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Cleon and Brasidas both die at Amphipolis

422 BCE, Amphipolis. An event.

Where and when

422 BCEAmphipolis

2,447 years ago

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, Amphipolis

Athens tries to retake Amphipolis and loses. Both leaders die: the Athenian Cleon while fleeing, the Spartan Brasidas after hearing of his victory.

The men who had taken up and rescued Brasidas, brought him into the town with the breath still in him: he lived to hear of the victory of his troops, and not long after expired.

Thucydides 5.10.11Translated by Richard Crawley (1874)Read the full passage (Thucydides 5.10.11, opens scaife.perseus.org)

Background: Battle of Amphipolis, Wikipedia (opens en.wikipedia.org)

Why it matters

After the battle neither Athens nor Sparta wanted to go on with the war, and the Peace of Nicias was signed in 421 BC.

Based on Wikipedia: Battle of Amphipolis

After the battle, neither the Athenians nor the Spartans wanted to continue the war (Cleon being the most hawkish member from Athens), and the Peace of Nicias was signed in 421 BC.

Wikipedia, Battle of Amphipolis (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-08-19. Text CC BY-SA 4.0. Our line is checked against these sentences only.

Related moments

In time order, with this one in its place. Each says why it is here.

  1. 427 BCE5 years earlier Athens votes to kill Mytilene's men, then relents Same years
  2. 425 BCE3 years earlier Spartans surrender on Sphacteria Same years
  3. 424/423 BCE2 years earlier Thucydides fails to save Amphipolis and is exiled Also in AmphipolisAlso about war and empire
  4. 423 BCE1 year earlier Aristophanes' Socrates walks on air Same years
  5. 422 BCEThis momentCleon and Brasidas both die at Amphipolis
  6. 421 BCE1 year later The Peace of Nicias Also about war and empire
  7. c. 431–411 BCEDuring it Socrates on guardians sharing wives and children Same years

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