CHAP. XCVIII.] FORTUNE AND POWER OF DIONYSIUS. 633 terus, instead of undertaking the ill-advised expedition against Egypt, wherein he perished'. The tide of fortune now turned more than ever B.c.322 304. dence of -he Amastris his favour gonus-his in favour of Dionysius. With Antipater and Kra- Prosperity terus, the preponderant potentates in his neigh- and prubourhood, he was on the best terms; and it hap- Dionysius pened at this juncture to suit the political views marries of Kraterus to dismiss his Persian wife Amastris m (niece of the late Persian king Darius, and conferred with Antiupon Kraterus by Alexander when he himself mar- death. ried Statira), for the purpose of espousing Phila daughter of Antipater. Amastris was given in marriage to Dionysius; for him, a splendid exaltation-attesting the personal influence which he had previously acquired. His new wife, herself a woman of ability and energy, brought to him a large sum from the regal treasure, as well as the means of greatly extending his dominion round Herakleia. Noway corrupted by this good fortune, he still persevered both in his conciliating rule at home, and his prudent alliances abroad, making himself especially useful to Antigonus. That great chief, preponderant throughout most parts of Asia Minor, was establishing his ascendency in Bithynia and the neighbourhood of the Propontis, by founding the city of Antigonia in the rich plain adjoining the Askanian Lake. Dionysius lent effective maritime aid to Antigonus, in that war which ended by his conquest of Cyprus from the Egyptian Ptolemy (307 B.C.). To the other Ptolemy, nephew and general of Antigonus, Dionysius gave his daughter in marriage; and he even felt himself 1 Memnon, c. 4. 2 Strabo, xii. p. 565. B.C. 304. -marries Lysima chus-is divorced from him and Oxa thres kill are killed by Lysimachus. powerful enough to assume the title of king, after Antigonus, Lysimachus, and the Egyptian Ptolemy had done the like'. He died, after reigning thirty years with consummate political skill and uninterrupted prosperity-except that during the last few years he lost his health from excessive corpulence2. Dionysius left three children under age-Klearchus, Oxathres and a daughter-by his wife Amastris; whom he constituted regent, and who, partly through the cordial support of Antigonus, maintained the Herakleotic dominion unimpaired. PreKlearchus sently Lysimachus, king of Thrace and of the Thracian Chersonese (on the isthmus of which he Amastris had founded the city of Lysimacheia), coveted this as a valuable alliance, paid his court to Amastris, and married her. The Herakleotic queen thus enjoyed double protection, and was enabled to avoid taking part in the formidable conflict of Ipsus (300 B.C.); wherein the allies Lysimachus, Kassander, Ptolemy, and Seleukus were victorious over Antigonus. The latter being slain, and his Asiatic power crushed, Lysimachus got possession of Antigonia, the recent foundation of his rival in Bithynia, and changed its name to Nikaa. After a certain time, however, Lysimachus became desirous of marrying Arsinoê, daughter of the Egyptian Ptolemy; accordingly, Amastris divorced herself from him, and set up for 1 Memnon, c. 4: compare Diodor. xx. 53. Nymphis, Fragm. 16. ap. Athenæum, xii. p. 549; Elian, V. H. ix. 13. 3 Strabo, xii. p. 565. So also Antioch, on the Orontes in Syria, the great foundation of Seleukus Nikator, was established on or near the site of another Antigonia, also previously founded by Antigonus Monophthalmus (Strabo, xv. p. 750). CHAP. XCVIII.] AMASTRIS.-KLEARCHUS. 635 herself separately as regent of Herakleia. Her two sons being now nearly of age, she founded and fortified, for her own residence, the neighbouring city of Amastris, about sixty miles eastward of Herakleia on the coast of the Euxine'. These young men, Klearchus and Oxathres, assumed the government of Herakleia, and entered upon various warlike enterprises; of which we know only, that Klearchus accompanied Lysimachus in his expedition against the Getæ, sharing the fate of that prince, who was defeated and taken prisoner. Both afterwards obtained their release, and Klearchus returned to Herakleia; where he ruled in a cruel and oppressive manner, and even committed the enormity (in conjunction with his brother Oxathres) of killing his mother Amastris. This crime was avenged by her former husband Lysimachus; who, coming to Herakleia under professions of friendship (B.c. 286), caused Klearchus and Oxathres to be put to death, seized their treasure, and keeping separate possession of the citadel only, allowed the Herakleots to establish a popular government2. mistress of Defeat and chus. Seleukus. Lysimachus, however, was soon persuaded by his Arsinoê wife Arsinoê to make over Herakleia to her, as it Herakleia. had been formerly possessed by Amastris; and Ar-eath of sinoê sent thither a Kymæan officer named Hera- Lysimakleides, who carried with him force sufficient to Power of re-establish the former despotism, with its oppressions and cruelties. For other purposes too, not less mischievous, the influence of Arsinoe was all-powerful. She prevailed upon Lysimachus to 1 Strabo, xii. P. 544. * Memnon, c. 6. B.C. 281. Herakleia emanci the despots, and a populár established exiles bold bear. ing of the citizens towards Seleukusdeath of Seleukus. kill his eldest son (by a former marriage) Agathokles, a young prince of the most estimable and eminent qualities. Such an atrocity, exciting universal abhorrence among the subjects of Lysimachus, enabled his rival Seleukus to attack him with success. In a great battle fought between these two princes, Lysimachus was defeated and slainby the hand and javelin of a citizen of Herakleia, named Malakon'. This victory transferred the dominions of the vanquished prince to Seleukus. At Herakleia too, pated from its effect was so powerful, that the citizens were enabled to shake off their despotism. They at first government tried to make terms with the governor Herakleides, -recall of offering him money as an inducement to withdraw. From him they obtained only an angry refusal; yet his subordinate officers of mercenaries, and commanders of detached posts in the Herakleotic territory, mistrusting their own power of holding out, accepted an amicable compromise with the citizens, who tendered to them full liquidation of arrears of pay, together with the citizenship. The Herakleots were thus enabled to discard Herakleides, and regain their popular government. They signalised their revolution by the impressive ceremony of demolishing their Bastile-the detached fort or stronghold within the city, which had served for eighty-four years as the characteristic symbol, and indispensable engine, of the antecedent despotism2. The city, now again a free commonwealth, was farther reinforced by the junction of Nymphis (the historian) and other Herakleotic 1 Memnon, c. 7, 8. * Memnon, c. 9; Strabo, xii. p. 542. CHAP. XCVIII.] HERAKLEIA BECOMES FREE. 637 citizens, who had hitherto been in exile. These men were restored, and welcomed by their fellow-citizens in full friendship and harmony; yet with express proviso, that no demand should be made for the restitution of their properties, long since confiscated'. To the victor Seleukus, however, and his officer Aphrodisius, the bold bearing of the newly-emancipated Herakleots proved offensive. They would probably have incurred great danger from him, had not his mind been first set upon the conquest of Macedonia, in the accomplishment of which he was murdered by Ptolemy Keraunus. and ma of Hera vernment able naval The Herakleots thus became again a common- Situation wealth of free citizens, without any detached cita- nagement del or mercenary garrison; yet they lost, seem- kleia as a ingly through the growing force and aggressions of free gosome inland dynasts, several of their outlying de- considerpendencies- Kierus, Tium, and Amastris. The power. two former they recovered some time afterwards by purchase, and they wished also to purchase back Amastris; but Eumenes, who held it, hated them so much, that he repudiated their money, and handed over the place gratuitously to the Kappadokian chief Ariobarzanes2. That their maritime power was at this time very great, we may see by the astonishing account given of their immense 1 Memnon, c. 11. 2 Memnon, c. 16. The inhabitants of Byzantium also purchased for a considerable sum the important position called the 'Iepòv, at the entrance of the Euxine on the Asiatic side (Polybius, iv. 50). These are rare examples, in ancient history, of cities acquiring territory or dependencies by purchase. Acquisitions were often made in this manner by the free German, Swiss, and Italian cities of mediaval Europe; but as to the Hellenic cities, I have not had occasion to record many such transactions in the course of this history. |