List of known Achaean League Strategoi

1 part (from the origin to end of the Demetrian War)

From 281/0 to 256/5 the Achaians elected two strategoi for a year. These twin strategiai derived from the fact that originally the founders of the renewed Achaean eague were the two !oleis of "atrai and #yme which "harai and Triteia soon $oined %"oly&ios 2. '1() 281/0 *+. ,one of the names of these early strategoi have &een handed down. ater) in 256) the Achaians decided to elect only one strategos for a year. The first was -argos of .aryneia. /u&se0uently also the names of the early single strategoi have esca!ed record until the first strategy of Aratos of /i1yon %2'5/'( and even after that there are some em!ty years and du&ious dates. A list of the attested strategoi follows &elow.

255/4: Margos of Karyneia. (Poly ios 2. 4!." ........................... 245/4: Aratos of Sykyon # (Plutarchos$ % Life of Aratos& '(. ') Poly ios 2. 4!" *'+ 244/!: 24!/2: Aratos of Sikyon ##. (Poly ios 2.4!" *2+ 242/': 24'/,: Aratos of Sikyon ### 24,/!-: 2!-/.: Aratos of Sikyon. #/ 2!./0: Aigialeas (1itten erger2 40'" *!+ 2!0/(: Aratos of Sikyon / 2!(/5: 1ioitas (Polyainos 2. !(" *4+ 2!5/4: Aratos of Sikyon /# 2!4/!: Ly3ia3es of Megalo4olis # (Plut.Aratos !,. (" 2!!/2: Aratos of Sikyon /## 2!2/': Ly3ia3es of Megalo4olis ## (Plut.Aratos !,. 0" 2!'/,: Aratos of Sikyon /### 2!,/2-: Ly3ia3es of Megalo4olis ###

22-/.: Aratos of Sikyon #5

*12 The chronology is fi3ed than1s to the indications of "oly&ios %2. '4. '(. Aratos was elected strategos for the
th second time in the 8 year after the li&eration of /i1yon %251() that is in 2'4 *+. /o his first strategy roughly falls in the Achaian year 2'5/'. The Achaian strategoi entered office 5at the rise of the "leiades6 %a&out the first half of -ay(. There are few dou&ts that /i1yon was li&erated in 251 *+) even though the month is uncertain as &etween Fe&ruary or -ay. 7The meteorological conditions incline me to !refer the latter8 9F the /i1yonian calendar %a&out which we 1now nothing( was roughly aligned with the seasons that year2. "oly&ios testifies that Aratos chased the -acedonians out of +orinth during his 2nd strategy and that this ha!!ened the year &efore the &attle of the Aegades 9nsulae %20 -arch 2'1 *+ according to :utro!ius 2. 2;. 2( that is in the Achaean year 2'2/1. /o Aratos< strategy 99 &elongs to the Achaian year 2'4/2. =e can arrive at the same date &y another calculation. "oly&ios 2. '1 esta&lishes that the renewed Achaian eague was &orn in the 12'> ?lym!iad) at the time of "yrrhos< e3!edition in 9taly %s!ring 280 *+( so in the Achaean year 281/0. 25 years later comes -argos< strategy %255/'() and the 'th year after this Aratos freed /i1yon &y the tyrant ,i1o1les and 8 years later he was elected strategos for the second time. 722 9t was not !ermitted to hold the strategia in consecutive years %"lut. Aratos 2'. 5() and Aratos was always elected in alternate years until the .leomenian =ar. Aratos@ officeAholding !attern) in com&ination with the certain dated offices of other strategoi) also hel!s to esta&lish the dates of his initial strategiai. 742 Aigialeas< strategy may actually &e assigned any year &etween 2''/4 and 246/5 when Aratos was not strategos. 7'2 #ioitas< strategy is only 1nown from "olyainos< !assage on his successful siege of Beraia) in /= Ar1adia. This e!isode) which very !ro&a&ly &elongs to the #emetrian =ar) might have ha!!ened in 248/;. *ut 9 maintain that his assignment to 246/5 is more !ro&a&le &ecause the Achaian siege of Beraia has to !ostAdate to the admission of .leitor and Tel!husa to the eague) which 9 &elieve did not ha!!en at the &eginning of the war. 7The Achaian elections %archairesiai( !ro&a&ly ha!!ened until 21; *+) in the !eriod Fe&ruaryAA!ril2

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ACHAEAN LEAGUE (281/0-229 BC)

The birth of the Achaean League.

The founders of the renewed Achaean eague were the two !oleis of "atrai and #yme) while "harai and Triteia $oined soon after %"oly&ios 2. '1() 281/0 *+. 9t is !ossi&le that the initial reesta&lishment of the eague was hel!ed &y Areus) 1ing of /!arta who in that !eriod had underta1en a war against Antigonos Conatas) who inherited his father #emetrios 9 "olior1etes@ control of several strongholds in Bellenic !eninsula) and his Aitolian allies. Areus received some shi!s at "atrai which !ermitted him to cross to Aitolia where he was ruinously defeated. According to =D=. Tarn) originally the Achaean towns had entered the /!artan alliance and only after Areus< defeat) set u! an autonomous koinon. 7=.=. Tarn 5Antigonos Conatas6 1E14) !.150A1552 Bowever the e3!ansion of the eague was under way. 9n ca.2;5 the !eo!le of Aigion e3!elled their garrison and $oined the eague. "oly&ios does not s!ecify who maintained a garrison in the most im!ortant Achaian town) &ut it was very !ro&a&ly Antigonos) since we 1now from #iodoros %1E. 66. 4( that the Antigonids dominated the town

from 41'/4. /oon after 5-argos and the Achaians6 1illed the tyrant of *ura and 9seas) tyrant of .aryneia 5a&dicated and) on receiving an assurance from the Achaeans that his life would &e s!ared) added his town to the eague6 %"ol. 2. '1. 14A15( The -argos here mentioned &y "oly&ios is !ro&a&ly -argos of .aryneia %the name is rare(. Be may have &een a sort of international revolutionary) 0uite similar to the !rofessional li&erators :cdelos and #amo!hanes of -egalo!olis. =e only 1now a&out him from these &rief references in "oly&ios) &ut he could have &een a significant figure in the earlier years of the Achaian eague %!erha!s diminished in the memoirs of Aratos(. 9n 255 he was the first sole strategos and it is !ro&a&le he had &een one of the earlier twin strategoi. Bis career was very long and only terminated) !resuma&ly at a very advanced age) &y his death in the naval &attle of "a3os %240 *+( when he was !ro&a&ly Achaian nauarchos. ?ther Achaian towns) Aigeira) "ellana and eontion $oined to the eague during the "elo!onnesian e3!edition of "yrrhos) 1ing of :!irus %2;2 *+(. =e 1now from Fustinus that he was allied to the Achaians %25. '. '(. 9n sum) the resurrection of the eague &egan in the western corner of Achaia and the founders were the cities of #yme and "atrai) which "harai and Tritaia soon $oined. ater Aigion was anne3ed with the two small towns of .aryneia and *ura) then the &y now isolated eontion %to the Ar1adian &order( and Aigeira and "ellana furthest east

The League becomes a regional power.

A few years later we find the Achaian eague in the alliance !romoted &y the Athenian !olitician +hremonides of Aitalides and &y the /!artan 1ing Areus against the -acedonian 1ing Antigonos Conatas. Their allies are some Ar1adian and .retan towns &ut a&ove all the 1ing of :gy!t) "tolemy 99 "hiladel!hos %268/; *+(. The ho!es of these allies colla!sed misera&ly with the defeat of +orinth %265 *+( and su&se0uent surrender of Athens %264/2(. The Achaians were twice threatened with re!risals from Antigonos 99) following "yrrhos< death and at the conclusion of the +hremonidean =ar. *ut on the first occasion he was dissuaded &y the necessity of reorganiGing the -acedonian 1ingdom and later &y his desire to underta1e a contest at sea with the "tolemaic 1ingdom. =e 1now little of the successive fifteen years of !eace. :vidently the eague sta&iliGed and reorganiGed) concentrating e3ecutive !owers in the hands of a sole strategos. *ut the events that changed its destiny were the mem&ershi! of /i1yon) led &y the young Aratos son of .leinias and the almost contem!orary re&ellion of Ale3ander son of .rateros) the governor of +orinth and :u&oia) against his uncle Antigonos Conatas. Two &locs were formedD Antigonos su!!orted &y the Aitolian eague) Argos and /!arta against Ale3ander allied with Achaians) Ar1adians and *oiotians) su!!orted &y "tolemy 99 of :gy!t. 9nitially the Achaians and Ar1adians !ut /!arta out of action with the &attle of -antineia %ca.250 *+( while Ale3ander forced Argos to ma1e !eace) while a new agid fleet dominated the Aegean /ea. *ut later the Aitolians defeated the *oiotians at +haironeia %2'5 *+( com!elling them to $oin their eague. /u&se0uently Ale3ander died while Antigonos retoo1 +orinth and destroyed the "tolemaic fleet at Andros island. The Ar1adian eague &ro1e u! and the Achaians too were !ro&a&ly com!elled to sign a treaty of !eace. Although the Achaian eague was now in great danger) in the following year Aratos) strategos for the second time) &rea1s the encom!ass) con0uering +orinth with a cou! de main and o&taining the adhesion of -egara) :!idauros and TroiGen. =aiting for the Antigonid res!onse) the Achaians entered into an alliance with /!arta where the reformer 1ing Agis 9H was reigning and an Aitolian attac1 was &eaten off at the &attle of "ellana. ?ld Antigonos died &ut his son #emetrios 99) renouncing his father@s maritime hegemonial am&itions) concentrated against the un!recedented and dangerous alliance &etween the Achaean and Aitolian eagues.

The Demetrian War (239-229)

The Achaian e3!ansion now s!read out in three directionsD =estern Ar1adia) the Argolid and Atti1a) assisted &y Aitolian incursions in a1onia and in the territories of Argos and -antineia. Against Athens Aratos limited himself to a war of raids without significant results. Be defeated and slew the Argive tyrant Aristi!!os &ut only ca!tured .leonai without succeeding in li&erating Argos. ?n the =estern

Ar1adian front) su!!orted &y the :leans) the eague o&tained great successes. .leitor and Tel!husa &ecame mem&ers %we do not 1now the circumstances(. ater the Achaian strategos #ioitas ca!tured Beraia. The tyrant of -egalo!olis ydiades a&dicated and &rought his city into the eague %245 *+( &ecoming very !o!ular and &eing elected strategos several times. These successes were also !ossi&le &ecause #emetrios 99 was mostly engaged against the Aitolians in :!irus and +entral Creece %where he succeeded in detaching *oiotia and !erha!s =estern "ho1is from the Aitolian eague() in =estern Aitolia and on the northern &order of -acedonia where the !ressure of the &ar&arian #ardanians was strong . #emetrios 99 did manage to send an army south under his general *ytis) who defeated Aratos at "hila1ia) &ut without any significant result. 9n 22E *+ #emetrios was defeated and !ossi&ly slain &y the #ardani) !reci!itating a serious crisis for the -acedonian 1ingdom. The two eagues e3!loited this disaster to e3!and in all directions. Argos) Bermion and "hlious were &rought into the Achean aegue &y tyrants resigning their !ower %after the e3am!le of ydiades(. Aigina $oined too. Athens succeeded in &ri&ing its -acedonian garrison to withdraw. Aratos !layed an im!ortant role in these negotiations) and had ho!ed that the Athenians would also $oin the eague) !artly in order to &alance the im!ortance of -egalo!olis. *ut he was to &e disa!!ointed. Athens !referred to maintain his autonomy without a real !ower rather to !lay an im!ortant role inside the eague.