The siege of Lamia - a siege by the allied Greek forces of the city of Lamia , in which the Macedonian army was under the command of Antipater , during the Lamian war (323-322 BC). A prolonged siege was a turning point in this war, as a result of which the Greeks lost their offensive impulses to a large extent, and the Macedonians were able to bring reinforcements from Asia Minor .
| Siege of Lamia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Conflict: Lamian War | |||
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| date | 323 - 322 BC e. | ||
| A place | Lamia , Thessaly | ||
| Total | siege removal | ||
| Opponents | |||
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| Commanders | |||
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Background
The Lamian war (or Hellenic) was a large-scale revolt of the Greek city-states that were part of the Corinthian Union , against the Macedonian government, which began after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 AD. e. [1] . Greek city-states never fully agreed with the Macedonian hegemony imposed by force of arms , and one of Alexander’s last decrees, a decree on exiles from 324 BC e., caused open discontent, especially in Athens , where preparations for the war began even before the death of Alexander [2] . The decree on exiles, which provided for the return of all exiles and the restoration of their citizenship and return to them of their property, was perceived as a direct violation of the autonomy of the Greek city-states by Alexander. The Athenians, in particular, ignored the decree, as this meant that on the island of Samos , which had been Athenian possession from 366 BC. e. and inhabited by Athenian klerukhs , among them, the Athenians had to return the exiled samosets. Instead, they arrested the arriving Samos oligarchs and sent them to a prison in Athens [3] [4] .
The Boeotians , remaining allies of the Macedonians, tried to prevent the combined Greek army from passing through their lands, but were overturned in the summer of 323 BC. e. . Leosthenes with an army of 30 thousand people passed through the Thermopyllic passage to Thessaly .
Antipater was able to collect only 14 thousand soldiers to resist the Greeks, the rest were necessary to protect the country from barbarians. He sent for help to the commander Alexander Crater , so that he hastened to him from Asia Minor with the veterans sent by Alexander home, as well as to the governor of Minor Phrygia Leonnat . Antipater hoped with the help of the Macedonian garrisons in Thessaly to keep the rebel Greeks from further advancement.
Antipater preferred to immediately retreat after the first clash with the rebel forces. Not having enough strength for the battle, he took refuge in the well-fortified town of Lamia (southern Thessaly ), which was called the whole war. There he hoped to wait for the Crater Veterans to approach.
Siege
Leosthenes led his warriors to storm, since a long siege was undesirable for him. The Macedonians repelled this assault, the Greeks suffered significant losses. Then Leosthenes began the blockade of the city, completely surrounding it and cutting it off from the sea. He hoped to starve Lamia.
Many Thessalian cities went over to the side of the Greek coalition, on whose strength Antipater relied heavily. At the end of 323 BC e. under the pretext of the annual election of the officials of the Aetolian Union, the Etolian civilian militia went home, however, promising to return later. Antipater lacked food, he was forced to enter into negotiations with Leosthenes, which did not lead to anything, since Leosthenes demanded complete surrender. Then, during one of the skirmishes, from a stone (or dart) fired from the walls of the fortress, Leosthenes was mortally wounded and died three days later. Instead of Leosthenes, the Athenians appointed Antifilos as their leader.
The siege of Lamia lasted all winter, and in the spring of 322 BC. e. the Macedonian commander Leonnat with a 20 thousandth army invaded Thessaly. Antiphil lifted a siege with Lamia to meet with Leonnat in battle before Antipater helped him.
Consequences
Notes
- ↑ Anson, 2014 , p. 23.
- ↑ Anson, 2014 , pp. 23, 31.
- ↑ Anson, 2014 , pp. 30, 32–33.
- ↑ Hale, 2014 , pp. 311-312.
Literature
- Anson, Edward M. Alexander's Heirs: The Age of the Successors . - John Wiley & Sons, 2014 .-- ISBN 978-1-4443-3962-8 .
- Bosworth, Albert Brian. Why Did Athens Lose the Lamian War? // The Macedonians in Athens, 322-229 BC: Proceedings of an International Conference Held at the University of Athens, May 24-26, 2001. - Oxbow, 2003. - P. 14–22. - ISBN 1-84217-092-9 .
- Dixon, Michael D. Late Classical and Early Hellenistic Corinth: 338-196 BC . - Routledge, 2014 .-- ISBN 978-1-317-67649-2 .
- Hackel, Waldemar. The Marshals of Alexander's Empire . - Routledge, 1992. - ISBN 0-415-05053-7 .
- Hale, John R. Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy. - Viking, 2014 .-- ISBN 978-1-906142-78-0 .
- Justin: Epitome of the Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus: Volume II: Books 13–15: The Successors to Alexander the Great . - Oxford University Press, 2011. - ISBN 978-0-19-927759-9 .
- AW Lawrence. The Date of the Nike of Samothrace (en.) // Journal of Hellenic Studies. - 1926. - Issue. 46 . - DOI : 10.2307 / 625309 .