Archelaus I (; grc-gre, Ἀρχέλαος ) was a king of the kingdom of

Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

from 413 to 399 BC. He was a capable and beneficent ruler, known for the sweeping changes he made in state administration, the military, and commerce. By the time that he died, Archelaus had succeeded in converting Macedon into a significantly stronger power. The Ancient Greek Thucydides credited Archelaus with doing more for his kingdom's military infrastructure than all of his predecessors together.

Biography

Family

Archelaus was a son of Perdiccas II by a slave woman. He obtained the throne by murdering his own uncle

Alcetas II Alcetas II ( el, Ἀλκέτας; 313–306 ВС), king of Epirus, was the son of Arybbas, and grandson of Alcetas I. On account of his ungovernable temper, he was banished by his father, who appointed his younger son, Aeacides, to succeed him. O ...

and cousin Alexander, such that his father became king, and his half-brother, a child of seven years, the legitimate heir. It is speculated that his mother might be the descendant of Gygaea of Macedon and the Persian general

Bubares Bubares ( el, Βουβάρης, died after 480 BC) was a Persian nobleman and engineer in the service of the Achaemenid Empire of the 5th century BC. He was one of the sons of Megabazus, and a second-degree cousin of Xerxes I. Marriage to the s ...

furthermore that she was enslaved and sent back to Macedonia to marry the Macedonian king Perdiccas II of Macedon as a Gesture of good will between the Macedonian state and the Achaemenid Empire.

Reign

Almost immediately after he took power, Archelaus was faced with a situation which allowed him to completely reverse Macedon's relationship with Athens, which had been a major threat for the past half century. The Athenians experienced a crushing defeat at

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

in late 413 during which most of their ships were destroyed. This left the Athenians in desperate need of a huge amount of timber to build new ships and Archelaus in a position to set the price. Archelaus generously supplied the Athenians with the timber they needed. In recognition of this, the Athenians honored Archelaus and his children with the titles of '' proxenos'' and '' euergetes''. Archelaus went on to institute many internal reforms. He issued an abundance of good quality coinage. He built strongholds, cut straight roads (important for movement of the military), and improved the organization of the military, particularly the cavalry and hoplite infantry.

Culture

Archelaus was also known as a man of culture and extended cultural and artistic contacts with southern Greece. In his new palace at Pella (where he moved the capital from the old capital at Aigai), he hosted great poets, tragedians, including Agathon and Euripides (who wrote his tragedies '' Archelaus'' and '' The Bacchae'' while in Macedon), musicians, and painters, including

Zeuxis Zeuxis may refer to: * Zeuxis (general) (), Greek general * Zeuxis (painter) (), Greek painter * Zeuxis of Tarentum (), Greek physician * Zeuxis (wrestler) Zeuxis (born November 3, 1988) is a Puerto Rican ''luchadora enmascarada'', or masked ...

(the most celebrated painter of his time). Archelaus reorganized the Olympia, a religious festival with musical and athletic competitions honoring Olympian Zeus and the

Muses In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the p ...

at Dion, the

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

of Macedon. The greatest athletes and artists of Greece came to Macedon to participate in this event. In addition, Archelaus competed and won in

Tethrippon Chariot racing ( grc-gre, ἁρματοδρομία, harmatodromia, la, ludi circenses) was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine sports. In Greece, chariot racing played an essential role in aristocratic funeral games from ...

in both

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

and Pythian Games.

Death

According to

Aelian Aelian or Aelianus may refer to: * Aelianus Tacticus, Greek military writer of the 2nd century, who lived in Rome * Casperius Aelianus, Praetorian Prefect, executed by Trajan * Claudius Aelianus, Roman writer, teacher and historian of the 3rd centu ...

, Archelaus was killed in 399 BC during a hunt, by one of the royal pages, Crateuas. According to

Constantine Paparrigopoulos Constantine Paparrigopoulos ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Παπαρρηγόπουλος; 1815 – 14 April 1891) was a Greek historian, who is considered the founder of modern Greek historiography. He is the founder of the concept of historica ...

, there were three accomplices: two Thessalians (Crateuas and Ellanokratis) and one Macedonian, Decamnichos. The latter used to be Archelaus'

favorite A favourite (British English) or favorite (American English) was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In post-classical and early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated si ...

(Aristotle says all three were, at some point.Aristotle, '' Politics'', 1311a.) However Decamnichos once insulted, in front of Archelaus, the tragic poet Euripides for the smell of the poet's alleged bad breath. This outraged Archelaus who allowed Euripides to flog Decamnichos (or have him flogged) in punishment. Decamnichos was permitted to remain in the court of Archelaus; however, he did not forget about this treatment and thus participated in the killing of his king a few years later. Other versions of the king's death are reported by differing sources.

Children

Archelaus had several daughters and sons, including

Orestes of Macedon Orestes of Macedon ( grc, Ὀρέστης ὁ Μακεδών, ) was the son of Archelaus I Archelaus I (; grc-gre, Ἀρχέλαος ) was king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon from 413 to 399 BC. He was a capable and beneficent ruler ...

and

Archelaus II of Macedon Archelaus II ( grc, Ἀρχέλαος, Archélaos) succeeded his uncle Aeropus II and reigned one year. Although according to the ''Chronicon'' he reigned four years. He died while out hunting, either by accident or assassination. He was brother ...

References

Sources

External links

Coinage of Archelaus

{{DEFAULTSORT:Archelaus 01 of Macedon 5th-century BC births 399 BC deaths 5th-century BC Macedonian monarchs 4th-century BC Macedonian monarchs 5th-century BC rulers Ancient Olympic competitors Ancient Macedonian athletes Ancient Pythian athletes Ancient Greek chariot racers Argead kings of Macedonia Proxenoi Murdered royalty of Macedonia (ancient kingdom)