Antalcidas

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Author: Laxman Burdak, IFS (R).

Antalcidas (died c. 367 BC), son of Leon, was an ancient Greek soldier, politician, and diplomat from Sparta.

Variants

Life

Antalcidas is first recorded at the outset of the Corinthian War.[1] Following the end of the Peloponnesian War after the destruction of the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegospotami in 405 BC, Sparta had launched a series of raids against the Persian satrapies of Asia Minor. Pharnabazus, satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia, finally responded by sending the Rhodian Timocrates to bribe the other Greek city states into declaring war on Sparta. Thebes rose up in 395 BC, eventually encouraging others to join in what became known as the Corinthian War. Persia was now on friendly terms with Athens and Pharnabazus permitted their disgraced general Conon to command his fleet of Phoenician and Cypriot ships in attacks that culminated in the destruction of the Spartan fleet at Cnidus. He was then permitted to return to Athens with part of the fleet and given funds to rebuild the city's Long Walls.

Soon afterwards, in 393 or 392 BC, Antalcidas was dispatched to Tiribazus, the satrap of Lydia, to sue for peace.[2] Learning of his mission, Athens sent its own embassy under Conon.[3] The Spartans offered full recognition of Persian supremacy over Asia Minor, and the satrap threw the Athenians in jail.[4] When King Artaxerxes II learned that Antalcidas had further convinced Tiribazus to provide funds for rebuilding Sparta's demolished navy, he replaced the satrap with Struthas, who resumed raiding Sparta and her allies. However, the Spartan fleet thus funded regained control of the Gulf of Corinth by the end of the year.[5]

For unknown reasons, Tiribazus was restored to power in Lydia by 388 BC.[6] Antalcidas resumed negotiations and over the next year the pair journeyed to Susa to win the king's support for a Persian alliance against Athens.[7] This was granted and Antalcidas was made admiral of Sparta's fleets. He pursued a vigorous policy, particularly around the Hellespont, and the Athenians agreed to negotiate with Argos, Sparta, and the Persians at Tiribazus's seat at Sardis. By the winter of 387 BC, the Peace of Antalcidas had been arranged, by the terms of which:

all of Asia Minor, with the islands of Clazomenae and Cyprus, was recognized as subject to Persia, and
all other Greek cities—so far they were not already under Persian rule—were to be independent, except Lemnos, Imbros, and Scyros, which were returned to the Athenians.[8]

The terms were ratified by the city governments over the next year. The reassertion of Spartan hegemony over Greece by abandoning the Greeks of Aeolia, Ionia, and Caria has been called the "most disgraceful event in Greek history".[9]

Antalcidas continued in favor with Artaxerxes until the revolting Thebans annihilated Spartan supremacy at Leuctra in 371 BC, diminishing his influence.[10] Plutarch notes a laconic comment made by Antalcidas to Agesilaus after one of the Spartan losses to Thebes, saying in effect, "Isn't it amazing how good they've gotten after all of the training we've given them."[5] That year[1] or possibly in 367 BC, Antalcidas undertook a final mission to Persia. Plutarch held that its failure drove him to starve himself to death.[11]

Jat Gotras Namesake

Ch 2.1 Capture of Mitylene by the Persians — Death of Memnon

Arrian[12] writes.... Soon after this, Memnon, whom King Darius had appointed commander of the whole fleet and of the entire sea-coast, with the design of moving the seat of war into Macedonia and Greece, acquired possession of Chios, which was surrendered to him by treachery. Thence he sailed to Lesbos and brought over to his side all the cities of the island,[1] except Mitylene, the inhabitants of which did not submit to him. When he had gained these cities over, he turned his attention to Mitylene; and walling off the city from the rest of the island by constructing a double stockade from sea to sea, he easily got the mastery on the land side by building five camps. A part of his fleet guarded their harbour, and, intercepting the ships passing by, he kept the rest of his fleet as a guard off Sigrium,[2] the headland of Lesbos, where is the best landing-place for trading vessels from Chios, Geraestus,[3] and Malea.[4] By this means he deprived the Mitylenaeans of all hope of succour by sea. But time be himself fell ill and died, and his death at that crisis, was exceedingly injurious to the king's interests. Nevertheless Autophradates, and Pharnabazns, son of Artabazus, prosecuted the siege with vigour. To the latter indeed, Memnon, when dying, had entrusted his command, as he was his sister's son, till Darius should come to some decision on the matter. The Mitylenaeans, therefore, being excluded from the land, and being blockaded on the sea by many ships lying at anchor, sent to Pharnabazus and came to the following agreement:—That the auxiliary troops which had come to their aid from Alexander should depart, that the citizens should demolish the pillars on which the treaty made by them with Alexander was inscribed,[5] that they should become allies of Darius on the terms of the peace which was made with King Darius in the time of Antalcidas,[6] and that their exiles should return from banishment on condition of receiving back half the property which they possessed when they were banished. Upon these terms the compact was made between the Mitylenaeans and the Persians. But as soon as Pharnabazus and Autophradates once got within the city, they introduced a garrison with Lycomedes, a Rhodian, as its commandant. They also appointed Diogenes, one of the exiles, to be despot of the city, and exacted money from the Mitylenaeans, taking part of it by violence for themselves from the wealthy citizens, and laying the rest as a tax upon the community.

1. The other cities of Lesbos were Methymna, Antissa, Eresus, and Pyrrha.

2. Now called Cape Sigri, the west point of the island.

3. The southern point of Euboea, now called Cape Mandili. Cf. Homer (Odyss., iii. 177).

4. The south-eastern point of Laconia, now called Cape Malia di St. Angelo. It was dreaded by ancient mariners: see Homer (Odyssey, ix. 80); Ovid (Armores, ii. 16, 24); Vergil (Aeneid, v. 193). There was a saying;—Μαλέας δέ Κάμψας των οίκαδε (Strabo viii. p. 250).

5. In accordance with the convention of Corinth. Compare next chapter. For the pillars compare Herodotus (ii. 102, 106); Thucydides v. 18, 47, 56); Aristophanes (Acharnians, 727; Lysistrata, 513).

6. This treaty was concluded by the Spartans with the king of Persia, B.C. 387. It was designed to break up the Athenian supremacy. It stipulated that all the Grecian colonies in Asia were to be given to the Persian king; the Athenians were to retain only Imbros, Lesbos, and Scyros; and all the other Grecian cities were to be autonomous. See Xenophon (Hellenics, iv. 8; v.1).

p.78-79

External links

References

  1. ↑ Baynes, T.S., ed. (1878), "Antalcidas", Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 100
  2. ↑ Baynes, T.S., ed. (1878), "Antalcidas", Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 100
  3. ↑ Baynes, T.S., ed. (1878), "Antalcidas", Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 100
  4. ↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911), "Antalcidas", Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, p. 88
  5. ↑ Xenophon, Hellenica, 4.8.10–11
  6. ↑ Baynes, T.S., ed. (1878), "Antalcidas", Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 100
  7. ↑ T.S., ed. (1878), "Antalcidas", Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 100
  8. ↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911), "Antalcidas", Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, p. 88
  9. ↑ Durant, Will (1939), The Life of Greece, p. 461.
  10. ↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911), "Antalcidas", Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, p. 88
  11. ↑ Plutarch, Lycurgus, 13.5-13.6
  12. ↑ The Anabasis of Alexander/2a, Ch.1
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