Editing Antalcidas (section)

==Life==
Antalcidas came from a prominent family and was likely a relation by marriage to the Spartan king [[Agesilaus II]].<ref>''[[Oxford Classical Dictionary]]'', [https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.469 Antalcidas]</ref>

Antalcidas is first recorded at the outset of the [[Corinthian War]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} Following the end of the [[Peloponnesian War]] after the destruction of the Athenian fleet at the [[Battle of Aegospotami]] in 405&nbsp;BC, Sparta had launched a series of raids against the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian]] [[satrapy|satrapies]] of [[Asia Minor]]. [[Pharnabazus II|Pharnabazus]], [[satrap]] of [[Hellespontine Phrygia]], finally responded by sending the [[Ancient Rhodes|Rhodian]] [[Timocrates of Rhodes|Timocrates]] to bribe the other [[Greek city states]] into declaring war on Sparta. [[Seven-Gated Thebes|Thebes]] [[Battle of Haliartus|rose up]] in 395&nbsp;BC, eventually encouraging others to join in what became known as the Corinthian War. Persia was now on friendly terms with [[Ancient Athens|Athens]] and Pharnabazus permitted their disgraced general [[Conon]] to command his fleet of [[Achaemenid Phoenicia|Phoenician]] and [[Eber-Nari|Cypriot]] ships in attacks that culminated in the [[Battle of Cnidus|destruction of the Spartan fleet at Cnidus]]. He was then permitted to return to Athens with part of the fleet and given funds to [[Long Walls#Rebuilding of the Long Walls|rebuild the city's Long Walls]].

Soon afterwards, in 393 or 392&nbsp;BC, Antalcidas was dispatched to [[Tiribazus]], the satrap of [[Lydia (satrapy)|Lydia]], to sue for peace.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} Learning of his mission, Athens sent its own embassy under [[Conon]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} The Spartans offered full recognition of Persian supremacy over [[Asia Minor]], and the satrap threw the Athenians in jail.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}} When [[List of kings of Persia|King]]&nbsp;[[Artaxerxes&nbsp;II]] learned that Antalcidas had further convinced Tiribazus to provide funds for rebuilding Sparta's demolished navy, he replaced the satrap with [[Struthas]], who resumed raiding Sparta and her allies.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} However, the Spartan fleet thus funded regained control of the [[Gulf of Corinth]] by the end of the year.<ref>[[Xenophon]], ''[[Hellenica]]'', [[s:Hellenica/Book 4/Chapter 8#8:10|4.8.10–11]]</ref>

[[File:Tiribazos portrait.jpg|thumb|upright|Satrap [[Tiribazos]] was the main negotiating counterpart to Antalcidas, on the Achaemenid side.]]
For unknown reasons, Tiribazus was restored to power in Lydia by 388&nbsp;BC.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} Antalcidas resumed negotiations and over the next year the pair journeyed to [[Susa]] to win the king's support for a Persian alliance against Athens.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} This was granted and Antalcidas was made admiral of Sparta's fleets. He pursued a vigorous policy, particularly around the [[Hellespont]], and the Athenians agreed to negotiate with [[Ancient Argos|Argos]], Sparta, and the Persians at Tiribazus's seat at [[Sardis]]. By the winter of 387&nbsp;BC, the [[Peace of Antalcidas]] had been arranged, by the terms of which:

# all of [[Asia Minor]], with the islands of [[Clazomenae]] and [[Cyprus]], was recognized as subject to Persia, and 
# all [[Greek city states|other Greek cities]]—so far they were not already under Persian rule—were to be independent, except [[Lemnos]], [[Imbros]], and [[Scyros]], which were returned to the Athenians.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}

The terms were ratified by the city governments over the next year. The reassertion of Spartan hegemony over Greece by abandoning the Greeks of [[Aeolis|Aeolia]], [[Ionia]], and [[Caria]] has been called the "most disgraceful event in [[Greek history]]".<ref>{{citation |last=Durant |first=Will |author-link=Will Durant |title=The Life of Greece |date=1939 |page=461 }}.</ref>

Antalcidas continued in favor with Artaxerxes until the [[Boeotian War|revolting Thebans]] [[Battle of Leuctra|annihilated Spartan supremacy at Leuctra]] in 371&nbsp;BC, diminishing his influence.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}  Plutarch notes a [[laconic phrase|laconic]] comment made by Antalcidas to [[Agesilaus]] after one of the Spartan losses to Thebes, saying in effect, "Isn't it amazing how good they've gotten after all of the training we've given them."<ref>[[Plutarch]], ''[[Lycurgus of Sparta|Lycurgus]]'', 13.5-13.6</ref>  That year{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} or possibly in 367&nbsp;BC, Antalcidas undertook a final mission to Persia. [[Plutarch]] held that its failure drove him to starve himself to death.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}