Cimon, son of Miltiades
In ancient Greece, and especially in Athens, they were not particularly able to love and appreciate their heroes. The well-known Miltiades, after the victory at Marathon, asked his fellow citizens for just an olive wreath - and received an answer:
Miltiades the Younger, bust, Roman copy after a Greek original
During his last expedition, Miltiades failed to capture Paros, but severely injured his thigh when falling from the fence of the local temple of the Terrible Goddesses, which he visited alone, probably wanting to make sacrifices. In Athens, he was put on trial, to which Miltiades had to be carried on a stretcher. Yes, there was such a “democracy” in Athens, and one can speak of the strategists of this policy in the words of Brodsky:
but they returned in fear to theirs.
The enemies demanded that Miltiades be sentenced to death, the court imposed a huge fine of 50 talents, until the payment of which the dying commander was imprisoned. Here he soon died of gangrene, and, according to the Athenian concepts of that time, his death as a debtor was dishonorable. Until the full amount of the fine was paid, Miltiades' place in prison was to be taken by his son and heir, Cimon. Cornelius Nepos reports that a wealthy Athenian named Kallias agreed to pay off the debt of the winner at Marathon - on the condition that Kimon Elpiniki's sister, who, by the way, was his brother's wife, became his wife (Attic laws allowed marriage between half-brothers and sisters).
So, in this article we will talk about Cimon, who was a commander no less outstanding than his father, and who also knew the strength of the ingratitude of the Athenians.
The origin and youth of the hero of the article
Cimon was the son of Miltiades and the daughter of the Thracian king Olora - Igisipila. Plutarch states:
Thucydides on a mosaic from Jerash, Pergamon Museum, Berlin - younger contemporary of Cimon, born shortly before his death
Kimon is described as a tall, well-built man with beautiful curly hair.
He was born around 512 BC. e. in Thracian Chersonese, where his father was a tyrant, and until the age of 19 he lived in this city. Let's say right away that tyrants in those days were called rulers who received power not by inheritance, but achieved it through their own efforts. In order to become a tyrant, it was not at all necessary to seize power by force. An example is Oedipus, who solved the riddle of the Sphinx and was chosen by the citizens of Thebes as the ruler of this city - he was just a tyrant. And the rulers who received power by inheritance were called basileus in Greece.
Miltiades, realizing the futility of resistance to the Persians, at first kept their side, but then joined the rebellious Greeks of the Ionian cities. In 493 BC. e. he was forced to flee to Athens. Growing up in luxury, Kimon, the grandson of the king and the son of a tyrant, did not know Athenian traditions and customs, and therefore at first he received a reputation here as an anemone and a varmint. In addition, he did not have a musical education that was obligatory for noble Athenian youths, which also served as an occasion for ridicule of ill-wishers. But his father, Miltiades, quickly became involved in the political life of the city. Three years later he won the famous victory at Marathon, after which Themistocles often repeated that he was not allowed to sleep by the laurels of Miltiades.
Greek warriors of the XNUMXth century. BC e.
Persian warriors VI-V centuries. BC e.
A year later, after the failure at Paros, Miltiades died in prison. His son Kimon, who at that time was 23 years old, and his daughter Elpinika found themselves in the most desperate situation, almost in poverty. Nobody wanted to marry a dowry, and she had to marry her half-brother. Plutarch reports:
As we remember, in the end Cimon had to give it to the rich Kallis. It is not known how Elpinika herself reacted to this.
The beginning of a military and political career
For the first time, Cimon showed himself during the next Greco-Persian war, when the army of Xerxes was approaching Athens. Themistocles suggested that the citizens leave the city, arguing that the best walls of Athens were the sides of ships, but many citizens did not support him. Everyone was greatly impressed by the demonstration that Kimon organized: a group of young people, in full view of everyone, went to the Acropolis, where they dedicated the bit of their horses to Pallas Athena and, taking the shields that hung on the walls of the temple, went to the ships. With his actions, Kimon wanted to show that his hometown now needs sailors. In the ensuing Battle of Salamis (September 28, 480 BC), Cimon fought as a private and drew attention to himself by personal bravery. And then, unexpectedly for everyone, the former varmint found himself at the center of the political life of Athens, joining the party of Aristides and thus becoming an opponent of Themistocles. Marriage to Isodike, a girl from a noble family of Alkmeonids, strengthened his position. Already in 479 BC. e. Cimon was among the Athenian ambassadors sent to Sparta. Then he and Aristides were appointed strategists: they were entrusted with the leadership of the Athenian ships that became part of the allied fleet. The overall command was carried out by the Spartan king Pausanias, who in 479 BC. e. won a great victory at the Battle of Plataea. A campaign against Byzantium was organized, which was recaptured from the Persians. However, Pausanias, with his rudeness, turned all the Greek allies against himself, as a result he was recalled to Sparta, and Cimon was chosen as commander-in-chief. In 477 BC. e. he led a successful expedition to Thrace, where the city of Eion was captured.
The following year, Cimon defeated the pirates of Skyros. Here he found a burial place, which everyone considered the grave of the Athenian hero-king Theseus (according to the myth, Theseus died on this island). The remains were taken to Athens, where a new temple was built for their reburial. Then Cimon became one of the judges of the first tragedy of Sophocles, who decided to compete with Aeschylus himself. In view of the exceptional nature of the event, 10 Athenian strategists were entrusted with making a decision. The victory was awarded to Sophocles.
In 471 BC. e. Kimon knocked out Pausanias, who settled in this city, from Byzantium, who ceased to obey even the authorities of Sparta.
In Thrace, at the mouth of Strymon, after a long siege, they managed to take the city of Non, defended by the Persian commander Voges. In the end, having exhausted all possibilities for resistance, Voges set fire to the city and committed suicide. Later, the Athenian colony of Amphipolis was founded on this site.
In 470 BC. e. The hero of Salamis, Themistocles, was expelled from Athens. Since Aristides retired as early as 478 BC. e., the actual power over the city was in the hands of Cimon. He began great work on the improvement and decoration of Athens. Water was brought to the olive grove, called the "Academy", for watering the trees, paths and alleys were laid in it. The grove turned into a favorite meeting place for members of Plato's philosophical school, and its name became a household name. At the same time, Pisianakt, a relative of Kimon's wife, built a Motley or Painted Stand (this is a long covered gallery with two rows of columns) on the agora. Zeno of China taught here, and his followers became known as the Stoics. The construction of the "Long Walls" was begun, stretching from Athens to the Piraeus harbor. They were finally completed under Pericles.
Battle of the Eurymedon
In 478 BC. e. with the active participation of Aristides and Cimon, the Delian Maritime Union of Greek policies headed by Athens was created to continue the fight against Persia (sometimes this union is called the Athenian). In 469 (according to other sources - in 466) BC. e. Allied forces led by Kimon defeated the Persians in three battles in one day - two sea and one land. It happened in the Asia Minor region of Pamphylia near the mouth of the Eurymedon River, which is now called Kopryuchay. To make it clearer, let us clarify that in the territory historical The provinces of Pamphylia currently contain the well-known cities of Antalya, Side and Alanya. The river of interest to us is located between Antalya and Side. Many probably swam on it if they bought excursions with rafting in Turkey. By the way, in 190 BC. e. Another well-known battle took place near its mouth, in which the fleet of Rhodes defeated the squadron of the Seleucid king Antiochus III, led by the famous Carthaginian exile Hannibal. But we will return to the era of the Greco-Persian wars of the 200th century BC. e. Cimon, having received the news that a large number of Persian ships were located at the mouth of the Eurymedon River and a large land army intended to invade Hellas, led an allied fleet of 100 Athenian and 200 Ionian ships there. The Greeks attacked the Persian ships at a time when many members of their crews were on the shore. They managed to capture 80 triremes, after which, having landed on the shore, they defeated the Persian land army. At this time, XNUMX Phoenician ships allied with the Persians approached the mouth of the Eurymedon. A new naval battle began, during which this squadron was also defeated. Plutarch wrote that in one day Cimon eclipsed the glory of the victories at Salamis and Plataea. The Persians were forced to enter into negotiations that took place in Susa. The Athenian delegation was led by Callius, to whom the young Cimon had once lost his half-sister and wife Elpinikos. The concluded agreement was called Kimon's Peace.
Kimon's new victories
The Delian maritime alliance now dominated the space from Byzantium to Cyprus. Cimon then made the Allies a very, as it seemed to them, an advantageous offer: not to participate in hostilities, providing the Athenians with ships without crews and paying a certain amount of money. As a result, the power of Athens increased, and the allies lost the strength and means to fight them. And therefore, when the island of Thasos decided to leave the union, the Athenians, discarding decency, in 465 BC. e. sent their fleet against him, led by Kimon. Having been defeated in a naval battle, the inhabitants of the island heroically defended the main city for three years. During this time, Kimon managed to organize an expedition to liberate his native city, Thracian Chersonese, from the Persians.
In the end, the defenders of Thasos were forced to surrender. According to the enslaving peace treaty, they had to destroy the city walls, pay an indemnity and transfer all the ships to Athens. In addition, the continental possessions of Thasos were annexed. Kimon's "trophy" was also the famous painter Polygnotus, who in Athens adorned the Theseus temple and some other buildings with his paintings.
According to a long-standing Athenian tradition, Cimon, who returned to the city as a victor, immediately appeared before the court on the charge that he had not yet conquered part of Macedonia. This time Kimon was nevertheless acquitted.
We remember that after the death of their father, Kimon and his half-sister found themselves in a very difficult situation. Now, since Kimon, as a commander, legally owned part of the booty, he became one of the richest citizens of Athens. Accustomed to luxury since childhood, he did not arrange luxurious feasts in the company of hetaeras or build palaces and country villas for himself. To the surprise of many, Cimon ordered that the hedges of his gardens be removed so that any person could take the fruits or vegetables he liked. The cooks in his house prepared inexpensive meals every day, which were served to everyone. Since these dinners were not distinguished by sophistication and the simplest products were used for their preparation, people who did not have money and really needed it came to them. While walking around the city, Kimon was now accompanied by young people who changed clothes with passers-by who were worse dressed than they were. They also tossed coins in the markets to people who looked like the poor. At this time, the Persian exile Rizak turned to Kimon in search of protection, who offered him two bowls filled with gold and silver coins. Kimon asked: who does he want to see him - a mercenary or a friend? Hearing the answer "friend", he said:
Participation in the Third Messenian War
In 469 or 468 BC. e. There was a devastating earthquake in Lacedaemon. The number of dead Spartans reached 20 thousand people, and these losses were simply catastrophic. On top of all the troubles, taking advantage of the chaos, helots rebelled, supported by part of the perieks and messinians. The situation was so dire that the Spartans were forced to ask Athens for help. Aristophanes later wrote in the comedy Lysistrata:
Have you forgotten how the Athenian altars
With a plea embraced Periklid the Laconian
Pale than snow, even in purple clothes,
And he asked for help. And all Messinia
Then rose up, and the earth trembled
God executed you. Shields four thousand
Led our Cimon to Sparta, and came - and saved.
It was this episode that became fatal for Kimon. Sparta was a longtime rival of Athens, and therefore the political opponent of Cimon, Ephialtes, sharply objected to the decision to help the Spartans. But Cimon nevertheless insisted on Athenian participation in the suppression of the Helot uprising. Speaking before the National Assembly, he said:
The army had to be sent twice, and the second time the Spartans refused help, suspecting the approaching Athenians of sympathy for the helots. This caused outrage in Athens, which also turned on Cimon, who had long been accused of sympathizing with Sparta. As a result, in 461 BC. e. Kimon was ostracized, expelled from the city for 10 years and went to his hometown - Thracian Chersonese.
Ostracon of Cimon
Athens without Cimon
Pericles came to power in Athens - a representative of the aristocratic family of Alkmenides and, therefore, a relative of Kimon's wife.
Bust of Pericles, Roman copy after a Greek original. Pio Cristiano Museum, Vatican
However, the thirst for power pushed him into the camp of opponents of the son of Miltiades. It is customary to speak about this politician in the most flattering way, emphasizing his reformist activities. However, the foreign policy results of his reign were simply depressing. He dragged Athens into two wars at once - with the Persian Achaemenid Empire and Sparta, and both of these wars were extremely unsuccessful for the Athenians. In 459 BC. e. an attempt to come to the aid of Egypt that rebelled against the Persians turned into a heavy defeat for the Athenian fleet of 200 triremes during the battle in the Nile Delta. After the capture of the island of Aegina, the so-called Little Peloponnesian War began, which Athens waged with Sparta and the Greek cities allied to her. Here the Athenians were defeated in the battle of Tanagra, and before it began, they refused the help of Kimon, who had arrived to their army. In the end, Pericles himself, who at one time made a lot of efforts to expel Cimon from Athens, made a proposal for the early return of his opponent to Athens. According to Plutarch, the former rivals divided power: Pericles was now responsible for internal affairs, and Cimon was now responsible for foreign policy and the army.
Kimon's last combat campaign
Returning to Athens, Cimon began to prepare an expedition to Cyprus. This campaign began in 450 BC. e., about 200 ships took part in it - both the Athenian and allied cities. From Cyprus, 60 ships were sent to Egypt, where the anti-Persian uprising was still ongoing. And then Kimon managed to win two battles with the Persians after his death - sea and land. He died of some illness during the siege of the Cretan city of Kitia. The dying commander ordered to hide his death from everyone. The Athenians, confident that they were being led by the invincible Cimon, defeated the Persian fleet on their way home and defeated the enemy land army near the Greek city of Salamis. The ancient Greek historian Fanodemus wrote later on this occasion that the Athenians returned safely to their city.
The tomb of Cimon in front of the Melite Gates of Kitia later began to be revered by the inhabitants of this city, who received an oracle with instructions to treat him as a god and a higher being. Currently in Cyprus in the city of Larnaca you can see the bust of Kimon by Marc-Leopold Lowenthal:
Markus Leupold-Löwenthal. Kimon, bust, Larnaca
We will talk about what happened in Athens after the death of Cimon in an article dedicated to the life and fate of Alcibiades, the nephew of Pericles and a student of Socrates.
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