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Aristeus (), son of Adeimantus (Ἀδείμαντος; ''Adeímantos''), was a Corinthian general who commanded the expedition to
Potidaea __NOTOC__ Potidaea (; , ''Potidaia'', also Ποτείδαια, ''Poteidaia'') was a colony founded by the Corinthians around 600 BC in the narrowest point of the peninsula of Pallene, Chalcidice, Pallene, the westernmost of three peninsulas at t ...
in 432 BC. After the
Athenians Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
broke a truce with the Corinthians at Sybota, his primary goal was to defend Potidaea from an Athenian attack. He then went on to defend the Corinthian colony from Athens during the
Battle of Potidaea The Battle of Potidaea was fought in 432 BC between Athens and a combined army from Corinth and Potidaea, along with their various allies. Along with the Battle of Sybota, it was one of the catalysts for the Peloponnesian War. Background Po ...
in 432 BC, until he was left with no option but to leave the colony with the
Chalcidians Chalcis (; Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: , ), also called Chalkida or Halkida (Modern Greek: , ), is the chief city of the island of Euboea or Evia in Greece, situated on the Euripus Strait at its narrowest point. The name is preserved from ...
. In 430 BC he traveled to Thrace with Spartan envoys where they were discovered by Athenians and brought to Athens, by Athenian ambassadors, where they were promptly killed without a trial. After Aristeus' death, Athens seized Potidaea in 430/429 BC during the
Peloponnesian War The Second Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), often called simply the Peloponnesian War (), was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek war fought between Classical Athens, Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Ancien ...
, the battles of Sybota and Potidaea being two main catalysts for the war.


Prelude to war

In 432 BC, Aristeus was appointed as commander of the Corinthian military expedition for the relief of their colony Potidaea, which had just seceded from Athens. He was able to recruit Corinthian volunteers and mercenaries from the rest of the
Peloponnesus The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the ...
to fight alongside him due to his popularity, both domestically and in Potidaea. After the
Battle of Sybota The Battle of Sybota () took place in 433 BC between Corcyra (modern Corfu) and Corinth. It was one of the immediate catalysts for the Peloponnesian War. History Corinth had been in dispute with Corcyra, an old Corinthian colony which no longer ...
, in which the Corinthians fought a combined force of Athenians and Corcyraeans in 433 BC, Corinth was furious with the Athenians for fighting alongside Corcyraeans during a time of
truce A ceasefire (also known as a truce), also spelled cease-fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party. Ceasefires may b ...
. The Athenians became worried that Potidaea would revolt against Athens and immediately sought to win over Corinth. Forty days after the revolt in Potidaea, Aristeus, along with 1600 hoplites and 400 light troops, arrived in
Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
and shortly thereafter encamped at
Olynthus Olynthus ( ''Olynthos'') 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, Cha ...
, where they prepared for battle.


Battle of Potidaea

Meanwhile Athens, informed that Aristeus and his troops were on their way to defend Potidaea, sent 2000 hoplites along with 40 ships to prepare to oppose him. Under the command of the general
Callias Callias () was an Ancient Greek statesman, soldier and diplomat active in 5th century BC. He is commonly known as Callias II to distinguish him from his grandfather, Callias I, and from his grandson, Callias III, who apparently squandered the fam ...
and four of his colleagues, the Athenian troops first traveled to Macedonia, where they besieged
Pydna Pydna (; Greek: Πύδνα, ''Pýdna'') is a small town and a former municipality in the northeastern part of Pieria regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pydna-Kolindros, of which it is a ...
. It was at this time that Athens, realizing the revolt in Potidaea and Aristeus' intention to defend it, forced
Perdiccas Perdiccas (, ''Perdikkas''; 355BC – 320BC) was a Macedonian general, successor of Alexander the Great, and the regent of Alexander's empire after his death. When Alexander was dying, he entrusted his signet ring to Perdiccas. Initially ...
, the Macedonian king, to return to his alliance with them and march on Potidaea. With the alliance with Perdiccas formalized, Athens withdrew its troops from Macedonia, via
Beroea Beroea (or Berea, ) was an ancient city of the Hellenistic period and Roman Empire now known as Veria (or Veroia) in Macedonia, Northern Greece. It is a small city on the eastern side of the Vermio Mountains north of Mount Olympus. The town is m ...
and
Strepsa Strepsa (; Greek language, Greek: ) was an ancient city of Mygdonia (Europe), Mygdonia, Macedon, near Therma, toward Chalcidice. The editors of the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, tentatively identify Strepsa with the modern village ...
, and marched on Potidaea with 3000 hoplites and 600 Macedonian horsemen, with 70 ships following closely along the coast. After three days of advancing on Potidaea by short marches, the Athenian forces encamped at Gigonus. In their preparation for the Athenian attack on their city, the citizens of Potidaea and the Peloponnesians encamped at Olynthus and chose Aristeus as general of all the infantry. Perdiccas, who had deputed Iolaus as his general, left the alliance with Athens, returned to that with Potidaea, and was made commander of the allied cavalry. Aristeus' next move was to keep his infantrymen on the isthmus to await the Athenian attack. The Chalcidians and the other allies waited nearby, while the 200 cavalry from Perdiccas stayed in Olynthus to attack the Athenian rear, in case of an attack on Aristeus' infantry. By doing this, Aristeus placed the Athenian advance between the allied forces on the isthmus and at Olynthus. Knowing that Aristeus' infantry posed a threat to the Athenian advance, Callias and his colleagues sent away the Macedonian horsemen and a group of allies to prevent an attack from Olynthus, while the rest of the Athenians marched on Potidaea. Shortly after the Athenians arrived at the isthmus, the armies engaged. Aristeus' infantry, which consisted of Corinthians and other chosen men, routed the Athenian advance and pursued them for a considerable distance. However, the remaining army of Potidaeans and Peloponnesians met a different fate; they were routed by the Athenians and were forced to take refuge behind fortifications. When he returned from pursuing the Athenians, Aristeus realized the defeat of the rest of the army and was left to choose whether to go to Olynthus or to Potidaea. Once his men were assembled, Aristeus led them along the breakwater to Potidaea, while being attacked. Some perished, but most made it safely. Seeing this occur and battle signals raised, Potidaean allies from Olynthus began to advance to provide aid. The Macedonian horsemen successfully countered those troops. Predicting an Athenian victory, the Potidaeans retreated back within their walls, while the Macedonians, having seen the battle signals taken down, retreated to the Athenians, leaving no cavalry on either side. When the battle concluded, the Athenians set up a
trophy A trophy is a tangible, decorative item used to remind of a specific achievement, serving as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most commonly awarded for sports, sporting events, ranging from youth sports to professional level athlet ...
and, under truce, allowed the Potidaeans to collect their dead, which numbered nearly 300. The Athenians lost 150 men, including their general, Callias.


After the battle

After the battle of Potidaea ended, Athenians built a wall on the Macedonian side of the isthmus, consolidating their forces there and leaving the Pallene side unmanned. Under the command of
Phormio Phormio ( ''Phormion'', ''gen''.: Φορμίωνος), the son of Asopius, was an Athenian general and admiral before and during the Peloponnesian War. A talented naval commander, Phormio commanded at several famous Athenian victories in 428 BC ...
, 1600 hoplites were sent from Athens for reinforcement. Upon their arrival at Pallene, a new Athenian headquarters was constructed at
Aphytis Aphytis (), also Aphyte (Ἀφύτη) and Aphytus or Aphytos (Ἄφυτος), was an ancient Greek city in Pallene, the westernmost headland of Chalcidice. Around the middle of the 8th century BC colonists from Euboea arrived. The city became ...
. Phormio's troops defeated the Potidaeans in the field, built a wall on the Pallene side, and deployed Athenian ships around the peninsula, thus besieging Potidaea by land and sea. Aristeus recognized that the peninsula was unsalvageable and instructed the remaining troops, except for 500 of them, to sail away. He attempted to convince his troops to let him stay in Potidaea but was not successful. After evading Athenian ships, he sailed away. Although the conflict was all but finished, Aristeus remained with the Chalcidians and successfully ambushed Athenians near Aphytis. In an attempt to buy mercenaries to fight for him, he was in communication with the Peloponnesus. Phormio ended the siege of Potidaea by sending his 1600 hoplites to destroy Chalcidice and Bottica. Athenians and Peloponnesians continued to debate their claim to Potidaea; their conflict on the isthmus would be a precursor to the Peloponnesian War.


Death

In the summer of 430 BC, Aristeus, along with a group of
Spartans Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the valley of Evrotas river in Laconia, in southeastern P ...
—including Aneristus, Nicolaus, Protodamus, Timagoras from Tegea, and Pollis from Argos—traveled to
Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
to meet
Sitalces Sitalces (Sitalkes) (; ; reigned 431–424 BC) was one of the kings of the Thracian Odrysian state. The Suda called him Sitalcus (Σίταλκος). He was the son of Teres I, and on the sudden death of his father in 431 BC succeeded to t ...
, the son of the former Thracian king,
Teres I Teres I (, ; reigned (Unknown–445 BC)The Thracians 700 BC-AD 46 (Men-at-Arms) by Christopher Webber and Angus McBride, 2001, , page 5 was the first king of a large, unified Odrysian kingdom of Thrace. Teres, who united the 40 or more Thracian ...
, in an attempt to persuade the king to supply funds and betray his alliance to Athens. In particular, they wanted Sitalces' assistance to march yet again on Potidaea, which was occupied by Athenian forces, and to join them in the war against Athens. Athenian ambassadors happened to be with Sitalces at the time, and they convinced his son, Sadocus, to seize Aristeus and the other individuals as they traveled through Thrace to the ship in which they were to cross the
Hellespont The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey t ...
. It followed that Aristeus and the other individuals were handed over to the Athenian ambassadors and brought to Athens. When they arrived back in Athens, the Athenians were aware that Aristeus had commanded the Corinthians and others at Potidaea and refused to give them a trial, being afraid that, if he escaped, Aristeus would cause them to suffer again. Aristeus and the other envoys were killed immediately and cast into a pit, a familiar mode of death that the Spartans themselves were known for in the Peloponnesian War. In 430 BC, Potidaea was seized by Athens.


References


Further reading

* {{cite book , last=Thucydides , translator-last=Jowett , translator-first=Benjamin , translator-link=Benjamin Jowett , title=Thucydides , url=https://archive.org/details/thucydidestrans05thucgoog , date=1900 , location=Oxford , publisher=Clarendon Press , via=University of Michigan, Google, Internet Archive , page
38
��44, 150–151 People of the Peloponnesian War Ancient Corinthians People executed by ancient Athens