Cersobleptes
Encyclopedia
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 Euboea
n adventurer, Charidemus
, who was connected by marriage with the royal family. The area controlled by Cersobleptes was east of the river Hebrus.
Charidemus bore the prominent part in the ensuing contests and negotiations with Athens
for the possession of the Thracian Chersonese
, Cersobleptes appearing throughout as a mere cipher. The peninsula seems to have been finally ceded to the Athenians in 357 BC
, though they did not occupy it with their settlers till 353
; nor perhaps is the language of Isocrates
so decisive against this early date as it may appear at first sight. For some time after the cession of the Chersonese, Cersobleptes continued to court assiduously the favour of the Athenians, being perhaps restrained from aggression by the fear of their squadron in the Hellespont.
On the death of Berisades, before 352 BC
, Cersobleptes conceived, or rather Charidemus conceived for him, the design of excluding the children of the deceased prince from their inheritance, and obtaining possession of all the dominions of Cotys; and it was with a view to the furtherance of this object that Charidemus obtained from the Athenian people, through his party among the orators, the decree in his favour for which its mover Aristocrates
was impeached, but unsuccessfully, in the speech of Demosthenes
yet extant. From a passing allusion in this oration, it appears that Cersobleptes had been negotiating with king Philip II of Macedon
ia for a combined attack on the Chersonese, which however came to nothing in consequence of the refusal of Amadocus to allow Philip a passage through his territory. But after the passing of the decree above-mentioned, Philip became the enemy of Cersobleptes, and in 352 BC
made a successful expedition into Thrace, gained a firm ascendancy in the country, and brought away a son of Cersobleptes as a hostage.
Both Cersobleptes and Amadocus appear to have been subjected by Philip early in 347 BC, not long after Cetriporis
, the son and successor of Berisades, suffered the same fate. The two rulers, having appealed to the Macedonian ruler to arbitrate a dispute between them, were then been forced to acknowledge his suzereinty when the "judge" showed up with an army.
At the time of the peace between Athens and Philip in 346 BC
, we find Cersobleptes again involved in hostilities with the Macedon
ian king, who in fact was absent in Thrace when the second Athenian embassy arrived at his capital Pella
, and did not return to give them audience until he had completely conquered Cersobleptes.
In the course of the next three years, Cersobleptes seems to have recovered strength sufficient to throw off the yoke, and, according to Diodorus
, persisted in his attacks on the Greek
cities on the Hellespont. Accordingly, in 343 BC
, Philip again marched against him, defeated him in several battles, and reduced him to the condition of a tributary.
Kerseblept Nunatak
on Greenwich Island
in the South Shetland Islands
, Antarctica is named for Cersobleptes.
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...
, on whose death in 358 BC
358 BC
Year 358 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Ambustus and Proculus...
he inherited the kingdom in conjunction with Berisades
Berisades
Berisades was a ruler in Thrace, who inherited, in conjunction with Amadocus II and Cersobleptes, the dominions of the Thracian king Cotys on the death of the latter in 358 BC...
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 Euboea
Euboea
Euboea is the second largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. The narrow Euripus Strait separates it from Boeotia in mainland Greece. In general outline it is a long and narrow, seahorse-shaped island; it is about long, and varies in breadth from to...
n adventurer, 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...
, who was connected by marriage with the royal family. The area controlled by Cersobleptes was east of the river Hebrus.
Charidemus bore the prominent part in the ensuing contests and negotiations with Athens
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...
for the possession 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...
, Cersobleptes appearing throughout as a mere cipher. The peninsula seems to have been finally ceded to the Athenians in 357 BC
357 BC
Year 357 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rutilus and Imperiosus...
, though they did not occupy it with their settlers till 353
353 BC
Year 353 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Peticus and Poplicola...
; nor perhaps is the language of 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....
so decisive against this early date as it may appear at first sight. For some time after the cession of the Chersonese, Cersobleptes continued to court assiduously the favour of the Athenians, being perhaps restrained from aggression by the fear of their squadron in the Hellespont.
On the death of Berisades, before 352 BC
352 BC
Year 352 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Poplicola and Rutilus...
, Cersobleptes conceived, or rather Charidemus conceived for him, the design of excluding the children of the deceased prince from their inheritance, and obtaining possession of all the dominions of Cotys; and it was with a view to the furtherance of this object that Charidemus obtained from the Athenian people, through his party among the orators, the decree in his favour for which its mover Aristocrates
Aristocrates of Athens
Aristocrates was a person against whom Demosthenes wrote an oration, still extant, entitled Against Aristocrates...
was impeached, but unsuccessfully, in the speech of 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...
yet extant. From a passing allusion in this oration, it appears that Cersobleptes had been negotiating with 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:...
ia for a combined attack on the Chersonese, which however came to nothing in consequence of the refusal of Amadocus to allow Philip a passage through his territory. But after the passing of the decree above-mentioned, Philip became the enemy of Cersobleptes, and in 352 BC
352 BC
Year 352 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Poplicola and Rutilus...
made a successful expedition into Thrace, gained a firm ascendancy in the country, and brought away a son of Cersobleptes as a hostage.
Both Cersobleptes and Amadocus appear to have been subjected by Philip early in 347 BC, not long after Cetriporis
Cetriporis
Cetriporis was a was a king of the Odrysian kingdom in western Thrace from ca. 352 BC, in succession to his father Berisades, with whom he may already have been a co-ruler. He and his father had entered into an alliance with Athens and the Illyrians against Philip II of Macedonia in 358 BC...
, the son and successor of Berisades, suffered the same fate. The two rulers, having appealed to the Macedonian ruler to arbitrate a dispute between them, were then been forced to acknowledge his suzereinty when the "judge" showed up with an army.
At the time of the peace between Athens and Philip in 346 BC
346 BC
Year 346 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Corvus and Visolus...
, we find Cersobleptes again involved in hostilities with the Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
ian king, who in fact was absent in Thrace when the second Athenian embassy arrived at his capital Pella
Pella
Pella , an ancient Greek city located in Pella Prefecture of Macedonia in Greece, was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia.-Etymology:...
, and did not return to give them audience until he had completely conquered Cersobleptes.
In the course of the next three years, Cersobleptes seems to have recovered strength sufficient to throw off the yoke, and, 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...
, persisted in his attacks on the Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
cities on the Hellespont. Accordingly, in 343 BC
343 BC
Year 343 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Corvus and Arvina...
, Philip again marched against him, defeated him in several battles, and reduced him to the condition of a tributary.
Kerseblept Nunatak
Kerseblept Nunatak
Kerseblept Nunatak is a rocky hill of elevation 90 m projecting from Yakoruda Glacier on Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica...
on Greenwich Island
Greenwich Island (South Shetland Islands)
Greenwich Island is an island long and from wide, lying between Robert Island and Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. Surface area...
in the South Shetland Islands
South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...
, Antarctica is named for Cersobleptes.