Editing 356 BC

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Year '''356 BC''' was a year of the [[Roman calendar|pre-Julian Roman calendar]]. At the time, it was known as the '''Year of the Consulship of Ambustus and Laenas''' (or, less frequently, '''year 398 ''[[Ab urbe condita]]'''''). The denomination 356 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the [[Anno Domini]] [[calendar era]] became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

== Events ==
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=== By place ===

==== Persian Empire ====
* Having blamed their defeats to [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip II]] in [[Thessaly]] and [[Chalcidice]] on his colleagues ([[Iphicrates]] and [[Timotheus (general)|Timotheus]]), [[Chares of Athens|Chares]] is left in sole command of the Athenian fleet. Chares, in need of money for his war effort, frowns upon asking it from Athens, so, partly compelled by his mercenaries, he enters the service of the insurgent [[Achaemenid]] satrap of [[Phrygia]] [[Artabazus II|Artabazus]] who rewards Chares very generously.<ref name=Diod21>{{cite book|last=Siculus|first=Diodorus|title=Library|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/16B*.html#21|volume=XVI|chapter=21}}</ref>
* Artabazus is also supported by the [[Thebes, Greece|Thebans]], who send him 5,000 men under one of their generals [[Pammenes of Thebes|Pammenes]]. With the assistance of these and other allies, Artabazus defeats his [[Achaemenid]] enemies in two great battles.{{cn|date=February 2024}}
* The [[Achaemenid]] King [[Artaxerxes III]] orders all the [[satrap]]s (governors) of his empire to dismiss their mercenaries. The Athenians, who have originally approved their mercenaries' collaboration with Artabazus of Phrygia, order them to leave due to their fear of Achaemenid support for the rebellion of [[Chios]], [[Rhodes]], and [[Kos|Cos]]. Thebes follows suit and withdraws its mercenaries.
* With King Artaxerxes III succeeding in depriving Artabazus of his Athenian and Theban allies, Artabazus is defeated by the Persian King's general, [[Autophradates]].{{cn|date=February 2024}}

==== Greece ====
* [[Philip II of Macedon]] secretly offers the city of [[Amphipolis]] back to the [[Athens|Athenians]] in exchange for the valuable port of [[Pydna]]. Despite the Athenians being willing to comply, both [[Pydna]] and [[Potidaea]] are conquered by the Macedonians (along with other Athenian strongholds in [[Thessaly]] and [[Chalcidice]]) despite being defended by Athenian forces led by general and mercenary commander, [[Chares of Athens|Chares]], as well as generals [[Iphicrates]] and [[Timotheus (general)|Timotheus]].{{cn|date=February 2024}}
* With Pydna and Potidaea occupied, Philip II decides to keep Amphipolis anyway. He also takes the city of [[Crenides (Macedonia)|Crenides]] from the [[Odrysae]] and renames it [[Philippi]].{{cn|date=February 2024}}
* The [[Phocians]] capture and sack [[Delphi]] in whose territory the famous temple and oracle stand. [[Third Sacred War|A ''sacred war'']] is declared against them by the other members of the Great [[Amphictyonic League]]. The Phocians, led by two capable generals, Philomelus and Onomarchus, use Delphi's riches to hire a mercenary army to carry the war into [[Boeotia]] and [[Thessaly]].{{cn|date=February 2024}}
* The [[Social War (357–355 BC)|Social War]] begins between the [[Second Athenian League]], led by [[Athens]], and its revolting allies of [[Chios]], [[Rhodes]], and [[Kos]] as well as the independent state [[Byzantium]]. [[Mausolus]], the [[tyrant]] of [[Caria]], instigates the rebellion against the Athenian control of these states. The revolting allies ravage the islands of [[Lemnos]] and [[Imbros]] which are loyal to [[Athens]].<ref name=Diod21/>
* The Athenian generals [[Chares of Athens|Chares]] and [[Chabrias]] are given command of the Athenian fleet with the aim of defeating the rebellious cities. However, Chabrias' fleet is defeated and he is killed in its attack on the island of Chios, off the coast of [[Ionia]].{{cn|date=February 2024}}
* [[Chares of Athens|Chares]] is given sole command of the Athenian fleet and withdraws to the [[Hellespont]] to move against Byzantium. The generals [[Timotheus (general)|Timotheus]], [[Iphicrates]] and his son [[Menestheus]] are sent with 60 ships to help him when the enemy fleet is sighted on the Hellespont. Timotheus and Iphicrates refuse to engage due to a severe gale, but Chares does engage and lose many of his ships. Timotheus and Iphicrates are accused by Chares and put on trial, however only Timotheus is condemned to pay a fine.<ref name=Diod21/>

==== Roman Republic ====
* [[Gaius Marcius Rutilus]] is the first [[plebeian]] to be chosen as a [[Roman dictator|dictator]] in [[Roman Republic|Rome]].<ref>{{cite book | first=David|last=Matz|title=Famous Firsts in the Ancient Greek and Roman World|location=Jefferson|publisher=McFarland|year=2000|page=42|isbn=978-0-78640-599-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MDjZr6NxQPMC}}</ref>

==== China ====
* With his reforms initiated in this year, the [[History of China|Chinese]] prime minister [[Shang Yang]] starts to transform the once marginal and frontier [[Qin (state)|State of Qin]] to become the most dominant military force amongst the [[Warring States]] of China by the [[3rd century BC]].{{cn|date=February 2024}}

=== By topic ===

==== Architecture ====
* [[July 21]] (traditional date) &ndash; The [[Temple of Artemis]] at [[Ephesus]] is burned down by a madman named Herostratus, destroying one of the [[Seven Wonders of the Ancient World|Seven Wonders of the World]]. The great temple was built by [[Croesus]], king of [[Lydia]], in about [[550 BC]] and was famous not only for its great size (110 metres by 55 metres), but also for the magnificent works of art that adorned it.{{cn|date=February 2024}}

== Births ==
[[File:Alexander the Great mosaic.jpg|thumb|90px|right|King [[Alexander the Great]]]]
* [[July 20]]/[[July 21|21]] &ndash; [[Alexander the Great]], King of [[Macedon]]ia (d. [[323 BC]]).<ref>{{cite book|editor-first=Daniel|editor-last=Ogden|title=The Cambridge Companion to Alexander the Great|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2024|page=29|isbn=978-1-10884-099-6}}</ref>
* [[Hephaestion]], Macedonian general, soldier, aristocrat, and companion of Alexander the Great (d. [[324 BC]]).<ref>{{cite web | access-date=February 25, 2024 | url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Hephaestion/ | title=Hephaestion | first=Donald L. | last=Wasson | series=World History Encyclopedia}}</ref>

== Deaths ==
* [[Chabrias]], Athenian general died at [[Chios]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Chabrias | access-date=February 25, 2024 | title=Chabrias | date=February 21, 2024 | series=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref>
* [[Herostratus]].{{cn|date=February 2024}}
* [[Philistus]].{{cn|date=February 2024}}

== References ==
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