Latest / The History of Greece: Philosophy, Empire, and Endless Reinvention — Fexingo History / The Social War and the Birth of the Athenian Confederacy
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, we've spent a lot of time on Athens' first empire—the Delian League, Pericles, all that. But there was a second one, about a century later, and it ended in a pretty dramatic rebellion called the Social War. Luna: Athens had a second empire? I thought after the Peloponnesian War they were done. Lucas: Not quite. After the Peloponnesian War, Athens lost its empire, but by the 370s BCE, with Spartan power collapsing, Athens rebuilt something—the Second Athenian Confederacy. It was supposed to be different this time. No tribute, no cleruchies, just equal allies led by Athens. But old habits die hard. Luna: So what went wrong? Lucas: A lot of things. But the immediate trigger for the Social War—which started in 357 BCE—was Athenian arrogance and financial pressure. Athens started imposing contributions again, and seizing allied ships. The allies—Chios, Rhodes, Kos, and Byzantion—decided they'd had enough. They revolted, and they found a powerful backer: Mausolus, the satrap of Caria. Luna: Mausolus—that's the guy whose tomb is one of the Seven Wonders, right? Lucas: Exactly the same. Mausolus ruled Caria from Halicarnassus, and he was nominally a Persian subject, but he acted like an independent king. He saw the revolt as a chance to expand his influence. He supplied ships and money, and the rebels also hired a brilliant mercenary commander: Memnon of Rhodes. Luna: Memnon—the one who later fought Alexander? Lucas: Same family, actually. Memnon and his brother Mentor were famous mercenaries. So Athens sent out a fleet under three generals: Chares, Timotheus, and Iphicrates. And right away, things got messy. The generals disagreed on strategy. Timotheus and Iphicrates refused to engage the enemy fleet because of a storm. Chares called them cowards, and later charged them with bribery back in Athens. Luna: Wow, so they were fighting each other as much as the enemy. Lucas: Pretty much. Timotheus and Iphicrates were put on trial. Timotheus was fined so heavily he went into exile; Iphicrates was acquitted but never really recovered. So Chares was left in command, and he forced a battle at a place called Embata, near Erythrae. It did not go well. Luna: What happened at Embata? Lucas: The Athenian fleet tried to force a landing, but the allied ships—especially the Chian contingent—were well-drilled. Memnon's mercenaries fought hard. The battle was indecisive, but Athens couldn't break the rebellion. Then, to make matters worse, Chares needed money, so he started raiding Persian territory. That brought the Persian king, Artaxerxes III, into the war—on the side of Athens' enemies. Luna: So Athens was fighting Persia and its own former allies at the same time? Lucas: Exactly. And it only got worse. The Persians sent a fleet that joined the rebels, and Athens realized they couldn't win. By 355 BCE, Athens made peace, recognizing the independence of Chios, Rhodes, Kos, and Byzantion. The Second Athenian Confederacy was effectively dead. Luna: So the Social War really ended Athens' last chance at empire? Lucas: Yes, and the timing was terrible. Because just a few years later, Philip II of Macedon started expanding south. A united Greece under Athens might have stopped him. But after the Social War, Athens was exhausted, its allies were gone, and its treasury was empty. Philip walked right through. Luna: It's like the Social War set the stage for Macedonian domination. Lucas: Absolutely. And you know, if this conversation has been worth a coffee to you, that's the link: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, but listener support is what keeps this show ad-free and running. Luna: Yeah, it really helps. And we appreciate everyone who does. Lucas: So back to the war: one of the most lasting consequences was that it weakened Athens' credibility as a leader. Other allies saw that Athens couldn't protect them, so they started looking elsewhere. And that elsewhere was usually Macedon. Luna: Did any of the rebel cities suffer for their rebellion? Lucas: Not really. They got their independence, and they kept it for a while. But ironically, some of them, like Byzantion, later had to submit to Philip anyway. The Social War just changed who would be the next hegemon. Luna: So it was a short-lived victory for the rebels. Lucas: Exactly. And it's a reminder that for all its democratic ideals, Athens couldn't resist the temptation of empire. The Social War isn't as famous as the Peloponnesian War, but in some ways, it sealed Greece's fate.