The Argead monarchy in the fifth century
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Athenian side again and making up for at least one past transgression by joining forces with the general Euetion in an attack on Amphipolis.119 That is the last that is heard of Perdiccas. His fate, like his father’s, is unknown.120
Archelaus and the restructuring of the Macedonian kingdom By 413 Archelaus, son of Perdiccas, had succeeded to the throne. His accession was timely, for that summer an Athenian fleet of 120 triremes, after an ill considered two-year campaign in Sicily, was annihilated in Syracuse’s harbor.121 This meant the Athenians had to begin once again to rebuild their fleet, and being in desperate need of Macedonian timber and pitch they were all too eager to be on good terms with the new Macedonian king. It also meant that the Athenians, who from the time of Xerxes’ invasion had continually competed with Macedonia for control of ports and resources in the north Aegean, for now did not constitute a serious threat to Macedonian interests (though they persisted in their efforts to regain Amphipolis). On the eastern frontier the independent Thracians were checked by the power of Seuthes, and he, king of the Odrysians, was connected by marriage to the Macedonian throne. And if the increase in silver coinage minted during Archelaus’ reign is any indication, it seems that the Macedonians regained control of Bisaltia and its silver mines. In the west Archelaus evidently inherited Perdiccas’ conflict with the Lyncestians. However, by marrying his eldest daughter to the king of Elimeia, he secured a firm Upper Macedonian ally for his war with Arrhabaeus and the latter’s ally Sirras.122 This marriage was arguably a major diplomatic coup, since the king of Elimeia was the son of that Derdas (if not Derdas himself) who had supported the bid of Perdiccas’ brother Philip for the Macedonian throne. Over the fourteen years of his reign Archelaus restructured the Macedonian kingdom in the areas where he would have observed first hand that it had been weakest under his father’s rule. Unfortunately, few details are known. Thucydides lived through the entirety of his reign; however, his history of the Peloponnesian War breaks off in the year 411 and he makes only one reference to the king: a brief and favourable summary of his accomplishments. Archelaus, son of Perdiccas, when he became king, built those [fortresses] that are now in the country, and cut straight roads, and in general organized his country for war by providing cavalry, arms and other equipment beyond anything achieved by all the eight kings who preceded him.123 We hear elsewhere that Archelaus immediately eliminated his rivals for power, namely his uncle Alcetas (whom Perdiccas had deprived of a territory), Alcetas’ son Alexander, and an underage half-brother.124 So whereas Perdiccas had had to contend with internal rivalry in addition to the constant external threat of Athens, the removal of both complications meant Archelaus could proceed to unify what had been perhaps for half a century a fragmented kingdom.