The North Aegean wars, 371 - 360 B.C.

The 360s B. C. were a momentous decade in the North Aegean, when Athens set out to recover cities she had controlled at the height of her empire in the fifth century – Amphipolis and the Thracian Chersonese. Setting out in detail the chronology and narrative of the wars over Amphipolis and Chersonese, the author argues that Athens’ efforts proved unfruitful because several other major powers – Olynthus, Macedon, Thrace, Thebes, and Persia – had similar expansionist aims. Equally important, she demonstrates for the first time that Amphipolis consistently and avidly pursued policies to evade Athenian domination. This comprehensive treatment shows that the northern Aegean was a major theatre of operations in this period and provides much-needed background to the reign of Philip II.