King Evagoras (flourished 410-374 BCE) was a powerful and influential ruler who held great sway in the complicated geopolitical interplay that went on between Greece and Persia during his lifetime. His base of power was at the city of Salamis in Cyprus, from where Evagoras could keep an eye on Mediterranean and Aegean matters. As told by the Athenian speechwriter, orator, and rhetorician, Isocrates (c. 436-338 BCE)—who was a teacher of Evagoras’ heir—the king came to power in a bold palace coup, ousting the preceding government of Salamis in a surprise raid. Although Cyprus was at the time loosely within Persia’s sphere of influence, Evagoras took a staunchly pro-Greek stance, both politically and culturally, even though it was a dangerous time for Persian satellites to be too pro-Greek. Evagoras’ era was a time when Persian Anatolia was frequently in revolt, and Greeks often aided the rebels in various ways, such as through mercenaries (like the company Xenophon joined) and formal state military campaigns (like that of King Agesilaus II of Sparta (r. 400 BCE-360/359 BCE)). Meanwhile, as the Persian-Spartan conflict was still ongoing, a new major conflict in mainland Greece broke out. This was the Corinthian War (395-386 BCE), in which the Athenians, Thebans, Boeotians and Argives banded together to wage war on Sparta. Evagoras, an able diplomat, played a part in convincing Persia to support the side of Athens at the beginning of the Corinthian War, and he was known to have accompanied the Persian fleet in the decisive sea battle of Cnidus against Sparta (c. 394 BCE).
Evagoras made the most of the political chaos and territorial instability during the time of the Corinthian War. With aid from his alliances and contacts, Evagoras quickly pounced to consolidate power in Cyprus, bringing other cities on the island under his direct influence. Additionally, the territorial back-and-forth in Anatolia between rebels, Spartans, and Persians allowed Evagoras to opportunistically swoop in and seize several cities for himself, expanding his growing realm to the mainland.
Sparta quickly began to struggle on both land and sea against the combined forces of Persia and the Athenian coalition, so much so that the Spartans proposed a peace deal in 392 BCE, which was rejected. By that point, however, the Persians were also beginning to reassess their relationship with Evagoras and Athens. Persia was suspicious and worried about a potential revival and expansion of the Athenian sea empire into the Anatolian coastlands, and Evagoras’ accumulation of territory on the mainland did not ease Persian worries. A breaking point arrived in 391 BCE, when Evagoras’ precarious standing with the Persian authorities collapsed, culminating in a war. Around that same timeframe, Persia suddenly revoked its alliance with Athens and abruptly switched sides to support Sparta. During that sudden shake-up, Athens and Evagoras remained tightly aligned, and the Athenians supported the Cypriot king’s war effort against the Persians. Yet, unfortunately for Evagoras, Athens ultimately lost the Corinthian War against Sparta and Persia in 387/386 BCE, and this caused the Cypriot ruler’s Athenian aid to run dry after 386 BCE.
Evagoras, even without Athenian help, proved himself to be a formidable foe to the Persians. He had been able to expand and consolidate his local power and influence to such an extent that he had the means and manpower to hold his own against the might of Persia for years. All it takes, however, is one bad decision or a single slow reaction to turn the tide of a war. For Evagoras, this was in 381 BCE, when the Persians caught his forces at Citium in Cyprus. Cornered and unable to escape, the Persians dealt a definitive and decisive blow to Evagoras’ military. Evagoras, himself, was able to escape, but he knew he could no longer feasibly win the war. After fleeing back to his stronghold of Salamis in Cyprus, Evagoras reached out to the Persians to negotiate a peace settlement. Once again showing his diplomatic skills, Evagoras was able to convince the Persians to allow him to stay on his throne in Salamis, albeit as a tightly-controlled vassal of the Persians.
In his leashed state, Evagoras continued to rule Salamis in Cyprus well into the 370s BCE. Unfortunately, idle hands, as they say, are liable to get into all sorts of mischief. In the case of Evagoras, it was a son of his who fell victim to temptation during that period of inactivity. According to ancient Greek gossip, a son of Evagoras reportedly had an affair with the wife of a eunuch who was a prominent member of the king’s inner circle. This scandal would have dire consequences for King Evagoras. On his fate, the famous scholar, Aristotle (c. 384-322 BCE), wrote, “Evagoras of Cyprus was attacked and murdered by the eunuch, who felt ill-treated because his wife had been seduced by Evagoras’ son” (The Politics, Bekker page 1311a). Evagoras was murdered in 374 BCE, and he was succeeded by King Nicocles (r. 374-361 BCE).
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Picture Attribution: (Limestone sarcophagus: the Amathus sarcophagus, by a 5th-centuary BCE Cypriot artist, [Public Domain] via the MET.jpg).
Sources:
- Evagoras, by Isocrates, translated by George Norlin (Harvard University Press, 1980), and reprinted in The Complete Works of Isocrates (Delphi Classics, 2016).
- The Politics by Aristotle, translated by T. A. Sinclair and revised by T. J. Saunders. London: Penguin Classics, 1962, 1992.
- On Sparta (Life of Agesilaus), by Plutarch, excerpted from his Parallel Lives, translated by Richard J. A. Talbert. New York: Penguin Classics, 2005.
- A History of My Times by Xenophon, translated by Rex Warner. New York: Penguin Classics, 1966, 1979.
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Evagoras
- https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Greece/The-Corinthian-War
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Agesilaus-II
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Artaxerxes-II
- https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-1823#acrefore-9780199381135-e-1823
