Cersobleptes (, also found in the form Cersebleptes, Kersebleptēs) was the son of
Cotys I, king of the
Odrysians 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 ...
, on whose death in September 360 BC he inherited the throne.
Early troubles
From the beginning of his reign, however, Cersobleptes was beset by problems. He inherited a conflict with the Athenians and with the rebel former royal treasurer Miltokythes from his father, and then there appeared two rivals for the throne,
Berisades and
Amadocus II. Despite the continued able service of Cersobleptes' brother-in-law, the
Euboea
Euboea ( ; , ), also known by its modern spelling Evia ( ; , ), is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete, and the sixth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by ...
n adventurer
Charidemus, Cersobleptes was forced to make peace with
Athens
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 ...
and with his rivals, recognizing them as autonomous rulers of parts of Thrace by 357 BC. The area controlled by Cersobleptes was apparently to the east of the rivers
Tonzos and
Hebrus, with Amadocus II to his west, and Berisades even farther west, on the border with Macedon.
Charidemus had taken on a prominent role in the contests and negotiations with Athens for the possession of the
Thracian Chersonese, with Cersobleptes appearing throughout as a mere puppet of Charidemus. The peninsula seems to have been finally ceded to the Athenians in 357 BC, though they did not occupy it with their settlers until 353 BC;
Isocrates
Isocrates (; ; 436–338 BC) was an ancient Greek rhetorician, one of the ten Attic orators. Among the most influential Greek rhetoricians of his time, Isocrates made many contributions to rhetoric and education through his teaching and writte ...
is less certain about the earlier date. For some time after the cession of the Chersonese, Cersobleptes continued to court the favor of the Athenians, being perhaps restrained from aggression by the fear of the Athenian fleet based in 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 ...
.
Allying with Athens against Macedon
In 357–356 BC,
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon (; 382 BC – October 336 BC) was the king (''basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ...
began to expand at expense of his eastern neighbors, taking advantage of a rebellion among the allies of Athens to seize
Amphipolis and
Crenides, which he renamed after himself "Philippi", as well as the gold mines of Mount Pangaeum. Some of this expansion was at the expense of Berisades, who died about the same time, and was succeeded by his sons,
Cetriporis and his brothers. Cersobleptes and Charidemus conceived the idea of depriving the sons of Berisades of their inheritance, and of obtaining possession of all the former dominions of Cotys. With this objective in mind, Charidemus gained from the Athenian people, through his party among the
orator
An orator, or oratist, is a public speaker, especially one who is eloquent or skilled.
Etymology
Recorded in English c. 1374, with a meaning of "one who pleads or argues for a cause", from Anglo-French ''oratour'', Old French ''orateur'' (14 ...
s, a decree in his favor. In response to this outcome,
Demosthenes
Demosthenes (; ; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide insight into the politics and cu ...
delivered a speech (which still exists) through which he unsuccessfully tried to impeach the mover of the decree,
Aristocrates. But before the scheme of Cersobleptes and Charidemus could succeed, Cetriporis provoked the ire of Philip II of Macedon by joining the kings of
Paeonia and
Illyria
In classical and late antiquity, Illyria (; , ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; , ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyrians.
The Ancient Gree ...
against him, leading to Philip's victory over the allies and the expansion of Macedonian influence in this part of Thrace.
From a passing reference in Demosthenes' oration, it appears that by 354 or 353 BC Philip II was at Maroneia, negotiating with Cersobleptes' envoy Apollonides, apparently planning for a joint attack against Amadocus II and the Athenian holdings in the Chersonese; the
Theban general Pammenes was also involved. However, the plans failed, and Cersobleptes allied with Athens in exchange for Athens removing its protection from Amadocus II. Athens began to plant cleruchies in the Chersonese, while Cersobleptes attacked both Amadocus II to his west and the Greek cities of
Perinthus and
Byzantium
Byzantium () or Byzantion () was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' continued to be used as a n ...
to his east. Provoked by Cersobleptes' alliance with Athens, Philip II now invaded Cersobleptes' kingdom as an ally of Perinthus and Byzantium in 352 BC. Cersobleptes was defeated and had to send one of his sons as hostage to Philip's court at Pella. Philip appears to have annexed the lands of the sons of Berisades, who may have been the Thracian brothers who are said to have invited him to settle their disputes; Amadocus II disappears as well, perhaps deposed by either Philip II or Cersobleptes, and at any rate succeeded by
Teres III.
Macedonian conquest and probable death
After an apparent lull in hostilities, in 347–346 BC Cersobleptes appears to have sought Athenian support again, and Athens installed additional garrisons in the coastal cities of Thrace, perhaps provoking a Macedonian campaign under Philip's general
Antipater
Antipater (; ; 400 BC319 BC) was a Macedonian general, regent and statesman under the successive kingships of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. In the wake of the collapse of the Argead house, his son Cassander ...
. When Athens attempted to include Cersobleptes in a peace with Philip II in 346 BC, the proposal was rebuffed, and Philip proceeded to campaign in Thrace, expelling Athenian garrisons from the coastal towns. Several years later, in 342–340 BC, Philip II led a more substantial campaign into Thrace. By early 341 he had overrun the coast, passed through
Cardia,
Aenus and taken
Cabyle. The remainder of the campaign brought Philip into the lands beyond
Mount Haemus and into conflict with the
Getae
The Getae or Getai ( or , also Getans) were a large nation who inhabited the regions to either side of the Lower Danube in what is today northern Bulgaria and southern Romania, throughout much of Classical Antiquity. The main source of informa ...
and contact with the
Scythians
The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern Iranian peoples, Iranian Eurasian noma ...
. Sometime in this period, in unknown circumstances, the Thracian kings Teres III and Cersobleptes had been eliminated or subjugated, and the towns of
Philippopolis and Cabyle were established as Macedonian colonies. By 340 BC, Philip II was laying siege to Perinthus and Byzantium.
Sons and succession
According to an inscription from
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...
(FD III.1 392), dated to 355 BC, Cersobleptes had four sons, named Iolaus, Poseidonius, Medistas, and Teres. It is unclear whether any of them inherited any sort of authority from their father. The next significant Odrysian king in Thrace was
Seuthes III, sometimes identified (hypothetically) as a son or brother of Cersobleptes, or with a Seuthes known to have served as Cersobleptes' deputy (''hyparkhos'').
[Tacheva 2006: 187.]
References
* D. Dana, Inscriptions, in: J. Valeva et al. (eds.), ''A Companion to Ancient Thrace'', Wiley, 2015: 243–264.
* P. Delev, Thrace from the Assassination of Kotys I to Koroupedion (360-281 BCE), in: J. Valeva et al. (eds.), ''A Companion to Ancient Thrace'', Wiley, 2015: 48–58.
*Hammond, N. G. L.; "Philip's Actions in 347 and Early 346 B.C." in ''Classical Quarterly'', v. 44 (1994), pp. 367–374.
*
Smith, William; ''
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology
The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' is a biographical dictionary of classical antiquity, edited by William Smith (lexicographer), William Smith and originally published in London by John Taylor (English publisher), Tayl ...
'', ,
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, (1867)
* M. Tacheva, ''The Kings of Ancient Thrace. Book One'', Sofia, 2006.
Notes
{{SmithDGRBM, title = Cersobleptes
4th-century BC monarchs
Odrysian kings
Ancient child monarchs