The Mission of Amphoterus and the Outbreak of Agis' War

Abstract

MUCH ATTENTION has recently been devoted to the ill-fated war which the Spartan king, Agis III, waged against the Macedonian domination of Greece.' Rightly so, for the episode is of crucial importance in determining the strength of Greek resistance to the military and political predominance of Macedon and still more in assessing the priorities of Alexander the Great, once he had turned his back on the Mediterranean seaboard. Unfortunately the extant sources are deficient and inconsistent in matters of chronology, and two rival constructions have emerged. On one hypothes:, the revolt in the Peloponnese began in the spring of 331 B.c. and continued until autumn of the same year.2 Alternatively, it is argued, the war began in late summer, 331, and continued into the campaigning season of 330.3 The interval between these two chronological outlines is only a few months, but the period is perhaps the most momentous of Alexander's whole reign, the period during which the king moved from Egypt to Ecbatana. It is obviously crucial to determine at what point Alexander heard that full-scale war had broken out in the Peloponnese, for only then can we determine the effectiveness of his response to the emergency. In my opinion a sure terminus post quem can be established,