Tours: Battle of Amphipolis

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Opening RemarksAmphipolisThe Triumph of BrasidasThe Shame of ThucydidesEion PortKleon's StrategyBrasidas' DefenseKleon's RetreatUnexpected AttackThe Fifty-Year PeaceClosing Remarks

• Herdotos: Welcome to Amphipolis, traveler.

("Who are you?")

• Herodotos: My name is Herodotos, and I am a traveler from Halikarnassos. I retrace the cause of various events, such as wars and great calamities. I describe what I see and record what I am told - all with the aim of providing a better understanding of why these things occur. Look for me to introduce you to many sites.

("What do you think of this place?")

• Herodotos: The Battle of Amphipolis was surely an interesting one. One might even call it anticlimactic. But that does not mean it wasn't important in the greater scheme of the Peloponnesian War.

("Let's begin the tour.")

• Herodotos: The city of Amphipolis was the site of one of the more unique battles of the Peloponnesian War. Two generals, the Athenian Kleon and the Spartan Brasidas, fought for this land in an effort to control the resources it provided. In the end, though, neither got what they wanted. Look for me when you finish your visit, and we can speak of what you've learned.

View of the Strymon river and the plain of Amphipolis / 2016

The land that would come to be known as Amphipolis was originally part of Thrace, a region inhabited by formidable semi-nomadic horsemen.

Thrace was rich in gold and silver mines. It was surrounded by lush forests, making it very attractive to outside parties like Greece and Persia.

By 513 BCE, Persia had managed to conquer much of Thrace, but after their defeat in 479 BCE, Athens made a play for the land.

They conquered the nearby island of Thasos in 465 BCE, but the military prowess of the Thracian riders kept them out of the country's interior.

It was only in 436 BCE that Athens established a solid foothold in thrace with the founding of Amphipolis, a city of the banks of the river Strymon.

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In 513 BCE, the Persians controlled the mines in the region of Thrace, and imposed a silver tribute on the resident Greeks and Thracian tribes.

After the Persians' defeat in 480/479 BCE, Athens took advantage of the strength of its naval fleet to try to conquer and control of the region's mines themselves. In 465 BCE, they besieged the nearby island of Thasos and forced the city to surrender.

Later on in 436 BCE, the Athenians founded the city of Amphipolis in Thrace, giving them a foothold in the resource-rich region.

Peltast depicted on shield of a hoplite, scene from an attic red-figure kylix / 520-490 BC (Archaic / Classical Greece)

During the Peloponnesian War, the Spartan general Brasidas sought a way to subvert Athenian power across the Greek world.

He set his sights on capturing the coast of Thrace, hoping to seize the resources the area provided.

Brasidas knew that many of the Greeks living in Thrace hated the greed and brutality of their Athenian neighbors, and decided to take advantage of the situation.

He set off on a expedition to Amphipolis accompanied by 1,000 hoplites and 700 helots, and arrived before the city in the winter of 424 BCE.

At Amphipolis' ramparts, Brasidas announced that he preferred to take the city peacefully, and promised to allow safe passage to any inhabitants who wished to leave – in addition to sparing those who wanted to cooperate.

This proposal was well-received by the city's residents, and he was able to capture Amphipolis without striking a single blow.

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Brasidas' army was made of men who signed on to his expedition voluntarily. However, the soldiers also received a "misthos", which was an allowance that was paid to them in silver.

In the 4th century BCE, the term "misthios" was used to refer to mercenaries who fought for monetary compensation.

Artistic maps of Greece, with the location of Sparta, Athens and with details on Amphipolis, Strymon River & Eion Port / 2019

Brasidas' march on Amphipolis blindsided the Athenians.

By the time they heard the news, and dispatched the general Thucydides to defend Amphipolis, Brasidas had already rallied several nearby cities to help him defend the region from Athens' so-called "tyranny".

After half-a-day's journey from Thasos, Thucydides arrived at the port of Eion, but was unable to retake Amphipolis.

Athens held Thucydides responsible for the loss of Amphipolis, and forced the general into exile.

In spite of Brasidas' achievements, Sparta did not send him reinforcements, which forged the general to negotiate a truce with Athens to hold on to the ground he'd gained.

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In the 8th century BCE, silver and gold mines were discovered in the region of Thrace, piquing the interest of both the Thracians and the Greeks.

This discovery had a significant impact on the region's population and political organization. The Thracians had the slaves necesary to mine resources, but they lacked the experts and technicians to do so efficiently. Fortunately for them, the Greeks had the mining expertise they required – as well as wine, which was very appreciated by the Thracians. An alliance was born and the Thracians and Greeks lived and worked together to profit off the land's rich resources.

Black-figure hydria with scene of soldier and horseman / 560 BCE (Archaic Greece)

The matter of how to deal with Amphipolis divided Athens.

The politician Nikias, as well as the city of Sparta, hoped that peace could be negotiated.

However, the popular Athenian statesmen and general Kleon wanted to continue fighting the war.

Indecision continued untill 422 BCE, when Kleon as one of Athen's strategists. This decision made it clear that the city's people were in favor of war.

The truce was ended, and Kleon began his journey to Amphipolis, retaking small towns that had been conquered by Brasidas along the way.

On arriving at the port of Eion, Kleon requested troops from the King of Makedonia.

He's also hired several Thracian mercenaries to bolster his force's numbers.

Afterwards, all Kleon could do was wait for the remainder of his reinforcements.

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Eion was a port located around five kilometers from Amphipolis. Possibly built by the Persiansm it eventually became the residence of a Persian governor.

Despite the Persians general retreat from the region in 480 BCE, a Persian garrison remained in Eion until 476 BCE. This was when Athens laid siege to the port in the hopes of gaining access to the area's mines, forests, and hinterlands.

The Athenian general leading the siege offered the Persians the chance to freely withdraw, but the offer wasn't accepted. According to Herodotos, when the Persians ran out of food, their commander Boges killed his wife, children, concubines, and servants, dumped Eion's riches into the water, and then threw himself into the water, and then threw himself into the raging flames of a giant pyre.

Afterwards, the Athenians occupied Eion, but they were unable to exploit the nearby mines until the construction of AMphipolis decades later.

("I'm ready for the quiz.") ("Take on the next suggested tour.") ("Take me on a random tour.") ([LEAVE] "That's all for now.")

Gallery

• File:Assassin's Creed Discovery Tour- The Battle of Amphipolis - Ep. 16 - Ubisoft -NA-