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The siege of Sestus in c.367-6 saw forces
loyal to the Persian emperor
Artaxerxes II
unsuccessful besiege allies of the rebel satrap
Ariobarzanes, during
the second stage of the Satrap's revolt. The siege is mentioned in Xenophon's
Agesilaus (II 26). Ariobarzanes, who was probably a usurper as satrap of
Hellespontine
Phrygia, had refused to hand his satrapy over to its rightful holder.
Artaxerxes sent Autophradates, satrap of Lydia,
Mausolus, satrap of Caria
and Cotys, satrap of Paphlagonia and king of Thrace to deal with the revolt.
Mausolus commanded a fleet of 100 ships and blocked Ariobarzanes in either
Assus or Adramyttium. Autophradates commanded the land army besieging
Adramyttium, while Cotys besieged Sestus, which was on straits side of the
Thracian Chersonese (the modern Gallipoli). Ariobarzanes asked for help from
Athens and from Sparta.
Athens sent a force under Timotheus, but this withdrew
when the Athenians discovered that Ariobarzanes was in revolt against
Artaxerxes. Sparta sent King
Agesilaus, a
successful general in his time, but now getting quite elderly.
According to Xenophon Autophradates abandoned the siege when the Spartans
appeared. Mausolus also withdrew, and this forced Cotys to abandon the siege of
Sestus. Ariobarzanes retained his possessions, and went on to play a part in
the third and most serious phase of the Satrap's Revolt.
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