Chapter LXXVI

FROM THE PEACE OF ANTALKIDAS DOWN TO THE SUBJUGATION OF OLYNTHUS
BY SPARTA.

Peace or convention of Antalkidas. Its import and character.
Separate partnership between Sparta and Persia.—Degradation
in the form of the convention—an edict drawn up, issued, and
enforced, by Persia upon Greece.—Gradual loss of Pan-hellenic
dignity, and increased submission towards Persia as a means
of purchasing Persian help—on the part of Sparta.—Her
first application before the Peloponnesian war; subsequent
applications.—Active partnership between Sparta and Persia
against Athens, after the Athenian catastrophe at Syracuse.
Athens is ready to follow her example.—The Persian force aids
Athens against Sparta, and breaks up her maritime empire.—No
excuse for the subservience of Sparta to the Persians. Evidence
that Hellenic independence was not destined to last much
longer.—Promise of universal autonomy—popular to the Grecian
ear—how carried out.—The Spartans never intended to grant,
nor ever really granted, general autonomy.—Immediate point
made against Corinth and Thebes—isolation of Athens.—Persian
affairs—unavailing efforts of the Great King to reconquer
Egypt.—Evagoras, despot of Salamis in Cyprus.—Descent of
Evagoras—condition of the island of Cyprus.—Greek princes of
Salamis are dispossessed by a Phœnician dynasty.—Evagoras
dethrones the Phœnician, and becomes despot of Salamis.—Able
and beneficent government of Evagoras.—His anxiety to revive
Hellenism in Cyprus—he looks to the aid of Athens.—Relations
of Evagoras with Athens during the closing years of the
Peloponnesian war.—Evagoras at war with the Persians—he receives
aid both from Athens and from Egypt—he is at first very
successful, so as even to capture Tyre.—Struggle of Evagoras
against the whole force of the Persian empire after the peace
of Antalkidas.—Evagoras, after a ten years’ war, is reduced,
but obtains an honorable peace, mainly owing to the dispute
between the two satraps jointly commanding.—Assassination of
Evagoras, as well as of his son Pnytagoras, by an eunuch slave
of Nikokreon.—Nikoklês, son of Evagoras, becomes despot of
Salamis. Great power gained by Sparta through the peace of
Antalkidas. She becomes practically mistress of Corinth, and the
Corinthian isthmus. Miso-Theban tendencies of Sparta—especially
of Agesilaus.—The Spartans restore Platæa. Former conduct of
Sparta towards Platæa.—Motives of Sparta in restoring Platæa.
A politic step, as likely to sever Thebes from Athens.—Platæa
becomes a dependency and outpost of Sparta. Main object of Sparta
to prevent the reconstitution of the Bœotiad federation—Spartan
policy at this time directed by the partisan spirit of
Agesilaus, opposed by his colleague Agesipolis.—Oppressive
behavior of the Spartans towards Mantinea. They require the
walls of the city to be demolished.—Agesipolis blockades the
city, and forces it to surrender, by damming up the river
Ophis. The Mantineans are forced to break up their city into
villages.—Democratical leaders of Mantinea—owed their lives
to the mediation of the exiled king Pausanias.—Mantinea is
pulled down and distributed into five villages.—High-handed
despotism of Sparta towards Mantinea—signal partiality of
Xenophon. Return of the philo-Laconian exiles in the various
cities, as partisans for the purposes of Sparta—case of
Phlius.—Competition of Athens with Sparta for ascendency at
sea. Athens gains ground, and gets together some rudiments of a
maritime confederacy.—Ideas entertained by some of the Spartan
leaders, of acting against the Persians for the rescue of the
Asiatic Greeks.—Panegyrical Discourse of Isokrates.—State of
Macedonia and Chalkidikê—growth of Macedonian power during
the last years of the Peloponnesian war.—Perdikkas and
Archelaus—energy and ability of the latter.—Contrast of Macedonia
and Athens.—Succeeding Macedonian kings—Orestes, Æropus,
Pausanias, Amyntas. Assassination frequent.—Amyntas is expelled
from Macedonia by the Illyrians.—Chalkidians of Olynthus—they
take into their protection the Macedonian cities on the coast,
when Amyntas runs away before the Illyrians. Commencement of the
Olynthian confederacy.—Equal and liberal principles on which the
confederacy was framed from the beginning. Accepted willingly
by the Macedonian and Greco-Macedonian cities.—The Olynthians
extend their confederacy among the Grecian cities in Chalkidic
Thrace—their liberal procedure—several cities join.—Akanthus
and Apollonia resist the proposition. Olynthus menaces. They
then solicit Spartan intervention against her.—Speech of
Kleigenes the Akanthian envoy at Sparta.—Envoys from Amyntas at
Sparta.—The Spartan Eudamidas is sent against Olynthus at once,
with such force as could be got ready. He checks the career
of the Olynthians.—Phœbidas, brother of Eudamidas, remains
behind to collect fresh force, and march to join his brother
in Thrace. He passes through the Theban territory and near
Thebes.—Conspiracy of Leontiades and the philo-Laconian party in
Thebes, to betray the town and citadel to Phœbidas.—The opposing
leaders—Leontiades and Ismenias—were both Polemarchs.—Leontiades
overawes the Senate, and arrests Ismenias: Pelopidas and
the leading friends of Ismenias go into exile.—Phœbidas in
the Kadmeia—terror and submission at Thebes.—Mixed feelings
at Sparta—great importance of the acquisition to Spartan
interests.—Displeasure at Sparta more pretended than real,
against Phœbidas; Agesilaus defends him.—Leontiades at Sparta—his
humble protestations and assurances—the ephors decide that they
will retain the Kadmeia, but at the same time fine Phœbidas.—The
Lacedæmonians cause Ismenias to be tried and put to death.
Iniquity of this proceeding.—Vigorous action of the Spartans
against Olynthus—Teleutias is sent there with a large force,
including a considerable Theban contingent. Derdas coöperates
with him.—Teleutias being at first successful, and having become
over-confident, sustains a terrible defeat from the Olynthians
under the walls of their city.—Agesipolis is sent to Olynthus
from Sparta with a reinforcement. He dies of a fever.—Polybiades
succeeds Agesipolis as commander—he reduces Olynthus to
submission—extinction of the Olynthian federation. Olynthus and
the other cities are enrolled as allies of Sparta.—Intervention
of Sparta with the government of Phlius.—Agesilaus marches an
army against Phlius—reduces the town by blockade, after a long
resistance. The Lacedæmonians occupy the acropolis, naming a
council of one hundred as governors. 1-72