Ateas
Encyclopedia
Ateas was described in Greek and Roman sources as the most powerful king of Scythia, who lost his life and empire in the conflict with Philip II of Macedon
in 339 BC. His name also occurs as Atheas, Ateia, Ataias, and Ateus.
and the Maeotian marshes
. His purported capital was excavated by Soviet archaeologists near the town of Kamianka
on the Dnieper.
Plutarch
relates several anecdotes about the character of Ateas and his attitude toward Greek culture: "Ateas took prisoner Ismenias
, an excellent piper, and commanded him to play; and when others admired him, he swore it was more pleasant to hear a horse neigh... Ateas wrote to Philippus: You reign over the Macedonians, men that have learned fighting; and I over the Scythians, which can fight with hunger and thirst".
in the Balkans
. Greek sources record his campaign against the tribe of the Histriani in Thrace
. At first Ateas found it prudent to enlist the assistance of Macedon
. When Philip's troops arrived to Scythia, they were dismissed with derision: the king of the Histriani had died and military action was no longer on the agenda. Another collision between Philip and Ateas arose during the former's siege of Byzantium
, when the Scythians refused to provide Macedonian troops with supplies, citing the barrenness of their land as a pretext.
These petty conflicts with Ateas gave Philip a ground for invading his dominions. The final straw was the Scythians' reluctance to allow Philip to dedicate a statue of Heracles at the Danube estuary. In 339 BC, the two armies clashed on the plains of modern-day Dobruja
. The ninety-year-old Ateas was killed in action and his army was routed. Philip seems to have been wounded as well and his horse was killed in the thick of the fray.
Peace was bought at the price of concession of 20,000 Scythian women and as many steppe mares to the Macedonians. In the wake of this defeat, the empire of Ateas fell to pieces. The Scythians are presumed to have lost their dominant position in the Pontic steppe for two centuries, until the reign of Scilurus in the 2nd century BC.
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon "friend" + ἵππος "horse" — transliterated ; 382 – 336 BC), was a king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.-Biography:...
in 339 BC. His name also occurs as Atheas, Ateia, Ataias, and Ateus.
Unification of Scythia
It is not certain if Ateas was connected to the royal dynasty of Scythia; most historians view him as an usurper who ousted other Scythian kings from power and eliminated the traditional tripartite division of the Scythian society about 400 BC. By the 340s, he had united under his power Scythian tribes inhabiting a vast territory between the DanubeDanube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
and the Maeotian marshes
Maeotian marshes
In the geography of Antiquity the Maeotian marshes lay where the Don River emptied into the Maeotian Lake near Tanais. The marshes served as a check to the westward migration of nomad peoples from the steppe of Central Asia.The area was named after the Maeotae who lived around the Maeotian Lake....
. His purported capital was excavated by Soviet archaeologists near the town of Kamianka
Kamianka-Dniprovska
Kamianka-Dniprovska is a city in Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine. Population is 15,522 . The city is home to the Kamianka-Dniprovska District Historical and Archeological Museum. An archeological site near Kamianka-Dniprovska gives evidence suggesting that the city was once the capital of the ancient...
on the Dnieper.
Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
relates several anecdotes about the character of Ateas and his attitude toward Greek culture: "Ateas took prisoner Ismenias
Ismenias
Ismenias was an ancient Theban politician of the 4th century BC. He rose to power in the years after the Peloponnesian War and pursued an anti-Spartan policy, which included harboring exiles fleeing the Thirty Tyrants in Athens. During a Spartan occupation of Thebes, he is identified as the...
, an excellent piper, and commanded him to play; and when others admired him, he swore it was more pleasant to hear a horse neigh... Ateas wrote to Philippus: You reign over the Macedonians, men that have learned fighting; and I over the Scythians, which can fight with hunger and thirst".
Conflict with Macedon
Towards the end of his life, Ateas increasingly encroached upon the Greek-Macedonian sphere of influenceSphere of influence
In the field of international relations, a sphere of influence is a spatial region or conceptual division over which a state or organization has significant cultural, economic, military or political influence....
in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. Greek sources record his campaign against the tribe of the Histriani in Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. At first Ateas found it prudent to enlist the assistance of Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
. When Philip's troops arrived to Scythia, they were dismissed with derision: the king of the Histriani had died and military action was no longer on the agenda. Another collision between Philip and Ateas arose during the former's siege of Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
, when the Scythians refused to provide Macedonian troops with supplies, citing the barrenness of their land as a pretext.
These petty conflicts with Ateas gave Philip a ground for invading his dominions. The final straw was the Scythians' reluctance to allow Philip to dedicate a statue of Heracles at the Danube estuary. In 339 BC, the two armies clashed on the plains of modern-day Dobruja
Dobruja
Dobruja is a historical region shared by Bulgaria and Romania, located between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, including the Danube Delta, Romanian coast and the northernmost part of the Bulgarian coast...
. The ninety-year-old Ateas was killed in action and his army was routed. Philip seems to have been wounded as well and his horse was killed in the thick of the fray.
Peace was bought at the price of concession of 20,000 Scythian women and as many steppe mares to the Macedonians. In the wake of this defeat, the empire of Ateas fell to pieces. The Scythians are presumed to have lost their dominant position in the Pontic steppe for two centuries, until the reign of Scilurus in the 2nd century BC.