city rebelled against Athens, with Spartan support, but continued on after
those cities agreed a short-lived peace treaty, and at the end the defenders of
the city were either executed or sold into slavery. Scione was located in
Pallene, the western-most of the three narrow peninsulas that jut south from
Chalcidice, in the north of modern Greece (south of Thessalonica). The city of
Potidaia, at the head of the Pallene peninsula was held by Athens, and for the
first few years of the Great Peloponnesian War Scione was an Athenian ally.
This changed in 423, when encouraged by the success of the Spartan general
Brasidas in northern Greece the people of Scione decided to revolt. When he
learnt of the revolt Brasidas crossed over to Scione, where he made a speech
and left a garrison. This was soon strengthened, and Brasidas hoped to use the
city as a base for an attack on Potidaia. The revolt of Scione came two days
after a one year long armistice was agreed between Athens and Sparta.
At first Brasidas claimed that the revolt had taken place before the armistice,
which would thus have included Scione, but the Athenians refused to accept this
and prepared to besiege the city. Brasidas evacuated the women and children
from the city and prepared for a siege. The garrison was reinforced with 500
Peloponnesian hoplites and 300 Chalcidian peltasts, and was commanded by
Polydamidas. Brasidas then departed to campaign in Macedonia.
While Brasidas was away the Athenians made their move. A force of fifty ships,
1,000 hoplites, 600 archers, 1,000 Thracian mercenaries and a small number of
peltasts sailed down the peninsula, captured the town of Mende, and advanced on
Scione. As the Athenians approached the defenders of Scione occupied a strong
position on a hill outside the city. The Athenians were aware that they would
have to capture this hill before they could begin the siege, and took it by
frontal assault. They then erected a trophy to commemorate the victory and
began to build walls of circumvallation around Scione.
The walls were completed by the end of the summer of 423. The Athenians left a
garrison to man their walls and the rest of the army returned home. In the
summer of 422, after the year-long truce expired, the Athenian leader Cleon was
appointed to lead an army in Thrace. He visited Scione on his way, but instead
of helping end the siege he took some of the besieging troops to reinforce his
own army. The siege lasted into the summer of 421. By the time it ended the war
between Athens and Sparta had been temporarily ended by the
Peace of Nicias in
421. Under the terms of the peace treaty any men sent by Brasidas, Spartans or
allies of Sparta besieged in Scione were to be released by the Athenians, but
the inhabitants of the city were excluded from the treaty. When the city
finally fell the Athenians treated the defenders with the harshness that was
becoming standard during the war. All men of military age were executed, while
the women and children were sold into slavery. The city and its lands were
given to the Plataeans, allies of Athens who had lost their own city after the
siege of Plataea in 429-427).
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