The siege of Athens lasted through 287 BC when the city was put under siege by King
Demetrius I of Macedon
Demetrius I Poliorcetes (; , , ; ) was a Macedonian Greek nobleman and military leader who became king of Asia between 306 and 301 BC, and king of Macedon between 294 and 288 BC. A member of the Antigonid dynasty, he was the son of its founder, ...
. Athens revolted in that year against Demetrius' rule and elected
Olympiodorus as
strategos
''Strategos'' (), also known by its Linguistic Latinisation, Latinized form ''strategus'', is a Greek language, Greek term to mean 'military General officer, general'. In the Hellenistic world and in the Byzantine Empire, the term was also use ...
. Olympiodorus raised a force among the Athenian citizens, including old men and children, and attacked the Macedonian garrison that had retreated to the fort at the
Mouseion Hill which he took with the loss of just 13 of his men.
[Hammond ; Walbank 1988, p. 230]
On receiving news of the revolt Demetrius gathered forces from the cities he still held and put Athens under siege.
[Hammond ; Walbank 1988, p. 231] The Athenians sent the philosopher
Crates to negotiate with Demetrius.
In the treaty signed Demetrius received some fortresses in
Attica
Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...
but Athens was freed from a Macedonian garrison.
The Athenians resisted, but asked for help from
Pyrrhus, king of Epirus. Pyrrhus arrived with his army behind Demetrius, forcing him to retreat. Following the victory, Pyrrhus was welcomed into the city and celebrated.
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{{Coord, 37.967427, N, 23.721183, E, type:landmark_region:GR_scale:2500, display=title
287 BC
Athens -287
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 ...
Athens -287
Ancient Attica
280s BC conflicts
Sieges of Athens
Demetrius I Poliorcetes