Remarks on the History of the “Triple Alliance”: Perdiccas II, Brasidas, and Chalcidian Poleis in the Thracian Campaign

Abstract

The article examines the history of the “Triple Alliance”, formed by the the poleis of Chalcidice, and ruler of Macedonia, Perdiccas II, and Sparta, the alliance that lived about a year: from spring 424 BC to the early summer of the next year, 423 BC. Drawing upon Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War — the only source available for the reconstruction of these events, the author studies the origin of the history of this Spartan-Chalcidian-Macedonian collaboration and what brought about the ultimate severance of relations between Macedonia and the Peloponnesian Alliance; he discusses the intentions of each of the members of the Triple Alliance and their joint actions in the Thracian campaign; he poses a question of the extent the personal factors of the Spartan general Brasidas and King Perdiccas II (the main actors of the “Thracian logos” of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, each of whom represented the interests of his own state yet were driven by their own ambitions) determined the positions of Lacedaemon and Macedonia. In conclusion, the article analyzes the outcome of the “Northern War” for each of the members of the Triple Alliance and to what extent the expectations of the members of this short-lived alliance were justified; also the article examines how this campaign affected those against whom the allies joined their efforts — the ruler of Lynchestians, Arrhabaeus, and the Athenian arche.

Keywords

• perdiccas ii
• brasidas
• arrhabaeus
• sparta
• chalcidian poleis
• athens
• macedonia
• “triple alliance”