Cimon

For other uses, seeCimon (disambiguation).

Cimon
Bust of Cimon inLarnaca,Cyprus
Born	c. 510 BC Athens
Died	450 BC (agedc. 59–60) Citium,Cyprus
Allegiance	Athens
Rank	Strategos(general)
Battles/wars	Persian WarsandWars of the Delian League: Battle of Salamis Battle of the Eurymedon Siege of Eion Thasos revolt Siege of Kition
Children	Lacedaemonius Oulius Thessalus Cimon Miltiades Peisianax

CimonorKimon(Greek:Κίμων Μιλτιάδου Λακιάδης,translit.Kimōn Miltiadou Lakiadēs;c. 510– 450BC)was anAthenianstrategos(general and admiral) and politician.

He was the son ofMiltiades,also an Athenianstrategos.Cimon rose to prominence for his bravery fighting in the navalBattle of Salamis(480 BC), during theSecond Persian invasion of Greece.Cimon was then elected as one of the tenstrategoi,to continue thePersian Warsagainst theAchaemenid Empire.He played a leading role in the formation of theDelian Leagueagainst Persia in 478 BC, becoming its commander in the earlyWars of the Delian League,including at theSiege of Eion(476 BC).

In 466 BC, Cimon led a force toAsia Minor,where he destroyed a Persian fleet and army at theBattle of the Eurymedonriver. From 465 to 463 BC he suppressed theThasian rebellion,in which the island ofThasosattempted to leave the Delian League. This event marked the transformation of the Delian League into theAthenian Empire.

Cimon took an increasingly prominent role in Athenian politics, generally supporting the aristocrats and opposing the popular party (which sought to expand theAthenian democracy). Alaconist,Cimon also acted asSparta'srepresentative in Athens.In 462 BC, he convinced theAthenian Assemblyto send military support to Sparta, where thehelotswere in revolt (theThird Messenian War). Cimon personally commanded the force of 4,000hoplitessent to Sparta. However, the Spartans refused their aid, telling the Athenians to go home – a major diplomatic snub. The resulting embarrassment destroyed Cimon's popularity in Athens; he wasostracizedin 461 BC, exiling him for a period of ten years.

TheFirst Peloponnesian Warbetween Athens and Sparta began the following year. At the end of his exile, Cimon returned to Athens in 451 BC and immediately negotiated atrucewith Sparta; however it did not lead to a permanent peace. He then proposed an expedition toCyprus,which was in revolt against the Persians. Cimon was placed in command of the fleet of 200 warships. He laid siege to the town ofKition,but died (of unrecorded causes) around the time of the failure of the siege in 450 BC.

Life

Early years

Cimon was born into Athenian nobility in 510 BC. He was a member of thePhilaidaeclan, from thedemeofLaciadae(Lakiadai). His grandfather wasCimon Coalemos,who won threeOlympicvictories with hisfour-horse chariotand was assassinated by the sons ofPeisistratus.His father was the celebrated Athenian generalMiltiadesand his mother was Hegesipyle, daughter of theThraciankingOlorusand a relative of the historianThucydides.

While Cimon was a young man, his father was fined 50talentsafter an accusation oftreasonby the Athenian state. As Miltiades could not afford to pay this amount, he was put in jail, where he died in 489 BC. Cimon inherited this debt and, according to Diodorus, some of his father's unserved prison sentencein order to obtain his body for burial.As the head of his household, he also had to look after his sister or half-sisterElpinice.According toPlutarch,the wealthyCalliastook advantage of this situation by proposing to pay Cimon's debts for Elpinice's hand in marriage. Cimon agreed.

Cimon in his youth had a reputation of being dissolute, a hard drinker, and blunt and unrefined; it was remarked that in this latter characteristic he was more like a Spartan than an Athenian.

Marriage

Cimon is repeatedly said to have married or been otherwise involved with his sister or half-sisterElpinice(who herself had a reputation for sexualpromiscuity) prior to her marriage withCallias,although this may be a legacy of simple political slander.He later married Isodice,Megacles' granddaughter and a member of theAlcmaeonidaefamily. Their first children were twin boys namedLacedaemonius(who would become an Athenian commander) and Eleus. Their third son was Thessalus (who would become a politician).

Military career

During theBattle of Salamis,Cimon distinguished himself by his bravery. He is mentioned as being a member of an embassy sent to Sparta in 479 BC.

Between 478 BC and 476 BC, a number of Greek maritime cities around theAegean Seadid not wish to submit to Persian control again and offered their allegiance to Athens throughAristidesatDelos.There, they formed theDelian League(also known as the Confederacy of Delos), and it was agreed that Cimon would be their principal commander.As strategos, Cimon commanded most of the League's operations until 463 BC. During this period, he and Aristides drove the Spartans underPausaniasout ofByzantium.

Cimon also capturedEionon theStrymonfrom the Persian generalBoges.Other coastal cities of the area surrendered to him after Eion, with the notable exception ofDoriscus.He also conqueredScyrosand drove out the pirates who were based there.On his return, he brought the "bones" of the mythologicalTheseusback to Athens. To celebrate this achievement, threeHermastatues were erected around Athens.

Battle of the Eurymedon

Cimon takes command of the Greek Fleet.

Around 466 BC, Cimon carried the war against Persia intoAsia Minorand decisively defeated the Persians at theBattle of the Eurymedonon theEurymedon RiverinPamphylia.Cimon's land and sea forces captured the Persian camp and destroyed or captured the entire Persian fleet of 200triremesmanned byPhoenicians.And he established an Athenian colony nearby calledAmphipoliswith 10,000 settlers.Many new allies of Athens were then recruited into the Delian League, such as the trading city ofPhaselison theLycian-Pamphylian border.

There is a view amongst some historians that while in Asia Minor, Cimon negotiated a peace between the League and the Persians after his victory at the Battle of the Eurymedon. This may help to explain why thePeace of Calliasnegotiated by his brother-in-law in 450 BC is sometimes called the Peace of Cimon as Callias' efforts may have led to a renewal of Cimon's earlier treaty. He had served Athens well during thePersian Warsand according toPlutarch:"In all the qualities that war demands he was fully the equal ofThemistoclesand his own father Miltiades ".

Thracian Chersonesus

After his successes in Asia Minor, Cimon moved to the Thracian colonyChersonesus.There he subdued the local tribes and ended the revolt of the Thasians between 465 BC and 463 BC.Thasoshad revolted from the Delian League over a trade rivalry with the Thracian hinterland and, in particular, over the ownership of agold mine.Athens under Cimon laidsiegeto Thasos after the Athenian fleet defeated the Thasos fleet. These actions earned him the enmity ofStesimbrotus of Thasos(a source used byPlutarchin his writings about this period in Greek history).

Trial for bribery

Despite these successes, Cimon was prosecuted by Pericles for allegedly acceptingbribesfromAlexander I of Macedon.According to Plutarch's account, Pericles at trial "was very gentle with Cimon, and took the floor only once in accusation." Cimon, in his defense, pointed out that he was never envoy to the rich kingdoms of Ionia or Thessaly, but rather to Sparta, whose frugality he lovingly imitated; and that, rather than enrich himself, he enriched Athens with the booty he acquired from the enemy. Cimon was in the end acquitted.

Helot revolt in Sparta

Cimon was Sparta'sProxenosatAthens,he strongly advocated a policy of cooperation between the two states. He was known to be so fond of Sparta that he named one of his sons Lacedaemonius.In 462 BC, Cimon sought the support of Athens' citizens to provide help to Sparta. Although Ephialtes maintained that Sparta was Athens' rival for power and should be left to fend for itself, Cimon's view prevailed. Cimon then led 4,000hoplitestoMt. Ithometo help the Spartan aristocracy deal with a major revolt by its helots. However, this expedition ended in humiliation for Cimon and for Athens when, fearing that the Athenians would end up siding with the helots, Sparta sent the force back to Attica.

Exile

Pieces of broken pottery (Ostracon) as voting tokens for ostracism. The persons nominated arePericles,Cimon andAristides,each with hispatronymic(top to bottom).

This insulting rebuff caused the collapse of Cimon's popularity in Athens. As a result, he wasostracisedfrom Athens for ten years beginning in 461 BC.The reformer Ephialtes then took the lead in running Athens and, with the support of Pericles, reduced the power of the Athenian Council of theAreopagus(filled with ex-archonsand so a stronghold ofoligarchy).

Power was transferred to the citizens, i.e. theCouncil of Five Hundred,the Assembly, and the popular law courts. Some of Cimon's policies were reversed including his pro-Spartan policy and his attempts at peace with Persia. Manyostrakabearing his name survive; one bearing the spiteful inscription: "Cimon, son of Miltiades, andElpinicetoo"(his haughty sister).

In 458 BC, Cimon sought to return to Athens to assist its fight against Sparta atTanagra,but was rebuffed.

Return

Eventually, around 451 BC, Cimon returned to Athens. Although he was not allowed to return to the level of power he once enjoyed, he was able to negotiate on Athens' behalf a five-year truce with the Spartans. Later, with a Persian fleet moving against a rebelliousCyprus,Cimon proposed an expedition to fight the Persians. He gained Pericles' support and sailed to Cyprus with two hundred triremes of the Delian League. From there, he sent sixty ships under AdmiralCharitimidestoEgyptto help the Egyptian revolt ofInaros,in theNile Delta.Cimon used the remaining ships to aid the uprising of the Cypriot Greek city-states.

Rebuilding Athens

From his many military exploits and money gained through the Delian League, Cimon funded many construction projects throughout Athens. These projects were greatly needed in order to rebuild after theAchaemenid destruction of Athens.He ordered the expansion of theAcropolisand the walls around Athens, and the construction of public roads, public gardens, and many political buildings.

Death on Cyprus

Cimon laid siege to thePhoenicianandPersianstronghold ofCitiumon the southwest coast ofCyprusin 450BC; he died during or soon after the failed attempt.However, his death was kept secret from the Athenian army, who subsequently won an important victory over the Persians under his 'command' at theBattle of Salamis-in-Cyprus.He was later buried in Athens,where a monument was erected in his memory.

Historical significance

During his period of considerable popularity and influence at Athens, Cimon's domestic policy was consistently antidemocratic, and this policy ultimately failed. His success and lasting influence came from his military accomplishments and his foreign policy, the latter being based on two principles: continued resistance to Persian aggression, and recognition that Athens should be the dominant sea power in Greece, and Sparta the dominant land power. The first principle helped to ensure that direct Persian military aggression against Greece had essentially ended; the latter probably significantly delayed the outbreak of thePeloponnesian War.

See also

• Amphictyonic League
• Long Walls
• Battle of Salamis in Cyprus (450 BC)

References

• Baynes, T. S., ed. (1878),"Cimon",Encyclopædia Britannica,vol. 5 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 780
• Mitchell, John Malcolm (1911),"Cimon",inChisholm, Hugh(ed.),Encyclopædia Britannica,vol. 6 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 368–9
• Nepos, Cornelius,"Cimon",On Illustrious Men(in Latin)
• Plutarch,"Life of Cimon",Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans(in Ancient Greek)
• Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920),"Cimon",Encyclopedia Americana,vol. 6 VI
• Smith, William,ed. (1870),"Cimon",Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology,vol. 1, pp. 749–751
• Thucydides,History of the Peloponnesian War(in Ancient Greek)
• Matteo Zaccarini, The Lame Hegemony. Cimon of Athens and the Failure of Panhellenism ca. 478-450 BC, Bologna, Bononia University Press, 2017

Further reading

• Connor, Walter R. (1967). "Two notes on Cimon".Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association.98.Johns Hopkins University Press, American Philological Association: 67–75.JSTOR2935869.
• Vanotti, Gabriella (2015). "Cimone, Lacedemonio e la madre nelle testimonianze di Plutarco e della sua fonte, Stesimbroto di Taso".Ancient Society(in Italian).45:27–51.JSTOR44080001.

External links

• Cimon of AthensArchived2012-02-05 at theWayback Machine,inAbout.
• Plutarch'sTheLife of Cimonin English
• Another English translation of Plutarch'sLife of Cimon,at theInternet Classics Archive