Photo cover: Thracian warrior from the classical era possibly from the Odrysian kingdom.

In 465/4 BCE, the Athenians, seeking to bring back the Thasians who had withdrawn from the Delian League in discontent, sent a fleet to Thasos. In the ensuing naval battle, they emerged victorious and landed on the island, initiating a siege that would last until 462 BCE. Concurrently, the Athenians also made a land movement towards Pangaeum, a neighboring region that had long been an attractive prospect for Athenian ambitions. This area boasted rich deposits of gold, silver, and timber, making it a valuable asset for sustaining Athenian hegemony.
Within these lands resided the Edonians, a powerful Thracian tribe spanning the broader regions of Thracia and Macedonia, from Lake Akinos to the mouth of the Nestos River.

Approximately 30 years earlier, in 497/6 BCE, the Edonians had demonstrated their tenacious nature when they, under the leadership of Aristagoras, annihilated the besieging Milesians in Myrcinus, surprising them with a sudden sortie from the city. Their historical presence is particularly noted during the Classical period, and they played a significant role in the geopolitics of the time. Herodotus, often referred to as the “Father of History,” provided valuable insights into the Thracians in his work. According to him, the Thracians were the second most numerous people in the world during his time. Despite their lack of political unity and central authority that hindered their potential as a formidable force they placed a high value on military skills and bravery on the battlefield, especially as light infantry and cavalry.

Responding to the strategic significance of Pangaeum and its resources, the Athenians dispatched 10,000 colonists led by Leagros and Sostratos to the Strymon River. Among them were 2,500 to 3,000 soldiers, mainly hoplites and light infantry, not only from Athens but also from their allied forces. Their aim was to settle in the city then known as Ennea Odoi (Nine Roads), present-day Amphipolis. The overall numbers indicate Athens’ intention to firmly establish its presence in the region, serving as a permanent source of provisions for the metropolis and potentially expanding into neighboring areas. Although the city was easily captured, the Edonians were forced to retreat further into the Thracian hinterlands.

However, as the Athenian force moved towards the northeast, near modern-day Nea Zichni, an ambush awaited them. Thousands of Thracians from neighboring tribes, foreseeing the Athenian colonization as a future problem, gathered to confront them. The Athenians were caught off guard when the Thracians, numerous, tall, and fierce, armed with imposing swords, axes, xiphos (swords), spears, and shields, descended upon them like a thunderbolt.

The defeat was comprehensive, leading to the immediate abandonment of the expedition, and the survivors were minimal. According to Thucydides (1.100.3), they were “destroyed” in Drabescus in the Edonian territory by the Thracians. The Athenians would need twenty-nine years (437/6 BCE) to return and establish the colony again, this time led by Agnon, son of Nicias, finally expelling the Edonians and fortifying the city, giving it the name Amphipolis due to the Strymon River surrounding it on both sides (Thuc. 4.102.3).

The historian Russell Meiggs, in “Athenian Empire” (Oxford, 1972), mentions that the military force was only 300 men. However, it seems unlikely that such a large colony of 10,000 would be guarded by so few, especially in a hostile and dangerous environment. If the number is accurate, it might pertain only to hoplites, but this should be approached with caution. On the other hand, Fred Eugene Ray, in “Land Battles in 5th Century B.C. Greece” (McFarland, 2008), suggests a phalanx of 2,500 to 3,000 hoplites, indicating a much larger force and making the scale of the disaster even more significant.

Approximately 40 years later, in 422 BCE, the Edonians would contribute to yet another defeat of the Athenians during the Greek Civil War, the Peloponnesian War, by aligning themselves with 1,500 men, hoplites, and cavalry under the Spartan general Brasidas. In that year, they would decimate the forces of the Athenian general Cleon in the Battle of Amphipolis, causing losses of at least 600 dead hoplites.

Bibliography

Herodotus, Histories (Ἱστορίαι)
Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War
Fred Eugene Ray, Jr., «Land Battles in 5th Century BC Greece: A History and Analysis of 173 Engagements», McFarland, 2008.
Russell Meiggs, «The Athenian Empire», Oxford University Press (October 11, 1979)