The Reign of Amastris I, from Hellenic backwater to Pontic trading power
Excerpts from the Life of Amastris, written by Euthykrates circa 40-30 BC
In the annals of time, amidst the thundering clash of empires and the tumult of warring dynasties, there arose a figure of unparalleled valor and strategic brilliance—Amastris [1], the radiant jewel of Heraclea, whose name resonates through the ages as a saga of triumph and conquest.
Map of Herakleia Pontike and its surrounds in the early years of Amastris' rule
Born of the illustrious lineage of Persian royalty, Amastris, known in the tongues of Greece as Amastrine, ascended to the throne as a beacon of strength and sovereignty. Her reign, cloaked in the mists of destiny, began amidst the tempestuous Fourth War of the Diadochi, where the echoes of Macedon's might reverberated against the Antigonid Kingdom's ramparts.
Didrachm of Amastris. Amastris was the first woman to issue coins in her own name. British Museum.
Yet, Amastris, with the wisdom of ages etched in her eyes, perceived the perilous currents swirling around her realm. The Thracian Mariandynian tribes, thirsting for spoils, cast their covetous gazes upon the opulent cities of the Greek Pontus. The looming shadows of the Diadochi, like titans locked in eternal struggle, threatened to engulf Heraclea in their inexorable march.
Within her own walls, Amastris faced a labyrinth of intrigues and ambitions. Her sons, Oxyathres and Klearchos, coveted the throne with a hunger born of ancestral pride. To appease their aspirations and forge alliances in the crucible of ambition, she orchestrated marriages that bound their destinies to ancient houses of power, weaving a tapestry of loyalty and kinship.
The alliance with the noble Armenian Orontids, steeped in the hallowed traditions of fealty to the Achaemenids, proved to be the cornerstone of Amastris's grand design. As the tempest of war raged on, she marshalled her forces and, with the steadfast support of the Orontids, embarked on a campaign of conquest and consolidation. The Thracian threat was met with steel and fire, as Heraclea's banners unfurled in the winds of destiny. Beyond the hinterlands of Mariandynia, she would send her armies east, as Bithynia, Chalkedon, Byzantion and Kios would fly the Achaemenid flag. The Bosphorus would forevermore be under Achaemenid domination. [2]
The clash of arms and the thunder of hooves echoed across the Anatolian plains as Amastris's armies, infused with the wisdom of Greek stratagems and Persian valor, carved a path of glory. The martial reforms [3], guided by the sagacious counsel of Neaichmos Xenophides [4], breathed new life into the Achaemenid armies, forging them into an indomitable force that echoed the thundering march of Alexander's legacy.
With each conquest, Heraclea's dominion expanded like a radiant phoenix, rising from the ashes of strife. From the storied lands of Paphlagonia to the ancient cities of Sinope and Trebizond, Amastris's name resounded as the harbinger of a new era — a realm where Greek and Persian customs melded into a harmonious symphony, where the echoes of battle gave way to the songs of unity. [5]
As the sun set on her storied reign, Amastris stood as the undisputed sovereign of northern Anatolia, her court a tapestry woven with threads of Greek, Persian, and Anatolian heritage. Foreign emissaries sought her favor, and her name became synonymous with the epic tale of a visionary leader who navigated the turbulent seas of history with grace and valor, leaving behind a legacy etched in the annals of epic history.
[1] Amastris (Greek: Ἄμαστρις; c. 340/39- 270 BC) called Amastrine by the Greeks, was a Persian princess, and Tyrant-ruler of the city of Heraclea from circa 310 BC to her death. She was the daughter of Oxyathres, the brother of the Persian King Darius III. She was the first woman in the Mediterranean publicly identified as the political, economic, and administrative royal authority.
[2] The Diadochi were too busy to focus on the expansionist state in northern Anatolia. The Antigonids would soon abandon the east and retreat to Greece after the death of Antigonos and Macedon would claim Phrygia and the Aeloian coast while the Seleucids and Ptolemaic Egypt split the east between them. This left the holdings of Bithynia and the Anatolian side of the Hellespont open to conquest. Amatris would take advantage of the opportunity. Hiring Greek mercenaries, she would march 15,000 men to claim Chalkedon, Bithynia and the city of Kios. Thrace would answer these states’ call for help but they were an exhausted power after the clashes with Antigonos and the Odrysian rebellion in northern Thrace. Amastris even sacked the capital of Thrace, Lysimachea, greatly enriching the treasury of Heraclea Pontike.
[3] Neaichmos Xenophides was a Greek named as Amastris’ Argbahd who brought in veterans of Alexander’s campaign to reshape Persian military doctrine. The work would see its grand results 70 years later during the time of Amastris’s great-grandson but the credit for starting the reform should go to Amastris and her loyal Greek strategos.
[4] The Xenophides would go on to be a great family of the Achaemenid kingdom, second only in prestige to the house of Cyrus.
[5] In 290 BC, Amastris made a grand ceremony of the consecration of her new temple in Heraclea dedicating it to the Hellenic pantheon. The new Achaemenid kingdom would abandon the teachings of Zoroaster and attempt to meld Greek and Persian customs into a syncretic mix. Citizenship was extended to the Greeks and Anatolians as she sought to keep all newly conquered people of her realm happy. Foremost of the gods would be Ares, Hestia and the demigod Iason of the Golden Fleece fame.
