The Chalcis Decree was an oath of loyalty that the people of the city of

Chalcis Chalcis (; Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: , ), also called Chalkida or Halkida (Modern Greek: , ), is the chief city of the island of Euboea or Evia in Greece, situated on the Euripus Strait at its narrowest point. The name is preserved from ...

on the island of

Euboea Euboea ( ; , ), also known by its modern spelling Evia ( ; , ), is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete, and the sixth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by ...

were forced to swear after the failure of a revolt from the

Athenian Empire The Delian League was a confederacy of Polis, Greek city-states, numbering between 150 and 330, founded in 478 BC under the leadership (hegemony) of Classical Athens, Athens, whose purpose was to continue fighting the Achaemenid Empire, Persian ...

in 446/5 BC. The decree is difficult to date but it followed the revolt of the cities of Euboea in 446. The islanders were angered by the increasingly harsh imperialism of Athens and attempted to take advantage of the defeat of Athens in the Battle of Coronea in neighbouring

Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia (; modern Greek, modern: ; ancient Greek, ancient: ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Central Greece (adm ...

(c. 447 BC) which resulted in the loss of the Athenian “land empire”. The revolt was crushed by the Athenians led by

Pericles Pericles (; ; –429 BC) was a Greek statesman and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Ancient Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War, and was acclaimed ...

. Other cities on Euboea, such as

Eretria Eretria (; , , , , literally 'city of the rowers') is a town in Euboea, Greece, facing the coast of Attica across the narrow South Euboean Gulf. It was an important Greek polis in the 6th and 5th century BC, mentioned by many famous writers ...

, had decrees with exactly the same provisions passed. The decree is considered a point at which there was no longer any doubt of the imperial power held by Athens over its allies in the

Delian League The Delian League was a confederacy of Polis, Greek city-states, numbering between 150 and 330, founded in 478 BC under the leadership (hegemony) of Classical Athens, Athens, whose purpose was to continue fighting the Achaemenid Empire, Persian ...

. ''I will not revolt from the people of Athens by any means or device whatsoever, neither in word or in deed, nor will I obey anyone who does revolt, and if anyone revolts I will denounce him to the Athenians.'' and ''I will be the best and fairest ally I am able to be and will help and defend the Athenian people, in the event of anyone wronging the Athenians people, and I will obey the Athenian people.'' Athens also expected to be involved in the judicial proceedings of the city of Chalcis resulting in the actions of local courts being severely restricted. The decree allowed the people of Chalcis to punish their own citizens, except in cases that involved death, exile, or the loss of rights as citizens. The right of appeal to the Heliaia in Athens was allowed. This was largely aimed at the oligarchic wealthy who hoped to gain the assistance of

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

in their revolts.

References

{{reflist Ancient Euboea Oaths Athenian Empire 440s BC History of Chalcis