A timeline of the history of Amphipolis
800 B.C. | future site of Amphipolis controlled by Illyrians |
497 B.C. | Milesian tyrant Histiaeus attempts takeover and colonization of site |
480 B.C. | Persian invasion of Greece under Xerxes I. passes through site, buries alive "nine young men and nine maidens as a sacrifice to the river god [of the Strymon river]" |
479 B.C. | Alexander I of Macedon defeats remnants of Xerxes army near site |
476 B.C. | failed Athenian attempt to colonize the site |
465 B.C. | Athenians found colony of Ennea-Hodoi ("Nine Ways") at site with 10,000 settlers; all settlers are massacred by Thracians |
437 B.C. | Athenians attempt to found another colony at site, under Hagnon, son of Nicias; this attempt leads to the city of Amphipolis |
424 B.C. | city beseiged by Spartan general Brasidas as part of larger "Peloponnesian War"; city defended by Athenian general Eucles, who requests help from the Athenian general (and famous historian) Thucydides stationed nearby on the island of Thasos; Thucydides only reaches the town of Eion (the port of Amphipolis) before Amphipolis surrenders to Brasidas under the promise of good terms; Thucydides defends Eion but cannot retake Amphipolis and is exiled by the Athenians as a scapegoat for the disaster; Amphipolis becomes a Spartan city |
422 B.C. | Athenian army led by the demagogue Cleon fails to retake the site; Cleon and Brasidas killed in the fighting; Brasidas is later considered the "founder" of the city of Amphipolis |
417 B.C. | Athenian Nicias attempts to retake the city following Spartan failure to follow peace agreement |
357 B.C. | Philip II. of Macedon captures the city; the city is only gradually assimilated into the Macedonian sphere |
356 B.C. | Alexander III. ("the Great") is born |
323 B.C. | Alexander III. dies |
325-300 B.C. | Kasta Hill monument built |
168 B.C. | Rome conquers Macedonia in Battle of Pydna; Amphipolis made capital of one of the four mini-states that Rome divides the region into |
0 | the year 0, start of "common era" |
533 A.D. | first mention of a bishop of the region |
circa 550 A.D. | major earthquake hits Amphipolis, possible source of damage in Kasta Tomb |
787 A.D. | last known record of a bishop of the region, indicating that Amphipolis is probably abandoned around this time |
1800-1900 A.D. | existence of site well known to archeologists |
1913 A.D. | Bulgarian army unit stationed nearby; possible shelling damage to Kasta mound vicinity |
1916 A.D. | British and French soldiers active in region; possible looting of sites |
1934 A.D. | Amphipolis lion sculpture found |
1952 A.D. | tomb robbers attempt to dig into the Kasta mound with a "mechanical digger," are chased off by locals (mentioned here) |
1972, 1985 A.D. | formal excavation of city led by D. Lazaridis |
1998 A.D. | 3D scanning technology used on Kasta mound(?), indicating some complexities inside the hill |
2012 A.D. | initiation of formal archeological dig at the Kasta site |
2014 A.D. | "tomb" entrance found; archeologists begin excavating inside the monument |
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