Amphipolis ( Greek : Αμφίπολη , romanized : Amfipoli ; Ancient Greek : Ἀμφίπολις , romanized : Amphipolis ) was an important ancient Greek polis (city) , and later a Roman city, whose large remains can still be seen. It gave its name to the modern municipality of Amphipoli , in the Serres regional unit of northern Greece .
89-672: Amphipolis was originally a colony of ancient Athenians and was the site of the battle between the Spartans and Athenians in 422 BC. It was later the place where Alexander the Great prepared for campaigns leading to his invasion of Asia in 335 BC. Alexander's three finest admirals, Nearchus , Androsthenes and Laomedon , resided in Amphipolis. After Alexander's death, his wife Roxana and their son Alexander IV were imprisoned and murdered there in 311 BC. Excavations in and around
178-509: A Greek sea-coast." Several formulae generally shaped the solemn and sacred occasions when a new colony set forth. If a Greek city decided to send out a colony, the citizenry almost invariably consulted an oracle , such as the Oracle of Delphi , beforehand. Sometimes certain classes of citizens were called upon to take part in the enterprises; sometimes one son was chosen by lot from every house where there were several sons; and strangers expressing
267-578: A conference in Sparta. At this event, three Athenians spoke in an effort to convince the Spartans to accept the peace: Kallias tried to paper over the differences between the two cities; Autokles berated the Spartans for past sins; and Kallistratos, striking a more conciliatory tone, admitted that both sides had made mistakes and they had different interests, but these were no reason to destroy each other in constant war. Making peace sooner rather than later made
356-517: A contemporary brewery belonging to a Bronze Age Egyptian settlement has been found in Tel Aviv . Shipbuilding was known to the ancient Egyptians as early as 3000 BC, and perhaps earlier. The Archaeological Institute of America reports that the earliest dated ship — dating to 3000 BC – may have possibly belonged to the Pharaoh Aha . The Phoenicians were the major trading power in
445-457: A copy of the Roman, electing from their own body their Senate and other officers of State. To this constitution the original inhabitants had to submit. The coloniae civium Romanorum retained Roman citizenship , and were free from military service, their position as outposts being regarded as an equivalent. The members of the coloniae Latinae served among the socii , the allies, and possessed
534-481: A desire to join were admitted. A person of distinction was selected to guide the emigrants and to make the necessary arrangements. It was usual to honor these founders as heroes after their death. Some of the sacred fire was taken from the public hearth in the Prytaneum , from which the fire on the public hearth of the new city was kindled. Just as each individual had his private shrines, so the new community maintained
623-410: A foreign enemy. Sometimes colonies formed as a result of civil disorder , where the losers in internecine battles left to form a new city elsewhere; sometimes they would form to relieve population pressure and thereby to avoid internal unrest; and also, as a result of ostracism . In most cases, however, colony founders aimed to establish trade relations with foreign countries and to further the wealth of
712-587: A means of providing for the poorest class of the Roman Plebs . After the time of Sulla it was adopted as a way of granting land to veteran soldiers. The right of founding colonies passed into the hands of the Roman emperors during the Principate , who used it mainly in the provinces for the exclusive purpose of establishing military settlements, partly with the old idea of securing conquered territory . It
801-469: A means to clearly demarcate a border between his realm and that of his political rival Sun Quan . Callistratus of Aphidnae Kallistratos of Aphidnae ( Ancient Greek : Καλλίστρατος , Latinized: Callistratus; bef. 415–aft. 355 BCE) was an Athenian orator and general in the 4th century BCE. Little is known of his background, though he appears to have been of the liturgical class with interests in commerce rather than agriculture. His father
890-595: A mother-city or metropolis rather than a territory-at-large. Bonds between a colony and its metropolis often remained close, and took specific forms during the period of classical antiquity . Generally, colonies founded by the ancient Phoenicians , Carthage , Rome , Alexander the Great and his successors remained tied to their metropolis, though Greek colonies of the Archaic and Classical eras were sovereign and self-governing from their inception. While Greek colonies were often founded to solve social unrest in
979-437: A necropolis, the city wall (see photograph), the basilicas, and the acropolis. Further excavations have since uncovered the river bridge, the gymnasium, Greek and Roman villas and numerous tombs etc. Parts of the lion monument and tombs were discovered during World War I by Bulgarian and British troops whilst digging trenches in the area. In 1934, M. Feyel, of the École française d'Athènes (EfA), led an epigraphical mission to
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#17327651977221068-528: A new Athenian force under the general Cleon failed once more during the Battle of Amphipolis at which both Kleon and Brasidas lost their lives. Brasidas survived long enough to hear of the defeat of the Athenians and was buried at Amphipolis with impressive pomp. From then on he was regarded as the founder of the city and honoured with yearly games and sacrifices. The Athenian population remained very much in
1157-463: A small town. One possible explanation provided by the historian André Boulanger is that an increasing ‘willingness’ on the part of the wealthy upper classes in the late Roman period to spend money on local gentrification projects (which he terms euergetism , from the Greek verb εὐεργετέω ; meaning 'I do good') was exploited by the local church to its advantage, which led to a mass gentrification of
1246-428: Is Pontus proper. Those from Georgia, northeastern Anatolia, and the ones who lived in present-day Armenia are often referred to as 'Eastern Pontic Greeks ' or Caucasus Greeks. Many Greek-founded colonies are well known cities to this day. Sinope and Trabzon (Greek: Τραπεζοῦς Trapezous ), were founded by Milesian traders (756 BC) as well as Samsun , Rize and Amasra . Greek was the lingua franca of Anatolia from
1335-552: Is a matter of conjecture. Isokrates in On the Peace , written in early 355, makes no mention of his return, thus making that year the earliest it could have been. Lykourgos’ Against Leokrates was written in 330. His comment about younger men having only heard the tale recounted suggests that Kallistratos’ return was not long after 355. The Social War , where Athens was fighting several of its allies, concluded that year and it
1424-499: Is drawn by two white horses and led to the underworld by Hermes . The mosaic verifies the Macedonian character of the tomb. As the head of one of the sphinxes was found inside the tomb behind the broken door, it is clear that there were intruders, probably in antiquity. Fragments of bones from 5 individuals were found in the cist tomb, the most complete of which is a 60+ year old woman in the deepest layer. Dr. Katerina Peristeri ,
1513-687: Is most likely marked by the famous lion of Amphipolis. The importance of the city in this period is shown by Alexander the Great's decision that it was one of the six cities at which large luxurious temples costing 1,500 talents were built. Alexander prepared for campaigns here against Thrace in 335 BC and his army and fleet assembled near the port before the invasion of Asia. The port was also used as naval base during his campaigns in Asia. After Alexander's death, his wife Roxana and their young son Alexander IV were exiled by Cassander and later murdered here. Throughout Macedonian sovereignty Amphipolis
1602-683: Is said to have founded the first colony) and the shores of Anatolia . In addition, Greeks were settled in Ionia and Pontus . Miletus in Ionia was an ancient Greek city on the west coast of Anatolia, near the mouth of the Meander River . In the late Bronze Age (13th century BC), Miletus saw the arrival of the Carians , Luwian speakers from south central Anatolia. Later in that century, other Greeks arrived. The city at that time rebelled against
1691-555: The stratopedarches Alexios to protect the land that they had given to the monastery of Pantokrator on Mount Athos . The site was discovered and described by many travellers and archaeologists during the 19th century, including E. Cousinéry (1831) (engraver), Leon Heuzey (1861), and P. Perdrizet (1894–1899). However, excavations did not truly begin until after the Second World War. The Greek Archaeological Society under D. Lazaridis excavated in 1972 and 1985, uncovering
1780-475: The Aegean trying to make up for the shortages. He was unsuccessful in this, though he gained new allies for Athens in the process. He returned to Athens without fulfilling his mission. For this Kallistratos and Iphikrates prosecuted him, but the specific charges are unclear. Demosthenes reports that two heads of state, Alketas of Makedon and Jason of Pherai ( Thessaly ) came to Athens to support him at
1869-719: The Battle of Pydna in 168 BC, Amphipolis became the capital of one of the four mini-republics, or merides , which were created by the Romans out of the kingdom of the Antigonids which succeeded Alexander's empire in Macedon. These merides were gradually incorporated into the Roman client state, and later province, of Thracia . According to the Acts of the Apostles , the apostles Paul and Silas passed through Amphipolis in
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#17327651977221958-592: The Crimea in the Black Sea . The settlements they established there included the city of Chersonesos (modern Sevastopol ). Another area with significant Greek colonies was the coast of ancient Illyria on the Adriatic Sea (e.g. Aspalathos, modern Split, Croatia ). Cicero remarks on the extensive Greek colonization, noting that "Indeed it seems as if the lands of the barbarians had been bordered round with
2047-735: The Eastern Han general Ma Yuan sent Han Chinese to the northeastern frontier and settled defeated Qiang tribes within Han China's Tianshui Commandery and Longxi Commandery . Ma pursued a similar policy in the south when he defeated the Trưng Sisters of Jiaozhi , in what is now modern northern Vietnam , resettling hundreds of Vietnamese into China's Jing Province in 43 AD, seizing their sacred bronze drums as rival symbols of royal power, and reinstating Han authority and laws over Jiaozhi. Historian Rafe de Crespigny remarks that this
2136-683: The Han conquest of Nanyue in 111 BC, bringing areas of Guangdong , Guangxi , Hainan Island , and northern Vietnam under Han rule, and by 108 BC completed the Han conquest of Gojoseon in what is now North Korea . Han Chinese colonists in the Xuantu and Lelang commanderies of northern Korea dealt with occasional raids by the Goguryeo and Buyeo kingdoms, but conducted largely peaceful trade relations with surrounding Korean peoples who in turn became heavily influenced by Chinese culture . In 37 AD
2225-509: The Hittite Empire . After the fall of that empire, the city was destroyed in the 12th century BC and starting about 1000 BC was resettled extensively by Ionians. Before the invasion from Persia in the middle of the 6th century BC, Miletus was considered the greatest and wealthiest Greek polis . Over several centuries, numerous ancient Greek city-states were established on the coasts of Anatolia. Greeks began Western philosophy on
2314-582: The Iberian Peninsula in the west, Magna Graecia (southern Italy) and several colonies on the Libyan coast of northern Africa . Greeks founded two similar types of colony, the apoikía (ἀποικία from ἀπό apó “away from” + οἶκος oîkos “home”, pl. ἀποικίαι apoikiai ), an independent city-state, and the emporion (ἐμπόριov, pl. ἐμπόρια emporia ), a trading colony. Greek city-states began to establish colonies between 900 and 800 BC;
2403-592: The Kasta Hill , the biggest burial mound in Greece, northeast of Amphipolis. The large size and quality of the tumulus indicates the prominence of the burials made there, and its dating and the connections of the city with Alexander the Great suggest important occupants. The perimeter wall of the tumulus is 497 m (544 yd) long, and is made of limestone covered with marble. The tomb comprises three chambers separated by walls. There are two sphinxes just outside
2492-676: The Mediterranean in the early part of the first millennium BC . They had trading contacts in Egypt and Greece , and established colonies as far west as modern Spain , at Gadir (modern Cádiz ), and modern Morocco , at Tingis and Mogador . From Spain and Morocco, the Phoenicians controlled access to the Atlantic Ocean and the trade routes to Britain and Senegal . The most famous and successful of Phoenician colonies
2581-644: The Pompeu Fabra University , Barcelona: The earliest presence of Phoenician material in the West is documented within the precinct of the ancient city of Huelva , Spain... The high proportion of Phoenician pottery among the new material found in 1997 in the Plaza de las Monjas in Huelva argues in favour, not of a few first sporadic contacts in the zone, but of a regular presence of Phoenician people from
2670-440: The gymnasium and a set of well-preserved frescoes from a wealthy villa are the only artifacts from this period that remain visible. Though little is known of the layout of the town, modern knowledge of its institutions is in considerably better shape thanks to a rich epigraphic documentation, including a military ordinance of Philip V and an ephebarchic law from the gymnasium. After the final victory of Rome over Macedonia in
2759-814: The list of ancient Greek theatres in Anatolia is one of the longest among all places the Greeks settled. Greeks traditionally lived in the region of Pontus , on the south shores of the Black Sea and in the Pontic Alps in northeastern Anatolia , the province of Kars in Caucasus, and also in Georgia. Those from southern Russia, Ukraine, and Crimea are often referred to as 'Northern Pontic Greeks ', in contrast to those from 'South Pontus', which strictly speaking
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2848-724: The Athenian general Kimon managed to occupy Eion a few km south on the coast in 476 BC, and turned it into a military base and commercial port. The Athenians founded a first colony at Ennea-Hodoi (‘Nine Ways’) in 465 BC, but the first ten thousand colonists were massacred by the Thracians . A second attempt took place in 437 BC on the same site under general Hagnon which was successful. The city and its first impressive and elaborately built walls of 7.5 km length date from this time. The new Athenian colony became quickly of considerable size and wealth. The new settlement took
2937-529: The Boeotian Federation. Sparta, for its part, chose to punish them for this. What followed a few weeks later was the Battle of Leuktra, which marked the beginning of the end of Spartan military dominance in Greece. The coastal village of Oropos lay in the northwest corner of Attica, next to Boeotia . Control of the area had shifted back and forth between Athens and Thebes for generations, and in
3026-1115: The Eastern Han Empire came into conflict with the Jushi Kingdom , the Shanshan and their Xiongnu allies located around the Taklamakan Desert in the Western Regions . In 127 AD Ban Yong was able to defeat the Karasahr in battle and colonies were established all the way to Turfan , but by the 150s AD the Han presence in the Western Regions began to wane. Towards the end of the Han dynasty , chancellor Cao Cao established agricultural military colonies for settling wartime refugees. Cao Cao also established military colonies in Anhui province in 209 AD as
3115-605: The Macedonian era it became a major institution. The stone stela bearing the rules of the gymnasium was found in the north wing, detailing the duties and powers of the master and the education of the athletes. After it was destroyed in the 1st c. BC in the Thracian rebellion against Roman rule, it was rebuilt in Augustus 's time in the 1st c. AD along with the rest of the city. Colonies in antiquity Colonies in antiquity were post- Iron Age city-states founded from
3204-406: The Macedonian king betrayed the accord, refusing to cede Amphipolis and laying siege to Pydna as well. The city was not immediately incorporated into the Macedonian kingdom, and for some time preserved its institutions and a certain degree of autonomy. The border of Macedonia was not moved further east; however, Philip sent a number of Macedonian governors to Amphipolis, and in many respects the city
3293-799: The Sabaeans came into contact were the ancestors of the contemporary Agaw people . The fusion of southern Arabian culture and Agaw culture resulted in a third culture which are today known as the Habesha people . Egyptian settlement and colonisation is attested from about 3200 BC onward, all over the area of southern Canaan , by almost every type of artifact: architecture (fortifications, embankments and buildings), pottery, vessels, tools, weapons, seals, etc. Narmer had Egyptian pottery produced in Canaan and exported back to Egypt , from regions such as Arad , En Besor , Rafiah , and Tel Erani . Recently,
3382-697: The Theban government and expel the Spartan garrison occupying the Kadmeia . Their success led directly to the Boeotian War (379–75). It is unclear whether Kallistratos was actually involved in the plot or what his name was supposed to mean to Leontidas. He was already a force in Athenian politics, though, and the next year, after the aborted invasion of Attica by the Spartan Sphodrias , he
3471-530: The archaeologist heading the excavation of the tomb, dates the tomb to the late 4th century BC, the period after the death of Alexander the Great (323 BC). One theory is that the tomb was built for the mother of Alexander the Great, Olympias. Restoration of the tomb is due for completion in 2023 in the course of which building materials of the grave site which were later used by the Romans elsewhere will be rebuilt in their original location. The original 7.5 km long walls are generally visible, particularly
3560-404: The arrangement of the affairs of the colony, and also some special enactments. A colony would usually adopt the constitution of the mother-city, but the new city remained politically independent. The "holy fire" of the metropolis was preserved in a special place to remind people of the common ties. If the colony sent out a fresh colony on its own account, the mother-city was generally consulted, or
3649-484: The churches constructed between the 5th and 6th centuries are impressive. Four basilicas adorned with rich mosaic floors and elaborate architectural sculptures (such as the ram-headed column capitals – see picture) have been excavated, as well as a church with a hexagonal central plan which evokes that of the basilica of St Vitalis in Ravenna . It is difficult to find reasons for such municipal extravagance in such
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3738-506: The cities of Cyrenaica (modern-day Libya). The relation between colony and mother-city ( metropolis ) was viewed as one of mutual affection. Differences were resolved peacefully whenever possible, war being seen as a last resort. (Note though that the Peloponnesian War of 431–404 BC broke out partly due to a dispute between Corinth and her colony Corcyra .) The charter of foundation contained general provisions for
3827-459: The city have revealed important buildings, ancient walls and tombs. The finds are displayed at the archaeological museum of Amphipolis . At the nearby vast Kasta burial mound , an ancient Macedonian tomb has recently been revealed. The Lion of Amphipolis monument nearby is a popular destination for visitors. It was located within the region of Edonis . Throughout the 5th century BC, Athens sought to consolidate its control over Thrace , which
3916-514: The city was followed by an increase in the fortification of the town, with the construction of a new rampart with pentagonal towers cutting through the middle of the remaining monuments. The acropolis, the Roman baths , and especially the episcopal basilica were crossed by this wall. The city was probably abandoned in the eighth century, as the last bishop was attested at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787. Its inhabitants probably moved to
4005-424: The colonists and founding the settlement was entrusted to a commission usually consisting of three members. These men continued to stand in the relation of patrons ( patroni ) to the colony after its foundation. The colonists entered the conquered city in military array, preceded by banners, and the foundation was celebrated with special solemnities. The coloniae were free from taxes, and had their own constitution ,
4094-684: The conquests of Alexander the Great up to the invasion of the Seljuk Turks in the eleventh century AD. During the Ptolemaic rule of Judea, large-scale Jewish settlement in Egypt commenced. The Ptolemies brought in Jewish soldiers along with their families, while other Jews migrated from Judea to Egypt likely for economic opportunities. Additionally, the Ptolemies established Jewish colonies in
4183-414: The decline of the town, during which period its inhabitants retreated to the area around the acropolis. The ramparts were maintained to a certain extent, thanks to materials plundered from the monuments of the lower city, and the large unused cisterns of the upper city were occupied by small houses and the workshops of artisans. Around the middle of the 7th century, a further reduction of the inhabited area of
4272-469: The early AD 50s, on their journey between Philippi and Thessalonica ; where hence they proselytized to the Greeks, including aporetic Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. In the 1st c. BC the city was badly damaged in the Thracian revolt against Roman rule. During the period of Late Antiquity , Amphipolis benefited from the increasing economic prosperity of Macedonia, as is evidenced by
4361-481: The east, and was important for the economy and trade. It was therefore incorporated into the city walls. It was discovered in 1977 and is a unique find for Greek antiquity. The hundreds of wooden piles have been carbon-dated and show the vast life of the bridge with some piles dating from 760 BC, and others used till about 1800 AD. This was a major public building for the military and gymnastic training of youth as well as for their artistic and intellectual education. It
4450-1330: The economic and political dynamics produced by the competition between the frequently leaderless Greek city-states – newly introduced as a concept and striving to expand their spheres of economic influence – better fits as their true incentive. By means of this Greek expansion, the use of coins flourished throughout the Mediterranean Basin . Influential Greek colonies in the western Mediterranean – many in present-day southern Italy — included Cyme ; Rhegion by Chalcis and Zancle (c. 8th century); Syracuse by Corinth and Tenea (c. 734 BC ); Naxos by Chalcis (c. 734 BC); Massalia (Marseille, c. 598 BC ) and Agathe , shortly after Massalia, by Phocaea ; Hyele in Italy and Emporion in Spain by Phocaea and Massalia (c. 540 BC and early 6th century); Antipolis in France by Achaea ; Alalia in Corsica by Phocaea and Massalia (c. 545 BC) and Cyrene ( Cyrenaica , Libya) by Thera (762/61 and 632/31 BC). The Greeks also colonised
4539-499: The entrance to the tomb. Two of the columns supporting the roof in the first section are in the form of Caryatids , in the 4th century BC style. The excavation revealed a pebble mosaic directly behind the Caryatids and in front of the Macedonian marble door leading to the "third" chamber. The mosaic shows the allegory of the abduction of Persephone by Hades , but the persons depicted are Philip and Olympias of Macedon. Hades' chariot
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#17327651977224628-672: The first two were Al Mina on the Syrian coast and the Greek emporium Pithecusae at Ischia in the Bay of Naples , both established about 800 BC by Euboeans . Two new waves of colonists set out from Greece between the Dark Ages and the start of the Archaic Period – the first in the early 8th century BC and the second in the 6th century. Population growth and cramped conditions at home seem an insufficient explanation, while
4717-428: The government of Callistratus of Aphidnae . In 357 BC, Philip succeeded where the Athenians had failed and conquered the city, thereby removing the obstacle which Amphipolis presented to Macedonian control over Thrace. According to the historian Theopompus , this conquest came to be the object of a secret accord between Athens and Philip II, who would return the city in exchange for the fortified town of Pydna , but
4806-426: The island of Thasos to see his son-in-law Timomachos, who was in charge of the Athenian garrison there. The trierarch Apollodoros refused, since it was against the law for him to harbor or aid an exile. Kallistratos eventually did make it to Thasos and from there, in c. 360, was instrumental in helping the Thasians found a colony at Datos, across the strait in Thrace in the territory of Edonia. The city
4895-413: The large number of Christian churches that were built. Significantly however, these churches were built within a restricted area of the town, sheltered by the walls of the acropolis . This has been taken as evidence that the large fortified perimeter of the ancient town was no longer defendable, and that the population of the city had considerably diminished. Nevertheless, the number, size and quality of
4984-457: The laws, came back and taking refuge at the altar of the Twelve Gods was none the less put to death by the state, and rightly so, for "fair treatment by the laws" is, in the case of wrongdoers, punishment. And thus the god, too, acted rightly in allowing those who had been wronged to punish the offender. For it would be an unseemly thing if revelations made to good men were the same as those vouchsafed to malefactors. The date of his return to Athens
5073-430: The members retaining the right of domicile in their own homeland and confining themselves to their own quarter in the foreign city. It was an old custom in ancient Italy to send out colonies for the purpose of securing new conquests. The Romans , having no standing army , used to plant bodies of their own citizens in conquered towns as a kind of garrison. These bodies would consist partly of Roman citizens , usually to
5162-408: The metropolis. Colonies were established in Ionia and Thrace as early as the 8th century BC. More than thirty Greek city-states had multiple colonies, dotted all across the Mediterranean world. From the late 9th to the 5th century BC, the most active colony-founding city, Miletus of the Ionian League , spawned more than 60 colonies encompassing the shores of the Black Sea in the east,
5251-401: The minority in the city and hence Amphipolis remained an independent city and an ally of the Athenians, rather than a colony or member of the Athens-led Delian League . It entered a new phase of prosperity as a cosmopolitan centre. The city itself kept its independence until the reign of king Philip II ( r. 359 – 336 BC ) despite several Athenian attacks, notably because of
5340-444: The most sense. Kallistratos’ arguments convinced the Spartans and peace was agreed – on the condition that each combatant withdraw its garrisons from all the cities where they were stationed so that all cities could be autonomous. Armies and navies would be dissolved. If any city violated the treaty, anyone could go to war with them, but others were not required to join in. Thebes, once again, chose not to sign if they could not sign for
5429-437: The mother-city by expelling a part of the population, Hellenistic , Roman , Carthaginian , and Han Chinese colonies were used for trade, expansion and empire-building . One of the oldest colonisation process in history occurred around 1000 BC, the Sabeans of southern Arabia, with a civilization based on agriculture, began to colonize the highlands of northern Ethiopia and Eritrea . The indigenous peoples with whom
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#17327651977225518-411: The name of Amphipolis (literally, "around the city"), a name which is the subject of much debate about its etymology . Thucydides claims the name comes from the fact that the Strymon River flows "around the city" on two sides; however a note in the Suda (also given in the lexicon of Photius ) offers a different explanation apparently given by Marsyas , son of Periander : that a large proportion of
5607-423: The neighbouring site of ancient Eion, port of Amphipolis, which had been rebuilt and refortified in the Byzantine period under the name “ Chrysopolis ”. This small port continued to enjoy some prosperity, before being abandoned during the Ottoman period . The last recorded sign of activity in the region of Amphipolis was the construction of a fortified tower to the north in 1367 by the megas primikerios John and
5696-432: The nomadic Mongolic Xiongnu ruler Hunye (渾邪) was defeated by Huo Qubing in 121 BC, settlers from various regions of China under the rule of Emperor Wu of Han colonized the Hexi Corridor and Ordos Plateau . Tuntian , self-sustaining agricultural military garrisons, were established in frontier outposts to secure the massive territorial gains and Silk Road trade routes leading into Central Asia. Emperor Wu oversaw
5785-407: The northern section which is preserved to a height of 7.5m. 5 preserved gates can be seen and notably the gate in front of the wooden bridge. In early Christian times another, inner, wall was built around the acropolis . The ancient bridge that crossed the river Strymon was mentioned by Thucydides, was strategic as it controlled access between Macedonia and the Chalkidike in the west to Thrace in
5874-488: The number of three hundred and partly of members of the Latin League in larger numbers. One third of the conquered territory was taken for the settlers. The coloniae civium Romanorum (colonies of Roman citizens) were specially intended to secure the two coasts of Italy, and were hence called coloniae maritimae . The far more numerous coloniae Latinae served the same purpose for the mainland, but they were also inhabited by Latins and much more populated. The duty of leading
5963-438: The population lived "around the city". However, a more probable explanation is the one given by Julius Pollux : that the name indicates the vicinity of an isthmus . Amphipolis quickly became the main power base of the Athenians in Thrace and, consequently, a target of choice for their Spartan adversaries. In 424 BC during the Peloponnesian War the Spartan general Brasidas captured Amphipolis. Two years later in 422 BC,
6052-401: The site and uncovered further remains of the lion monument (a reconstruction was given in the Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique , a publication of the EfA which is available on line). The silver ossuary containing the cremated remains of Brasidas and a gold crown (see image) was found in a tomb in pride of place under the Agora. In 2012 Greek archaeologists unearthed a large tomb within
6141-406: The situation could be resolved diplomatically. When Thebes refused to cede control, the two men were brought up on charges. The specifics are not clear, but in ancient Athens anyone could sue anyone for almost anything. The eloquence of Kallistratos at the trial convinced the jury to acquit them, and in the process inspired a young Demosthenes to embark on a career in oratory. In 362/1 Kallistratos
6230-409: The so-called ius Latinum or Latinitas. This secured to them the right of acquiring property, the concept of commercium , and the right of settlement in Rome, and under certain conditions the power of becoming Roman citizens; though in course of time these rights underwent many limitations. From the time of the Gracchi the colonies lost their military character. Colonization came to be regarded as
6319-399: The start of the ninth century BC. The recent radiocarbon dates from the earliest levels in Carthage situate the founding of this Tyrian colony in the years 835–800 cal BC, which coincides with the dates handed down by Flavius Josephus and Timeus for the founding of the city. In Ancient Greece , a defeated people would sometimes found a colony, leaving their homes to escape the subjugation of
6408-458: The trial and this helped secure his acquittal. His treasurer and confidential agent Antimachos, however, was found guilty, condemned to death, and had his property confiscated by the state. The next year Iphikrates was chosen to complete the same mission and he chose Kallistratos and Chabrias to accompany him as co-commanders. In 371, after more years of fighting, Athens sought once again to negotiate peace with Sparta and invited Thebes to attend
6497-521: The urban centre and of the agricultural riches of the city's territory. Amphipolis was also a diocese under the metropolitan see of Thessalonica – the Bishop of Amphipolis is first mentioned in 533. The bishopric is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see . The Slavic invasions of the late 6th century gradually encroached on the back-country Amphipolitan lifestyle and led to
6586-484: The war was to continue, since Thebes would not give up on the Boeotian Federation and Sparta would not accept its existence. In 373, Timotheos was commissioned by Athens to take a fleet to the island of Kerkyra to protect it from a Spartan takeover. His ships were undermanned, however, and he was not provided with the funds to pay his sailors and troops. So he spent most of the summer sailing season in
6675-643: The western coast of Anatolia ( Pre-Socratic philosophy ). Thales , Anaximander , Anaximenes and Diogenes of Apollonia were among the renowned philosophers of the Milesian school . Heraclitus lived in Ephesus another ancient Greek city and Anaxagoras was from Clazomenae , a member of the Ionian League . All the Ancient Greek dialects were spoken in Anatolia in the various city states and
6764-465: The worship of its chief domestic deities, the colony sending embassies and votive gifts to the mother-city's principal festivals for centuries afterwards. After the conquests of Macedonia and Alexander the Great , a further number of Hellenistic colonies were founded, ranging from Egypt to India. By the 15th century BC, the Mycenaeans had reached Rhodes , Crete and Cyprus ( where Teucer
6853-480: The year of 366 was an Athenian territory. Certain exiles from the village had induced Themison , tyrant of Eretria in Euboea , to take control so they could return. Athens sent out a regiment commanded by Chares to take it back, but by the time it got there, Thebes had stepped in and taken it for themselves. In the later Assembly debate over to what to do, Kallistratos and Chabrias advised restraint, expecting that
6942-516: Was Kallikratous and he was a nephew by marriage of the Athenian demagogue Agyrrhios , though whose sister married whose brother is unknown. Aphidna was one of the towns of Attica. The earliest mention of Kallistratos was in 379 when the Theban Pelopidas used his name to gain entry to the home of his rival Leontidas in order to assassinate him. This was the opening gambit in the anti-Spartan party's campaign to retake control of
7031-421: Was a "brief but effective campaign of colonisation and control", before the general returned north in 44 AD. Cao Song, an Eastern Han administrator of Dunhuang , had military colonies established in what is now Yiwu County near Hami in 119 AD. However, Empress Deng Sui , regent for the young Emperor Shang of Han , pursued a slow, cautious policy of settlement on the advice of Ban Yong, son of Ban Chao , as
7120-466: Was a strong fortress of great strategic and economic importance, as shown by inscriptions. Amphipolis became one of the main stops on the Macedonian royal road (as testified by a border stone found between Philippi and Amphipolis giving the distance to the latter), and later on the Via Egnatia , the principal Roman road which crossed the southern Balkans. Apart from the ramparts of the lower town,
7209-549: Was at least asked to furnish a leader. Frequently the colonies, declaring their commitment to the various metropolitic alliances formed in the Greek mainland and for religious reasons, would pay tribute in religious centres such as Delphi, Olympia , or Delos . The cleruchs (κληροῦχοι, klêrouchoi ) formed a special class of Greek colonists, each being assigned an individual plot of land (κλῆρος, klêros ). The trade factories set up in foreign countries, such as Naucratis in Egypt, were somewhat different from ordinary colonies, with
7298-445: Was built in the 4th c. BC and includes a palaestra , the rectangular court surrounded by colonnades with adjoining rooms for many athletic functions. The covered stoa or xystos for indoor training in inclement weather is a long portico 75m long and 7m wide to allow 6 runners to compete simultaneously. There was also a parallel outdoor track, paradromida , for training in good weather and a system of cisterns for water supply. During
7387-579: Was effectively "Macedonianized". Nomenclature, the calendar and the currency (the gold stater , created by Philip to capitalise on the gold reserves of the Pangaion hills, replaced the Amphipolitan drachma ) were all replaced by Macedonian equivalents. In the reign of Alexander the Great , Amphipolis was an important naval base, and the birthplace of three of the most famous Macedonian admirals: Nearchus , Androsthenes and Laomedon , whose burial place
7476-402: Was elected strategos along with Timotheos and Chabrias . In 375, during the negotiations that led to the peace treaty ending the war, he is recorded as trying to convince the Theban delegation to give up their dream of uniting the cities of Boeotia in a federation. In this he was unsuccessful and Thebes was the only city involved in the war not to sign the treaty. This, of course, meant that
7565-465: Was founded by settlers from Tyre in 814–813 BC and called Kart-Hadasht ( Qart-ḥadašt , literally "New Town" ), known in English as Carthage . The Carthaginians later founded their own colonies in the western Mediterranean, notably a colony in southeast Spain, Carthago Nova , which was eventually conquered by their enemy, Rome . According to María Eugenia Aubet , Professor of Archaeology at
7654-514: Was indicted again, but whether it was a renewal of the earlier charge or a new offense is not clear. In this case, he chose exile over trial and was condemned to death in absentia. He made his way to Methone , a seaport in Makedonia, ruled at that time by Perdikkas III. While there he arranged to have the harbor dues doubled from twenty talents to forty. Demosthenes reported that while there he sought passage on an Athenian warship from Methone to
7743-562: Was only in exceptional cases that the provincial colonies enjoyed the immunity from taxation which was granted to those in Italy. Imperial China during the Han dynasty (202 BC–220 AD) extended its rule over what is now much of China proper as well as Inner Mongolia , northern Vietnam , northern Korea , the Hexi Corridor of Gansu , and the Tarim Basin region of Xinjiang on the easternmost fringes of Central Asia. After
7832-427: Was renamed Krenides and was later taken over by Philip II, who renamed it Philippi. From the orator Lykourgos we learn Kallistratos' ultimate fate: Who does not know the fate of Kallistratos, which the older among you remember and the younger have heard recounted, the man condemned to death by the city? How he fled and later, hearing from the god at Delphi that if he returned to Athens he would have fair treatment by
7921-604: Was strategically important because of its raw materials (the gold and silver of the Pangaion hills and the dense forests that provided timber for naval construction), and the sea routes vital for Athens' supply of grain from Scythia . A first unsuccessful attempt at colonisation was in 497 BC by the Milesian Tyrant Histiaeus . After the defeat of the Persians at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC,
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