Battle of Amphipolis

The battles of Amphipolis took place in 422 av. J. - C. during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparte. This battle constitutes the paroxysm of a conflict which started in 424 av. J. - C. with the catch of Amphipolis with the Spartiates.

Capture of Amphipolis in 424/423 av. J. - C.

During the winter 424/423 av. J. - C., about at the same time as the Battle of Délium, the general Spartan Brasidas besieged Amphipolis, one of the most important Athenian colonies in Thrace on the river banks Strymon. The city was defended by the Athenian general Euclès, who asked of the assistance to Thucydide which was stationed with Thasos with seven Athenian ships.

In order to capture the city before the arrival of Thucydide, Brasidas promised to let the inhabitants keep their goods and offered to those which it wanted to leave the city in full safety. In spite of the protests of Euclès, Amphipolis went. Thucydide arrived at the port close to Eion the very same day of the rendering of Amphipolis. Brasidas was combined with other thraces cities, like Perdiccas of Macedonia, and attacked other cities of the area, such as Torone. The Athenians were afraid that some of their allies capitulate quickly and offered to Brasidas terms favorable for a peace.

Thucydide, which reports the capture of Amphipolis in its Histoire of the Peloponnesian War , is often held for person in charge of the fall of the city. Some regarded its actions as " négligence" although he affirmed that he was not able to arrive in time to save the city. He was recalled to Athens where he was considered and exiled.

In the facts, it seems well that the responsibility for the fall of Amphipolis returns to the Stratège Euclès, which by imprudence or unconsciousness, did not prepare with the arrival-flash of Brasidas and called too late for the Thucydide aid, which was with broad with its squadron to supervise the Aegean Sea. This one, by a remarkable feat of ingenuity, arrived just in time to save Eion, the port of Amphipolis, an attack Spartan. As for Euclès, it had given up the fight and had been withdrawn in the citadel.

Thucydide, by solidarity for his/her colleague (and because the denunciation was not in its aristocratic temperament) assumed only the consequences of this defeat who seriously weakened the position of Athens in the north of Greece.

Armistice of 423 av. J. - C.

Following the catch of the city, Athens and Sparte signed an armistice. Athens thus intended to strengthen a greater number of cities against the attacks of Brasidas. The Spartans hoped that Athens would return the made prisoners to them to the Bataille of Sphactérie in 424 av. J. - C.. According to the terms of the agreement, “it is proposed that each camp remains in its territory, holding what it has already… The armistice must last one year”. (Thuc. 4.118). During the negotiations, Brasidas captured Scione and refused to return it when he learned that an armistice had been concluded. The Athenian leader Cléon, in spite of the treaty, sent troops to take it again.

Battle of Amphipolis in 422 av. J. - C.

When the armistice ended into 422, Cléon arrived to Thrace at the head of a force of 30 ships, 1200 Hoplite S, 300 riders and troops sent by the allies of Athens. It reconquered Torone and Scione. In Scione, the commander Pasitelidas Spartan was killed. Then, it gave an opinion with Eion, while Brasidas settled with Cerdylium. Brasidas had 2000 hoplites, 300 riders and other troops in the town of Amphipolis, but he did not think of being able to beat Cléon in a direct confrontation. Brasidas ordered with its troops to return in Amphipolis and Cléon moved towards the city in order to carry out battle. When he saw that Brasidas was not decided to face it, Cléon thought that the Spartans would not attack and it ordered with his troops to turn over to Eion.

At this time, Brasidas ordered with its troops to leave Amphipolis and to charge the disorganized Athenian troops. In the fray which was followed from there, Brasidas was mortally wounded, but the Athenians did not realize there. Cléon, which tried rameuter the runaways to take again the offensive, was also killed when it was caught up with by the commander Cléaridas Spartan. The Athenian army flees towards Eion and 600 of them were killed before to have reached the port. Only seven Spartans died.

Consequences

Brasidas lived sufficiently a long time to be informed of its victory. It was buried in Amphipolis. The inhabitants of Amphipolis regarded it as the founder of their city. Brasidas and Cléon, the two more savage warmongers of the two camps, had died together on the field of honor. Politically, the way was free for the change. After the battle, neither the Athenians nor the Spartans wanted to continue the war and the Paix of Nicias was signed in 421 av. J. - C..

The peace of Nicias proclaimed the status quo between the two unfavourable cities, each one having gained a decisive victory (the catch of the island of Sphactérie for the Athenians and the catch of Amphipolis for Lacédémoniens).

This treaty was then broken because of the unwillingness on both sides.

This event decided vocation of the one of the Greek great writers and first historian of Occident: Thucydide, exiled not to be arrived in time to protect Amphipolis, travelled much throughout the Mediterranean world and wrote its monumental Histoire of the Peloponnesian War .

The loss of their important colony of Amphipolis remained an open wound for the Athenians, who always sought to recover it. Certain historians compared this traumatism with the question of Alsace-Lorraine for the France between 1870 and 1918, which is perhaps not exaggerated: nearly one hundred years later, in 358 av. J. - C., one sees the Athenians accepting a very advantageous treaty for Philippe II of Macedonia in exchange of an intervention Macedonian to return Amphipolis to her old metropolis. One can speak d'" obsession amphipolitaine" among the Athenians, who were ready with great concessions for whoever would help them to cover what they regarded as " leur" well.

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