Chares of Athens
Encyclopedia
Chares and was an Athenian
general
, who for a number of years was a key commander of Athenian forces.
. The city was hard pressed by the Arcadia
ns and Argives
, assisted by the Theban
commander at Sicyon
. His forces were successful in relieving the city. (It was during this campaign that Aeschines
, the orator, first distinguished himself.)
After this successful action, Chares was recalled to take the command against Oropus; and the recovery of their harbour by the Sicyonians from the Sparta
n garrison, immediately on his departure, shows how important his presence had been for the support of the Spartan cause in the north of the Peloponnese
.
In 361 BC, Chares was appointed to succeed the Athenian admiral Leosthenes
, following the Leosthenes' defeat by Alexander of Pherae
. Sailing to Corcyra, he supported the city's oligarchic party. With Chares' support, the oligarchs gained control but with much bloodshed. However, his action not only created hostility amongst Corcyra's democratic parties but he failed to maintain good relations with the oligarchs. As a result, the island was later lost to the Athenians when the Social War
broke out.
In 358 BC Chares was sent to Thrace
as general with full power. He was able to force Charidemus
to ratify the treaty which he had made with Athenodorus. In the following year, with the start of the Social War, he was appointed one of Athen's generals. In the second campaign of the War in 356 BC, following the death of Chabrias
, he had joint command of the Athenian forces with Iphicrates
and Timotheus
.
According to Diodorus
, when, because of a bad storm, his colleagues refused to fight the enemy despite Chares eagerness to do so, Chares reported their failings to Athens, and they were recalled and subsequently brought to trial. In contrast to Diodorus, Cornelius Nepos
considered that Chares did attack the enemy in spite of the weather, but was defeated. Then, in order to protect himself, he accused his colleagues of not supporting him. In the subsequent prosecution he was aided by Aristophon
.
Being now left in the sole command, and needing funds, which he was unwilling to seek from Athens, with the support of his mercenary troops, he responded by entering into the service of Artabazus
, the rebellious satrap
of Hellespontine Phrygia. The Athenians at first approved of this action, but afterwards ordered him to drop his connection with Artabazus following complaints from the Persian
king Artaxerxes III Ochus
. In this regard, it is probable that the threat from Artaxerxes III to support the confederates against Athens hastened the termination of the Social War. The quick end to the war was supported by Eubulus
and Isocrates
, by opposed by Chares and his party.
In 353 BC, Chares was sent against Sestus, which, along with Cardia
, had been unwilling to submit to Athens notwithstanding the ceding of the Thracian Chersonese
to Athens in 357 BC. He took the town, massacred the men, and sold the women and children for slaves.
; but he seems to have achieved very little . His command was then passed to Charidemus, who in the ensuing year, 348 BC, was himself replaced as commander by Chares. In this campaign he gained some slight success on one occasion over King Philip II of Macedon
's mercenaries, and celebrated it by a feast given to the Athenians with a portion of the money which had been sacrilegiously taken from Delphi
, and some of which had found its way into his hands.
On his euthyne (the public scrutiny to which every public officer was submitted after having discharged his duties) he was impeached by Cephisodotus
, who complained, that "he was endeavouring to give his account after having got the people tight by the throat",. In 346 BC he was in command of Athenian forces again, this time in Thrace. When the Macedonian king, Philip, was preparing to march against Cersobleptes
, complaints arrived at Athens from the Chersonese that Chares had withdrawn and was nowhere to be found. Athens was obliged to send a squadron in search of him with the extraordinary message, that "the Athenians were surprised that, while Philip was marching against the Chersonese, they did not know where their general and his forces were." It is likely that he had been engaged in some private expedition seeking plunder. In the same year, and before the departure of the second embassy from Athens to Macedonia to discuss peace, a dispatch arrived from Chares discussing the hopeless condition of the affairs of Cersobleptes.
After this, there are no historical records about Chares for several years, during which he probably resided at Sigeion
, which, according to Theopompus
, was his favourite residence. But in a speech by Demosthenes
delivered in 341 BC, Chares is spoken of as possessing much influence at that time in the Athenian councils. Therefore, it is possible that Chares may have been one of those who authorized and defended the proceedings of Diopeithes
against king Philip in Thrace. In 340 BC, he was appointed to the command of the force which was sent to aid Byzantium
against Philip; but he was distrusted by the Byzantines, and they refused to receive him. Chares was ineffective against the Macedonians—his only exploits it is said were against the allies of Athens, whom he appears to plundered unscrupulously. He was accordingly superseded by Phocion
, who was very successful.
In 338 BC, Chares was sent to aid Amphissa
against Philip, who was defeated by Philip together with the Theban general, Proxenus. Of this defeat, which is mentioned by Aeschines, Demosthenes in his reply says nothing, but speaks of two battles in which the Athenians were victorious. In the same year, Chares was one of the commanders of the Athenian forces at the Battle of Chaeronea
. Despite the disastrous result, Chares escaped censure, or at least prosecution, though Lysicles, one of his colleagues, was tried and condemned to death.
Chares is mentioned by Arrian
among the Athenian orators and generals whom Alexander required to be surrendered to him in 335 BC, although Demades
persuaded Alexander not to press the demand against any but Charidemus. Plutarch
, however, omits the name of Chares in his list.
When Alexander invaded Asia Minor in 334 BC, Chares was living at Sigeion
, and he is mentioned again by Arrian as one of those who came to meet the king and pay their respects to him on his way to Troy
. After this Chares was a mercenary commander for Darius Codomannus
at Mytilene
, which had been captured in 333 BC by Pharnabazus and Autophradates
, but which Chares was compelled to surrender in the ensuing year.
After this event, no further information is available about Chares, but it is likely that he ended his days at Sigeion
.
. His bad faith passed into a proverb; and his rapacity was extraordinary, even amidst the system then prevailing, when the citizens of Athens would neither fight their own battles nor pay the men who fought them, and her commanders had to support their mercenaries as best they could. His triumphal career under the banners of the republic may be seen as a symptom of the decline of Athens' values and power.
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
, who for a number of years was a key commander of Athenian forces.
First campaigns
Chares, an Athenian general, is first mentioned in historical records in 367 BC, when he was sent to the aid of the city of PhliusPhlius
Phlius was a Greek city in the northwestern Argolid, in the Peloponnese, said to be named after the Greek hero, Phlias. Although geographically close to Argos, the city became a Spartan ally and a member of the Peloponnesian League....
. The city was hard pressed by the Arcadia
Arcadia
Arcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan...
ns and Argives
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
, assisted by the Theban
Thebes, Greece
Thebes is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. It played an important role in Greek myth, as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and others...
commander at Sicyon
Sicyon
Sikyon was an ancient Greek city situated in the northern Peloponnesus between Corinth and Achaea on the territory of the present-day prefecture of Corinthia...
. His forces were successful in relieving the city. (It was during this campaign that Aeschines
Aeschines
Aeschines was a Greek statesman and one of the ten Attic orators.-Life:Although it is known he was born in Athens, the records regarding his parentage and early life are conflicting; but it seems probable that his parents, though poor, were respectable. Aeschines' father was Atrometus, an...
, the orator, first distinguished himself.)
After this successful action, Chares was recalled to take the command against Oropus; and the recovery of their harbour by the Sicyonians from the Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
n garrison, immediately on his departure, shows how important his presence had been for the support of the Spartan cause in the north of the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
.
In 361 BC, Chares was appointed to succeed the Athenian admiral Leosthenes
Leosthenes (admiral)
Leosthenes was an Athenian, who commanded a fleet and armament in the Cyclades in 361 BC. Having allowed himself to be surprised by Alexander, tyrant of Pherae, and defeated, with a loss of five triremes and 600 men, he was condemned to death by the Athenians, as a punishment for his ill...
, following the Leosthenes' defeat by Alexander of Pherae
Alexander of Pherae
Alexander was tagus or despot of Pherae in Thessaly, and ruled from 369 BC to 358 BC.-Reign:The accounts of how he came to power vary somewhat in minor points. Diodorus Siculus tells us that upon the assassination of the tyrant Jason of Pherae, in 370 BC, his brother Polydorus ruled for a year,...
. Sailing to Corcyra, he supported the city's oligarchic party. With Chares' support, the oligarchs gained control but with much bloodshed. However, his action not only created hostility amongst Corcyra's democratic parties but he failed to maintain good relations with the oligarchs. As a result, the island was later lost to the Athenians when the Social War
Social War (357-355 BC)
The Social War, also known as the War of the Allies, was fought from 357 BC to 355 BC between Athens with its Second Athenian Empire and between the allies of Chios, Rhodes, and Cos as well as the independent Byzantion.-Origins:...
broke out.
In 358 BC Chares was sent to Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
as general with full power. He was able to force Charidemus
Charidemus
Charidemus , of Oreus in Euboea, was a Greek mercenary leader of the 4th century BC.About 367 BC he fought under the Athenian general Iphicrates against Amphipolis...
to ratify the treaty which he had made with Athenodorus. In the following year, with the start of the Social War, he was appointed one of Athen's generals. In the second campaign of the War in 356 BC, following the death of Chabrias
Chabrias
Chabrias was a celebrated Athenian general of the 4th century BC. In 388 BC he defeated the Spartans and Aeginetans under Gorgopas at Aegina and commanded the fleet sent to assist Evagoras, king of Cyprus, against the Persians. In 378, when Athens entered into an alliance with Thebes against...
, he had joint command of the Athenian forces with Iphicrates
Iphicrates
Iphicrates was an Athenian general, the son of a shoemaker, who flourished in the earlier half of the 4th century BC....
and Timotheus
Timotheus (general)
Timotheus was a Greek statesman and general who sought to revive Athenian imperial ambitions by making Athens dominant in a second Athenian Empire. He was the son of the Athenian general, Conon...
.
According to Diodorus
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian who flourished between 60 and 30 BC. According to Diodorus' own work, he was born at Agyrium in Sicily . With one exception, antiquity affords no further information about Diodorus' life and doings beyond what is to be found in his own work, Bibliotheca...
, when, because of a bad storm, his colleagues refused to fight the enemy despite Chares eagerness to do so, Chares reported their failings to Athens, and they were recalled and subsequently brought to trial. In contrast to Diodorus, Cornelius Nepos
Cornelius Nepos
Cornelius Nepos was a Roman biographer. He was born at Hostilia, a village in Cisalpine Gaul not far from Verona. His Gallic origin is attested by Ausonius, and Pliny the Elder calls him Padi accola...
considered that Chares did attack the enemy in spite of the weather, but was defeated. Then, in order to protect himself, he accused his colleagues of not supporting him. In the subsequent prosecution he was aided by Aristophon
Aristophon of Azenia
Aristophon was native of the deme of Azenia in Attica. He lived about and after the end of the Peloponnesian war...
.
Being now left in the sole command, and needing funds, which he was unwilling to seek from Athens, with the support of his mercenary troops, he responded by entering into the service of Artabazus
Artabazus of Phrygia
Artabazus was a Persian general and satrap. He was the son of the Persian satrap of Phrygia, Pharnabazus, and younger kinsman of Ariobarzanes of Phrygia who revolted against Artaxerxes II around 366 BC.-Revolt by Ariobarzan:In 362 BC, Artabazus was sent by Artaxerxes II to capture Datames, the...
, the rebellious satrap
Satrap
Satrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
of Hellespontine Phrygia. The Athenians at first approved of this action, but afterwards ordered him to drop his connection with Artabazus following complaints from the Persian
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
king Artaxerxes III Ochus
Artaxerxes III of Persia
Artaxerxes III of Persia , was the Great King of Persia and the eleventh Emperor of the Achaemenid Empire, as well as the first Pharaoh of the 31st dynasty of Egypt. He was the son and successor of Artaxerxes II and was succeeded by his son, Arses of Persia...
. In this regard, it is probable that the threat from Artaxerxes III to support the confederates against Athens hastened the termination of the Social War. The quick end to the war was supported by Eubulus
Eubulus (statesman)
Eubulus, or Euboulos was a statesman of ancient Athens, who was very influential in Athenian politics during the period 355 BC to 342 BC and was notable for his abilities in managing Athenian finances....
and Isocrates
Isocrates
Isocrates , an ancient Greek rhetorician, was one of the ten Attic orators. In his time, he was probably the most influential rhetorician in Greece and made many contributions to rhetoric and education through his teaching and written works....
, by opposed by Chares and his party.
In 353 BC, Chares was sent against Sestus, which, along with Cardia
Cardia (Thrace)
Cardia , anciently the chief town of the Thracian Chersonese , was situated at the head of the gulf of Melas...
, had been unwilling to submit to Athens notwithstanding the ceding of the Thracian Chersonese
Thracian Chersonese
The Thracian Chersonese was the ancient name of the Gallipoli peninsula, in the part of historic Thrace that is now part of modern Turkey.The peninsula runs in a south-westerly direction into the Aegean Sea, between the Hellespont and the bay of Melas . Near Agora it was protected by a wall...
to Athens in 357 BC. He took the town, massacred the men, and sold the women and children for slaves.
Wars against the Macedonians
In the Olynthian War (349 BC), he was appointed general of the mercenaries sent from Athens to the aid of OlynthusOlynthus
Olynthus was an ancient city of Chalcidice, built mostly on two flat-topped hills 30–40m in height, in a fertile plain at the head of the Gulf of Torone, near the neck of the peninsula of Pallene, about 2.5 kilometers from the sea, and about 60 stadia Olynthus was an ancient city of...
; but he seems to have achieved very little . His command was then passed to Charidemus, who in the ensuing year, 348 BC, was himself replaced as commander by Chares. In this campaign he gained some slight success on one occasion over King Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon "friend" + ἵππος "horse" — transliterated ; 382 – 336 BC), was a king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.-Biography:...
's mercenaries, and celebrated it by a feast given to the Athenians with a portion of the money which had been sacrilegiously taken from Delphi
Delphi
Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis.In Greek mythology, Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god...
, and some of which had found its way into his hands.
On his euthyne (the public scrutiny to which every public officer was submitted after having discharged his duties) he was impeached by Cephisodotus
Cephisodotus (general)
Cephisodotus was an Athenian general and orator, who was sent with Callias, Autocles, and others in 371 BC to negotiate peace with Sparta. Again, in 369 BC, when the Spartan ambassadors had come to Athens to settle the terms of the desired alliance between the states, and the Athenian council had...
, who complained, that "he was endeavouring to give his account after having got the people tight by the throat",. In 346 BC he was in command of Athenian forces again, this time in Thrace. When the Macedonian king, Philip, was preparing to march against Cersobleptes
Cersobleptes
Cersobleptes was son of Cotys, king of Thrace, on whose death in 358 BC he inherited the kingdom in conjunction with Berisades and Amadocus II, who were probably his brothers. He was very young at the time, and the whole management of his affairs was assumed by the Euboean adventurer, Charidemus,...
, complaints arrived at Athens from the Chersonese that Chares had withdrawn and was nowhere to be found. Athens was obliged to send a squadron in search of him with the extraordinary message, that "the Athenians were surprised that, while Philip was marching against the Chersonese, they did not know where their general and his forces were." It is likely that he had been engaged in some private expedition seeking plunder. In the same year, and before the departure of the second embassy from Athens to Macedonia to discuss peace, a dispatch arrived from Chares discussing the hopeless condition of the affairs of Cersobleptes.
After this, there are no historical records about Chares for several years, during which he probably resided at Sigeion
Sigeion
Sigeion was a Greek city in the north-west of the Troad region of Anatolia located at the mouth of the Scamander . Sigeion commanded a ridge between the Aegean Sea and the Scamander which is now known as Yenişehir and is a part of the Çanakkale district in Çanakkale province, Turkey...
, which, according to Theopompus
Theopompus
Theopompus was a Greek historian and rhetorician- Biography :Theopompus was born on Chios. In early youth he seems to have spent some time at Athens, along with his father, who had been exiled on account of his Laconian sympathies...
, was his favourite residence. But in a speech by Demosthenes
Demosthenes
Demosthenes was a prominent Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide an insight into the politics and culture of ancient Greece during the 4th century BC. Demosthenes learned rhetoric by...
delivered in 341 BC, Chares is spoken of as possessing much influence at that time in the Athenian councils. Therefore, it is possible that Chares may have been one of those who authorized and defended the proceedings of Diopeithes
Diopeithes
Diopeithes was an Athenian general, probably father of the poet Menander, who was sent out to the Thracian Chersonese about 343 BC, at the head of a body of Athenian settlers or κληρoυχoι...
against king Philip in Thrace. In 340 BC, he was appointed to the command of the force which was sent to aid Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
against Philip; but he was distrusted by the Byzantines, and they refused to receive him. Chares was ineffective against the Macedonians—his only exploits it is said were against the allies of Athens, whom he appears to plundered unscrupulously. He was accordingly superseded by Phocion
Phocion
Phocion was an Athenian statesman and strategos, and the subject of one of Plutarch's Parallel Lives....
, who was very successful.
In 338 BC, Chares was sent to aid Amphissa
Amfissa
Amfissa is a town and a former municipality in Phocis, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Delphi, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is also the capital of the regional unit of Phocis...
against Philip, who was defeated by Philip together with the Theban general, Proxenus. Of this defeat, which is mentioned by Aeschines, Demosthenes in his reply says nothing, but speaks of two battles in which the Athenians were victorious. In the same year, Chares was one of the commanders of the Athenian forces at the Battle of Chaeronea
Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC)
The Battle of Chaeronea was fought in 338 BC, near the city of Chaeronea in Boeotia, between the forces of Philip II of Macedon and an alliance of Greek city-states...
. Despite the disastrous result, Chares escaped censure, or at least prosecution, though Lysicles, one of his colleagues, was tried and condemned to death.
Chares is mentioned by Arrian
Arrian
Lucius Flavius Arrianus 'Xenophon , known in English as Arrian , and Arrian of Nicomedia, was a Roman historian, public servant, a military commander and a philosopher of the 2nd-century Roman period...
among the Athenian orators and generals whom Alexander required to be surrendered to him in 335 BC, although Demades
Demades
-Background and early life:He was born into a poor family of ancient Paeania and was employed at one time as a common sailor, but he rose partly by his eloquence and partly by his unscrupulous character to a prominent position at Athens...
persuaded Alexander not to press the demand against any but Charidemus. Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
, however, omits the name of Chares in his list.
When Alexander invaded Asia Minor in 334 BC, Chares was living at Sigeion
Sigeion
Sigeion was a Greek city in the north-west of the Troad region of Anatolia located at the mouth of the Scamander . Sigeion commanded a ridge between the Aegean Sea and the Scamander which is now known as Yenişehir and is a part of the Çanakkale district in Çanakkale province, Turkey...
, and he is mentioned again by Arrian as one of those who came to meet the king and pay their respects to him on his way to Troy
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
. After this Chares was a mercenary commander for Darius Codomannus
Darius III of Persia
Darius III , also known by his given name of Codomannus, was the last king of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia from 336 BC to 330 BC....
at Mytilene
Mytilene
Mytilene is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lesbos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is the capital of the island of Lesbos. Mytilene, whose name is pre-Greek, is built on the...
, which had been captured in 333 BC by Pharnabazus and Autophradates
Autophradates
Autophradates was a Persian who distinguished himself as a general in the reign of Artaxerxes III and Darius Codomannus. In the reign of the former he made Artabazus, the revolted satrap of Lydia and Ionia, his prisoner, but afterwards set him free...
, but which Chares was compelled to surrender in the ensuing year.
After this event, no further information is available about Chares, but it is likely that he ended his days at Sigeion
Sigeion
Sigeion was a Greek city in the north-west of the Troad region of Anatolia located at the mouth of the Scamander . Sigeion commanded a ridge between the Aegean Sea and the Scamander which is now known as Yenişehir and is a part of the Çanakkale district in Çanakkale province, Turkey...
.
Appraisal
As a general, Chares has been charged with rashness, especially in the needless exposure of his own person; this said he appears to have been, during the greater portion of his career, the best commander that Athens had. In politics, we see him connected throughout with Demosthenes. Morally he must have been an incubus on any party to which he attached himself, notwithstanding the assistance he might sometimes render it through the orators whom he is said to have kept constantly in pay. His alleged profligacy, which was measureless, he unblushingly avowed and gloried in, openly ridiculing the austere PhocionPhocion
Phocion was an Athenian statesman and strategos, and the subject of one of Plutarch's Parallel Lives....
. His bad faith passed into a proverb; and his rapacity was extraordinary, even amidst the system then prevailing, when the citizens of Athens would neither fight their own battles nor pay the men who fought them, and her commanders had to support their mercenaries as best they could. His triumphal career under the banners of the republic may be seen as a symptom of the decline of Athens' values and power.
Sources
- Smith, WilliamWilliam Smith (lexicographer)Sir William Smith Kt. was a noted English lexicographer.-Early life:Born at Enfield in 1813 of Nonconformist parents, he was originally destined for a theological career, but instead was articled to a solicitor. In his spare time he taught himself classics, and when he entered University College...
(editor); Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and MythologyDictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and MythologyThe Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary.- Characteristic :...
, "Chares", BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, (1867)