In the Aftermath of Salamis: the Revolt of Potidaea

Abstract

Following the Persian defeat at Salamis and Xerxes' departure from Europe, the Persian naval power in the Aegean Sea sharply declined. In this geopolitical context, Herodotus reports the outbreak of the revolt of Potidaea and the nearby communities in Pallene, the westernmost peninsula of Chalcidice, against the Persians. The army detachment sent to quash the insurrection was repulsed, supposedly thanks to a natural disaster, caused by divine intervention, which decimated the Achaemenid troops. This defeat marks the first and only permanently successful secessionist revolt against the Achaemenid Empire. However, the largely anecdotal account of Herodotus still leaves a few questions unanswered: Why did Potidaea revolt? Why was its example not imitated by the neighboring peoples? How can the Persian defeat be rationally explained? The present study aims at answering the aforementioned questions, by critically examining the account of Herodotus and by taking into consideration the geographical particularities of the peninsula of Pallene. The case of Potidaea is then compared to the position of other Aegean communities under Persian domination, in an effort to understand the challenges the Achaemenid authorities faced in the turbulent period between the battles of Salamis and Mycale.