Battle of Amphipolis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Amphipolis
Part of the Peloponnesian War
An 1825 map illustrating the battle arrangements according to Thucydides
Date 422 BC Location Amphipolis Result Spartan victory
Belligerents
Athens	Sparta
Commanders and leaders
Cleon † Thucydides Eucles	Brasidas † Clearidas
Strength
About 2,000	About 2,500
Casualties and losses
About 600	7

The Battle of Amphipolis was an important fight in 422 BC. It happened during the Peloponnesian War, a big conflict between the ancient Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta. This battle was the final part of events that started in 424 BC when Sparta took control of the city of Amphipolis.

What Led to the Battle?

In 424 BC, the Spartans were annoyed by Athens. Athens had been attacking areas in the Peloponnese, which was Sparta's home region. To strike back, a Spartan general named Brasidas got permission to lead an army north. His goal was to attack places that Athens controlled in Thrace.

Brasidas gathered a force of about 700 helots (enslaved people used as soldiers) and 1,000 hired soldiers. He marched his army through Thessaly and joined up with Perdiccas II of Macedon, an ally of Sparta. In late 424 BC, Brasidas and his army reached and captured the city of Acanthus. Soon after, he set his sights on his main target: Amphipolis.

Sparta Captures Amphipolis (424–423 BC)

In the winter of 424–423 BC, Brasidas attacked Amphipolis. This city was an Athenian colony located in Thrace, near the Strymon River. The Athenian general Eucles was defending the city. He quickly sent for help from Thucydides, who was also a general at the time. Thucydides later became a very famous historian. He was at Thasos with seven Athenian ships.

Brasidas wanted to capture Amphipolis before Thucydides could arrive. So, he made a generous offer to the people of the city. He said that anyone who wanted to stay could keep their property. He also offered a safe way out for those who wished to leave. Despite protests from General Eucles, Amphipolis surrendered to Brasidas.

Thucydides arrived at the nearby port of Eion on the very same day Amphipolis surrendered. He managed to defend Eion with the help of those who had left Amphipolis. Meanwhile, Brasidas started making alliances with other towns in Thrace. He also attacked other cities in the area, like Torone. The Athenians became worried that their other allies would also give up quickly if Brasidas offered them good peace terms.

Many people believe that Thucydides was partly to blame for Amphipolis falling. He wrote about the capture of the city in his famous book, History of the Peloponnesian War. He claimed he couldn't get there in time to save the city. Because of this, he was called back to Athens, put on trial, and then sent away from the city (exiled).

A Short Break in Fighting (423 BC)

After Amphipolis fell, Athens and Sparta decided to sign an armistice, which is a temporary stop to fighting. Athens hoped this break would give them time to make their other towns stronger. Sparta hoped Athens would finally return the prisoners they had taken at the Battle of Sphacteria a few years earlier.

The agreement said that "each side should remain in its own territory, holding what it now holds." The truce was supposed to last for one year. However, while the talks were still happening, Brasidas captured the city of Scione. When he heard about the treaty, he refused to give Scione back. The Athenian leader Cleon then sent a force to take Scione back, even though it went against the new treaty.

The Second Battle of Amphipolis (422 BC)

When the armistice ended in 422 BC, Cleon arrived in Thrace. He had a large force: 30 ships, 1,200 foot soldiers (hoplites), and 300 horsemen (cavalry). He also had many other troops from Athens' allies. Cleon successfully recaptured Torone and Scione. At Torone, the Spartan commander Pasitelidas was captured and sent back to Athens.

Cleon then set up his forces at Eion. Brasidas, meanwhile, took his position at Cerdylion, a nearby hill across the Strymon River. Brasidas had about 2,000 foot soldiers and 300 horsemen, plus other troops in Amphipolis. However, he didn't think he could beat Cleon in a direct, open battle.

Brasidas then moved his forces back into Amphipolis and got ready to attack. When Cleon realized an attack was coming, he decided to retreat. He didn't want to fight before his expected reinforcements arrived. But his retreat was poorly organized. Brasidas saw this and bravely attacked the confused Athenian army, winning the battle.

Before the battle, Brasidas gave a short speech to his soldiers. He told them that a good soldier has three important qualities: being eager to fight, having a sense of honor, and obeying their leaders. He also said he would fight just as bravely as he told his comrades to.

During the chaotic retreat, Brasidas was badly wounded, but the Athenians didn't realize it. Cleon was also killed when he was attacked by Spartan troops. The entire Athenian army fled back to Eion. About 600 Athenian soldiers were killed before they reached the port. On the Spartan side, only seven soldiers died.

What Happened After?

Brasidas lived just long enough to hear about his victory. He was buried with great honor in the main public area of Amphipolis. The people of Amphipolis began to see him as a hero. They started holding games and yearly ceremonies in his honor. They also named him the city's founder. They even tore down buildings that the Athenian Hagnon had built and destroyed any memorials to him.

After the battle, neither Athens nor Sparta wanted to continue the war. Cleon had been one of the strongest supporters of the war in Athens. With him gone, the Peace of Nicias was signed in 421 BC. This treaty, however, was eventually broken later on. Thucydides was exiled from Athens because he failed to protect Amphipolis. This marked the end of the part of the war he was directly involved in.

Archaeological digs at Amphipolis have found what is believed to be Brasidas's burial site. Researchers found the foundations of a small building and a grave containing a silver ossuary (a container for bones) with a gold wreath. This is thought to hold Brasidas's remains. This ossuary is now in the Archaeological Museum of Amphipolis.

The famous philosopher Socrates also claimed to have fought in this battle, as mentioned in Plato's Apology.

Sources

• Agelarakis, A. “Physical anthropological report on the cremated human remains of an individual retrieved from the Amphipolis agora”, In “Excavating Classical Amphipolis” by Ch. Koukouli-Chrysantkai, <Excavating Classical Culture> (eds.) Stamatopoulou M., and M., Yeroulanou, BAR International Series 1031, 2002
• Kagan, Donald, The Archidamian War, Cornell University Press, 1974.

• Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War. London, J. M. Dent; New York, E. P. Dutton. 1910. [1]