Archelaus I.

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Archelaus I ( Greek  Ἀρχέλαος Α΄ ) was king of Macedonia from 413 BC. BC to 399 BC He was the successor of Perdiccas II , whose biological son he was. Archelaus is said to have murdered his uncle Alketas II and his son Alexander. After his father died, Archelaus also got rid of his half-brother, ascended the throne of Macedonia and married Cleopatra , his father's widow. Together with Cleopatra he had a son Orestes and two daughters. Amyntas was the son with a concubine.

Archelaus is known for the fundamental reforms he made in administration, military and trade. He laid the foundations for the later great power position of Macedonia.

Peace with Athens

Almost immediately after taking office, Archelaus found himself faced with a situation that allowed him to completely turn around relations with Athens , which had posed the main threat to Macedonia for the past half century. The Athenians suffered a crushing defeat in Syracuse , Sicily, in late 413 BC. BC, during which most of their ships were destroyed. This led to an enormous demand for shipbuilding timber in Athens and gave Archelaos the opportunity to dictate the price - which he did not take advantage of, so that the Athenians gave him and his children the titles proxenos ("state guest") and euergetes ("benefactor") awarded.

Wars

In 410 BC BC the city of Pydna fell from Macedonia. With the support of the Athenian general Theramenes , he destroyed the city and rebuilt it a little inland.

The argument with the Macedonian Lynkestis , in which his father Perdiccas II was already involved, also continued. So it came to war with Sirras , the king of Elimiotis , and Arrhabaios , the king of Lynkestis. Finally Archelaus reached a peace agreement with Lynkestis and Elymaia and gave Sirras his eldest daughter as a wife.

State reforms

The state of Macedonia had been poorly managed until Archelaus took office and its organization was purely systematic. Archelaus initiated a series of internal reforms. The relocation of the royal court from Aigai to Pella , a much better and more strategic place, closer to the eastern provinces and the sea, is an example of the reorganization. He had a huge number of high-quality coins minted. High Macedonia was linked to the capital by military roads and a fortress was built to guard the surrounding areas. He improved the organization of his military, especially the cavalry and the hoplite infantry.

Arts and Culture

Archelaos also expanded cultural contacts with southern Greece . In his new palace in Pella , designed by Zeuxis , he entertained famous poets, tragedies , including Euripides (who wrote his tragedies "Archelaus" and " The Bacchae " in Macedonia), musicians, painters, including Zeuxis, (the most famous painter his time) as well as Agathon , Choirilos and Thimotheos . Archelaus reorganized the religious Olympic festival with musical and athletic competitions in honor of the Olympian Zeus and the Muses in Dion , in which the greatest athletes and artists of Greece took part. Euripides spent his last years here.

Archelaus is said to have invited Socrates to his court, but he is said to have refused.

Olympic champion

He was also at the 93rd Olympic Games 408 BC. Crowned Olympic champion in Tethrippon .

Archelaus's death

Archelaus was born in 399 BC. Killed during the hunt by his page Krateros. It is possible that the act was part of a conspiracy, but nothing has been proven. At his death Archelaus had successfully transformed Macedonia into a much stronger power. Thucydides certified that he had done more for his country than all of his predecessors put together.

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literature

Web links

credentials

  1. ^ Plato : Gorgias , translated by Otto Apelt , Meiner, Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-7873-1156-4 (translation with introduction and explanations); Reprint of the 2nd, revised edition, Leipzig 1922, p. 173.
  2. ^ Winners list at the Foundation of the Hellenic World.
predecessor Office successor
Perdiccas II King of Macedonia
413-399 BC Chr. 		Crateros
personal data
SURNAME Archelaus I.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of Macedon (413 BC - 399 BC)
DATE OF BIRTH 5th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 399 BC Chr.