Phocion

Phocion (/ˈfoʊʃiən, -ˌɒn/; Ancient Greek: Φωκίων Φώκου Ἀθηναῖος Phokion; c. 402 – c. 318 BC), nicknamed The Good (ὁ χρηστός, was an Athenian statesman and strategos, and the subject of one of Plutarch's Parallel Lives.

Nonetheless, by both his individual prestige and his military expertise, which was acquired by the side of Chabrias, Phocion was elected strategos numerous times, with a record 45 terms in office.

In the late 320s, when Macedon gained complete control of Athens (under Antipater), though somewhat compromised, Phocion defended both the urban center and its citizens.

[3] In 376 BC, Phocion's participation was crucial in the Athenian naval victory of Naxos, where he commanded the leading left wing.

At last he exclaimed "O Chabrias, did ever a man show so much gratitude as I do in putting up with your son" [3] Publicly, Phocion was recognized as the most austere and wisest Athenian politician.

[3] Parrying the eloquence of his opponents, Phocion resorted both to wise concepts and pithy sayings, which were famous in antiquity.

"[3] On an occasion when Phocion was being heavily attacked by the entire assembly, he requested Archibiades, a man who liked imitating the Spartan lifestyle, to support his stand.

"[3] Polyeuctos, an out-of-shape Athenian politician, once made a speech advocating war with Philip II of Macedon, stopping repeatedly to drink water and catch his breath.

At each city, Phocion negotiated each fee so diplomatically that he returned home with a large allied fleet, which protected their treasury.

[3] Phocion established his camp on a hill outside the city of Tamynae, and ordered his men to ignore those who neglected their duties because of Macedonian bribes.

The Athenian cavalry was ill-disciplined, and not wishing to remain idle, raced out to meet the enemy, but with no formation and in scattered groups, so that they were easily beaten and routed.

[3] Just with his best men while the main body of the army rallied some of the previously dispersed troops, Phocion engaged the enemy's chief divisions, in a ferocious battle.

[3] With his armies, Philip II reached the Dardanelles, expecting successively to seize Chersonesus, Perinthus, and Byzantium.

Thus, particularly there, the new expedition was amicably received and, even though Phocion had planned to camp outside the walls, was welcomed into the city, where the Athenian soldiers acted with exemplary discipline and courtesy.

Although he had been successful in his campaigns against it, he had come to view Macedon as a rising power, and to doubt the wisdom of an Athenian foreign policy too strongly opposed to it.

Philip, on the other hand, preferred not to go to war with Athens; he hoped instead the Athenians would consent to put their strong navy at his disposal for use against Persia.

Initially, he favored negotiating directly with Philip, who he thought could be expected to be lenient, and opposed having Athens join a congress of Greek states and be forced to accept Macedonia's common terms of peace, which were not yet known.

Later, after Philip died (336 BC), Phocion banned all celebratory sacrifice, saying: "The army which defeated us at Chaeronea has lost just one man.

After Alexander defeated the Persian Emperor Darius III, Phocion was among the few individuals who were saluted with the word "greetings" by the king in his correspondence.

Alexander made a request for a number of Athenian warships which Phocion supported, saying: "You should either possess superior strength or side with those that do.

[3] In 322 BC, Phocion hurriedly led a force of Athenians against Micion, who had disembarked at Rhamnus with an army composed of Macedonians and mercenaries.

By his influence, only just individuals were appointed magistrates, and people who were too rebellious weren't allowed to hold public office.

However, Phocion refused when Antipater requested him to do dishonorable things, commenting: "I can't be both his friend and his flatterer."

At Piraeus, Phocion was holding a conference with Nicanor when Athenian soldiers attempted to jail the Macedonian general.

His son, Alexander, arrived in Athens with a Macedonian army, while Athenian exiles (more than half of the entire citizen body) returned home, expecting revenge against the politicians who had betrayed the democracy.

During that interval, Agnonides proposed another embassy to accuse Phocion formally before the regent, and the Athenian Assembly passed the motion.

The Athenian archons conducted the proceedings and Plutarch alleges that attendees included slaves, foreigners, and those formerly disfranchised.

Soon afterward, Cassander gained control of the city and established a new oligarchy, which reburied Phocion's remains at public expense and erected a bronze statue of him.

He only made an exception in extreme cold, wearing a cloak, so other soldiers said that Phocion gave a meteorological indication.

Charicles eventually accepted a lavish commission to build a tomb for Harpalus' mistress, and was investigated for corruption.