Treaties between Amyntas III and the Chalcidians

Last updated

One column containing two treaties between Amyntas III of Macedon and the Chalkidian League has been discovered at Olynthus (the capital of the League). The first treaty is dated in c. 393 BC, the second one before 382 BC. The language of the texts is Ionic Greek, the main dialect of Chalcidice.

Contents

Text and translation

Ionic Greek original text [1] Translation

συνθῆκαι πρὸς Ἀμύνταν τὸν Ἐρριδαίο.
συνθῆκαι Ἀμύνται τῶι Ἐρριδαίου
καὶ Χαλκιδεῦσι· συμμάχους εἶν
ἀλλήλοισι κατὰ πάντας ἀνθρώπου[ς]
ἔτεα πεντήκοντα. ἐάν τις ἐπ’ Ἀμύνταν
ἴηι ἐς τὴν χώρην ἐπὶ πολέμοι
ἢ ἐπὶ Χαλκιδέας βοηθεῖν Χαλκιδέας
Ἀμύνται καὶ Ἀμύνταν Χαλκιδεῦσιν — —]
— —] ἐσαγωγή δ’ ἔστω καὶ πίσσης καὶ ξύλων
οκοδομιστηρίωμ πάντων, ναυπηγησίμων δὲ πλὴν ἐλατίνων
, ὅ τι ἂμ μὴ τὸ κοινὸν δέηται, τῶι δὲ κοινῶι καὶ τούτων
εἶν ἐξαγωγήν, εἰπόντας Ἀμύνται πρὶν ἐξάγειν,
τελέοντας τὰ τέλεα τὰ γεγραμμέν[α]
καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐξαγωγὴν δὲ εἶν καὶ διαγωγήν,
τελέουσιν τέλεα καὶ Χαλκιδεῦσι ἐκγ Μακεδονίης καί Μακεδόσιν
Χαλκιδέων. πρὸς Ἀμφιπολίτας, Βοτταίους, Ἀκανθίους, Μενδαίους
μὴ ποιεῖσθαι φιλίην Ἀμύνταμ μηδὲ Χαλκιδέας
χωρίς ἑκατέρους, ἀλλὰ μετά μιᾶς γνώμης, ἐάν ἀμφοτέροις
δοκῆι ,κοινῆι προσθέσθαι ἐκείνους. ὅρκος συμαχίης
φυλάξω τα συγκείμενα Χαλκιδεύσι και ἐάν τις ἴηι
ἐπ’ Ἀμύνταν ἐς τὴν χώρην ἐπὶ πολέμοι, βοηθήσω
Ἀμύνται [— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —]

Treaties with Amyntas, son of Erridaios. [2]
Treaties between Amyntas son of Errhidaios
and the Chalcidians· They shall be allies
with each other against all men for fifty years.
If anyone attacks the land of Amyntas
or the Chalcidians, the Chalcidians shall assist
Amyntas and Amyntas the Chalcidians— —]
— —] Importation is to be permitted of pitch and timber
for all kinds of construction and shipbuilding, except fir wood
, whatever the koinon (the Chalkidian League) does not need.
Even this (i.e. fir) the League may export,
informing Amyntas before exporting and paying the prescribed dues.
Exportation as well as transit of other (commodities) [shall be permitted]
after the payment of dues by the Chalcidians [when they export]
from Macedonia and by the Macedonians [when they export]
from Chalcidice.
With the Amphipolitans, Bottiaeans, Acanthians and Mendaeans,
they shall not make friendship, neither Amyntas nor the Chalcidians
separately, but with common consent; [and only] if both parties
decide, then they should be joined in alliance. Oath of alliance.
I shall preserve the agreements of the Chalcidians and if anyone
attacks on the land of Amyntas, I shall assist
Amyntas [— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —]

Historical background

After the Illyrian invasion of Macedonia in 393 BC, Amyntas was driven out and Argaeus II was installed in the throne. With the aid of the Thessalian family Aleuadae under Medius, Amyntas recovered his kingdom (Diodorus 14.92.3). To shore up his country against the threat of the Illyrians, Amyntas established an alliance with the Chalkidian League.

In 383/382 BC the Illyrians invaded again and defeated Amyntas in battle. A present of land was made to the Olynthians by Amyntas III, seeking for help. At that time the League was more powerful; not only did the alliance break down but the Chalcidians actually seized Amyntas' capital of Pella and lands of Macedon (DS 15.19.2; Isok. 6.46; cf. Hammond/Griffith 1979, 174-6). With the help of Sparta, Thessalians, Elimiotes, Iphicrates, Cotys I and city-states in Chalcidice opposing Olynthus, Amyntas recovered his kingdom and the Spartans dissolved the League in 379 BC. As Justin (7.4.6) states about Amyntas Cum Illyriis deinde et cum Olynthiis gravia bella gessit ... then he made serious wars against the Illyrians and the Olynthians.

Unlike the first treaty, the second one is clearly beneficial to the League rather than Amyntas. Not only concerning the wood exports, which are related to the aims of the maritime League for constructing an effective navy (Amyntas actually would have little interest in wood from Chalcidice or building a navy) but also the third parties mentioned, are all potential enemies of the League and not Amyntas, whose main threat was from the North, the Illyrians.

Notes and references

  1. Meletemata 22, Epig. App. 1 - Tod, GHI 111.
  2. Erridaios, the Ionic rather Doric spelling of Arrhidaios.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amyntas III of Macedon</span> King of Macedonia from 393/2 to 370 BC

Amyntas III was king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia from 393/2 to 388/7 BC and again from 387/6 to 370 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty through his father Arrhidaeus, a son of Amyntas, one of the sons of Alexander I. His most famous son is Philip II, father of Alexander the Great.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macedonia (ancient kingdom)</span> Ancient kingdom in the southern Balkans

Macedonia, also called Macedon, was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, which later became the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by the royal Argead dynasty, which was followed by the Antipatrid and Antigonid dynasties. Home to the ancient Macedonians, the earliest kingdom was centered on the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, and bordered by Epirus to the southwest, Illyria to the northwest, Paeonia to the north, Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south.

This article concerns the period 369 BC – 360 BC

This article concerns the period 359 BC – 350 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip II of Macedon</span> King of Macedon from 359 to 336 BC

Philip II of Macedon was the king (basileus) of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ancient kingdom, and the father of Alexander the Great.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perdiccas II of Macedon</span> 5th-century BC king of Macedon

Perdiccas II was the king of Macedonia from 454 BC until his death in 413 BC. During the Peloponnesian War, he frequently switched sides between Sparta and Athens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olynthus</span>

Olynthus is an ancient city in present-day Chalcidice, Greece. It was built mostly on two flat-topped hills 30–40m in height, in a fertile plain at the head of the Gulf of Torone, near the neck of the peninsula of Pallene, about 2.5 kilometers from the sea, and about 60 stadia from Poteidaea.

Bardylis was an Illyrian king, and the founder of the first attested Illyrian dynasty. During his reign, Bardylis aimed to make Illyria a regional power interfering with Macedon. He united many southern Illyrian tribes under his realm and defeated the Macedonians and Molossians several times, expanding his dominion over Upper Macedonia, including Lynkestis, and ruling over Macedon through a puppet king. Before the Rise of Macedon Illyrians were the dominant power in the region. Bardylis also led raids against Epirus, but his soldiers were eventually expelled from the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander II of Macedon</span> King of Macedonia from 370 BC to 368 BC

Alexander II was king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon from around 370 BC until his death in 368 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty through his father Amyntas III.

Eurydice was an Ancient Macedonian queen and wife of king Amyntas III of Macedon.

The Olynthiacs were three political speeches, all delivered by the Athenian statesman and orator Demosthenes. In 349 BC, Philip II of Macedon attacked Olynthus, which at the time was an ally of Athens. In the Olynthiacs, delivered in 349 BC, Demosthenes urged Athens to help Olynthus.

Argaeus II was a pretender to the Macedonian crown. He may have been a Lynkestian ruler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chalcidian League</span> Greek state on the Chalcidice peninsula (430 BC-348 BC)

The Chalcidian League, also referred to as the Olynthians or the Chalcidians in Thrace to distinguish them from the Chalcidians in Euboea, was a federal state that existed on the Chalcidice peninsula, on the shores of the northwest Aegean Sea, from around 430 BCE until it was destroyed by Philip II of Macedon in 348 BCE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Expansion of Macedonia under Philip II</span> The Rise of the Macedonian Empire 359-336 BC

Under the reign of Philip II, the ancient kingdom of Macedonia, initially at the periphery of classical Greek affairs, came to dominate Ancient Greece in the span of just 25 years, largely thanks to the character and policies of its king. In addition to utilising effective diplomacy and marriage alliances to achieve his political aims, Philip II was responsible for reforming the ancient Macedonian army into an effective fighting force. The Macedonian phalanx became the hallmark of the Macedonian army during his reign and the subsequent Hellenistic period. His army and engineers also made extensive use of siege engines. Chief among Philip's Thracian enemies was the ruler Kersebleptes, who may have coordinated a temporary alliance with Athens. In a series of campaigns stretching from 356 to 340 BC, Philip II managed to ultimately subjugate Kersebleptes as a tributary vassal, conquering much of Thrace in the process. Philip II also fought against the Illyrian king Bardylis, who threatened Macedonia proper, and against Grabos II and Pleuratus in Illyria. In his newly conquered territories, he founded new cities such as Philippi, Philippopolis, Herakleia Sintike, and Herakleia Lynkestis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antigonid Macedonian army</span> Army of the Kingdom of Macedonia during the Antigonid dynasty (276-168 BC)

The Antigonid Macedonian army was the army that evolved from the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia in the period when it was ruled by the Antigonid dynasty from 276 BC to 168 BC. It was seen as one of the principal Hellenistic fighting forces until its ultimate defeat at Roman hands at the Battle of Pydna in 168 BC. However, there was a brief resurgence in 150-148 during the revolt of Andriscus, a supposed heir to Perseus.

Sirras or Sirrhas was the son-in-law of the king of Lynkestis, Arrhabaeus, having married his daughter Irra. He participated in an Illyrian-Lynkestian coalition's defeat of the attempted invasion of Lynkestis by the Macedonian king Archelaus. He may have been a Lynkestian prince-regent or an Illyrian chieftain, part of the Illyrian force in a previous and also successful Illyrian-Lynkestian coalition against Sparta and Macedon during the Peloponnesian War.

The Illyrians were a group of Indo-European speaking peoples, who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan populations, along with the Thracians and Greeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Erigon Valley</span> 358 BC military engagement between Philip II of Macedon and Bardyllis of the Illyrians

The Battle of Erigon Valley or the Battle of Lyncus Plain took place in 358 BC between the Illyrians under Bardyllis and the Macedonians under Philip II. After forty years on continuous Illyrian dominance and expansion under Bardyllis, Philip II after marrying Audata, an Illyrian princess, marched into Illyria and confronted the Illyrian tribesmen. The battle described by Diodorus and Frontinus shows the power and excellence of both the Macedonian and Illyrian armies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Macedonia (ancient kingdom)</span> Aspect of history surrounding ancient Macedonia

The kingdom of Macedonia was an ancient state in what is now the Macedonian region of northern Greece, founded in the mid-7th century BC during the period of Archaic Greece and lasting until the mid-2nd century BC. Led first by the Argead dynasty of kings, Macedonia became a vassal state of the Achaemenid Empire of ancient Persia during the reigns of Amyntas I of Macedon and his son Alexander I of Macedon. The period of Achaemenid Macedonia came to an end in roughly 479 BC with the ultimate Greek victory against the second Persian invasion of Greece led by Xerxes I and the withdrawal of Persian forces from the European mainland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Olynthian War</span>

The First Olynthian War 382-379 BC. War of Sparta, Macedonia and their allies against the polis Chalcidian League, led by Olynthus.