380s BC

This article concerns the period 389 BC – 380 BC.

389 BC
Greece A Spartan expeditionary force under King Agesilaus II crosses the Gulf of Corinth to attack Acarnania, an ally of the anti-Spartan coalition. Agesilaus is eventually able to draw them into a pitched battle, in which the Acarnanians are routed. The Athenian general, Thrasybulus, leads a force of triremes to levy tribute from cities around the Aegean and support Rhodes, where a democratic government is struggling against Sparta. On this campaign, Thrasybulus captures Byzantium, imposes a duty on ships passing through the Hellespont, and collects tribute from many of the Aegean Islands. Magna Grecia Battle of the Elleporus and the capture of Kroton by Dionysius I of Syracuse China Wu Qi, the Prime Minister of the State of Chu, enacts his first series of political, municipal, and martial reforms. Wu Qi gains the ire and distrust of Chu officials and aristocratic elite who are against his crusades to sweep up corruption in the state and limit their power. He is eventually assassinated in 381 BC at the funeral of King Diao of Chu, although his assassins are executed shortly after by the newly enthroned King Su of Chu. This is the latest possible date for the compilation of the historical text Zuo Zhuan, attributed to a blind historian known as Zuo Qiuming.

388 BC
Greece King Agesipolis I leads a Spartan army against Argos. Since no Argive army challenges him, he plunders the countryside for a time, and then, after receiving several unfavorable omens, returns to Sparta. The Athenian general, Thrasybulus, sails to Lesbos, where, with the support of the Mytileneans, he defeats the Spartan forces on the island and wins over a number of cities. While still on Lesbos, however, Thrasybulus is killed by raiders from the city of Aspendus where his financial exactions have made him unpopular. Concerned about the revival of Athenian imperialist ambitions, the Persian King Artaxerxes II and King Agesilaus II of Sparta enter into an alliance. Sparta also seeks and gains the support of Dionysius I of Syracuse.

Art Plato, having left Athens on Socrates' death to visit Megara and possibly Egypt, travels to Syracuse at the invitation of Dionysius I's brother-in-law Dion. Aristophanes' play Plutus is performed.

387 BC
Greece Antalcidas, commander of the Spartan navy, actively assists Persia against Athens. After escaping from the Athenian blockade at Abydos, he attacks and defeats a small Athenian force, then joins his fleet with a supporting fleet sent from Syracuse. With this force, which is soon further augmented with ships supplied by the Persian satraps of the region, he sails to the Hellespont, where he is in a position to cut off the trade routes that bring grain to Athens. The Persians, unnerved by some of Athens' actions, including supporting King Evagoras of Cyprus and Pharaoh Hakor of Egypt (both of whom are at war with Persia), decide that their policy of weakening Sparta by supporting its enemies is no longer wise. So Antalcidas enters into negotiations with the Persian satrap Tiribazus and reaches an agreement under which the Persians will enter into the war on the Spartan side if the allies refuse to make peace. With Antalcidas' Spartan fleet in control of the Hellespont, Sparta deprives Athens of her Bosporus trade and tolls. The Athenians, mindful of being in a similarly serious situation as when defeated in the Peloponnesian War less than two decades before and facing Persian intervention on Sparta's side, are thereby ready to make peace. With the support of the Persian King Artaxerxes II, King Agesilaus II of Sparta concludes "the King's Peace" (or the Peace of Antalcidas, after the Spartan envoy and commander) with Greek allied forces in a manner favourable to Sparta. Under the Peace, all the Asiatic mainland and Cyprus remain under Persian control, Lemnos, Imbros, and Scyros remain Athenian dependencies, and all the other Greek states are to receive autonomy. By the King's Peace, the Persians become key players in Greek politics. Under the threat of Spartan intervention, Thebes disbands its league, and Argos and Corinth end their shared government. Corinth, deprived of its strong ally, is incorporated back into Sparta's Peloponnesian League. After eight years of fighting, the Corinthian War is at an end. Plato founds the Platonic Academy in Athens, where he teaches Aristotle until 347 BC. Sicily With the aid of the Lucanians, Dionysius I of Syracuse devastates the territories of Thurii, Crotone, and Locri in mainland Italy. When Rhegium falls, Dionysius becomes the chief power in Greek Southern Italy. He then turns his attention to the Adriatic. Plato is forced by Dionysius to leave Syracuse after having exercised the right of free speech too broadly. Plato returns to Athens, outside which he founds a school. Roman Republic Rome begins to rebuild after being invaded by the Gauls under Brennus. Marcus Furius Camillus introduces the Capitoline Games (Ludi Capitolini) in honour of Jupiter Capitolinus, and in commemoration of Rome's Capitol not being captured by the Gauls.

386 BC
Persian Empire Freed from Spartan attacks by the King's Peace of the previous year, Persia turns to quieting Cyprus and Egypt. Owing to the skill of King Evagoras of Cyprus and of Egypt's Greek mercenary general Chabrias, these wars drag on for the rest of the decade. Sicily Dionysius I of Syracuse extends the influence and trade of Syracuse to the Adriatic, planting a colony as far north as the Etruscan city of Hadria. China The Chinese city of Handan is founded by the State of Zhao.

== 385 BC==

Greece Jason of Pherae becomes tyrant of Thessaly. Dionysius I of Syracuse attempts to restore Alcetas I of Epirus to the throne. Bardyllis becomes king of Illyria and the Dardani and thereby establishes the Bardyllian Dynasty. By topic Education Plato forms his Academy, teaching mathematics, astronomy and other sciences as well as philosophy. It is dedicated to the Attic hero Academus. Philanthropists bear all costs; students pay no fees. Astronomy Democritus announces that the Milky Way is composed of many stars.

384 BC
Greece Lysias, the Athenian orator, on the occasion of the Olympiad, rebukes the Greeks for allowing themselves to be dominated by the Syracusan tyrant Dionysius I and by the barbarian Persians. The Greeks found the colony of Pharos at the site of today’s Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, defeating Iadasinoi warriors brought in for its defense.

383 BC
Greece King Amyntas III of Macedon, forms a temporary alliance with the Chalcidian League, a confederation of cities of the Chalcidice peninsula, east of Macedonia. Sparta, whose policy is to keep Greeks disunited, sends an expedition northwards to disrupt the Chalcidian League. The Spartan commander Phoebidas, who is passing through Boeotia on campaign, takes advantage of civil strife within Thebes to gain entrance to the city for his troops. Once inside, he seizes the Cadmeia (the citadel of Thebes), and forces the anti-Spartan party to flee the city. The government of Thebes is placed in the hands of the pro-Spartan party, backed by a Spartan garrison based in the Cadmeia. Many of the previous leaders of Thebes are driven into exile. Epaminondas, although associated with the anti-Spartan faction, is allowed to remain. By topic Astronomy The 19 year lunar cycle is introduced into the Babylonian calendar. Religion The second Buddhist council is convened by king Kalasoka and held at Vaisali.

382 BC
Greece Pelopidas, a Theban general and statesman, flees to Athens and takes the lead in attempts to liberate Thebes from Spartan control. In punishment for his unauthorized action in the previous year of taking over Thebes, Phoebidas is relieved of his command, but the Spartans continue to hold Thebes. The Spartan king Agesilaus II argues against punishing Phoebidas, on the grounds that his actions had benefited Sparta, and this was the only standard against which he ought to be judged. Evandrus takes over being Archon of Athens from Phanostratus.

Persian Empire The Persian generals Tiribazus and Orontes invade Cyprus, with an army far larger than any King Evagoras of Cyprus could raise. However, Evagoras manages to cut off this force from being resupplied, and the starving troops rebel. However, the war then turns in the Persians' favour when Evagoras' fleet is destroyed at the Battle of Citium (Larnaca, Cyprus). Evagoras flees to Salamis, where he manages to conclude a peace which allows him to remain nominally king of Salamis, though in reality he is a vassal of the Persian king. Greece Sparta increases its hold on central Greece by reestablishing the city of Plataea, which Sparta formerly destroyed in 427 BC. Roman Republic The district of Tusculum is pacified after a revolt against Rome, and then conquered. After an expression of complete submission to Rome, Tusculum becomes the first "municipium cum suffragio", and thenceforth the city continues to hold the rank of a municipium.

380 BC
Persian empire Persia forces the Athenians to withdraw their general Chabrias from Egypt. Chabrias has been successfully supporting the Egyptian Pharaohs in maintaining their independence from the Persian Empire. Egypt The Egyptian Pharaoh Hakor dies and is succeeded by his son Nepherites II, but the latter is overthrown by Nectanebo I within the year, ending the Twenty-ninth dynasty of Egypt. Nectanabo (or more properly Nekhtnebef) becomes the first Pharaoh of the Thirtieth dynasty of Egypt. Greece Cleombrotus I succeeds his brother Agesipolis I as king of Sparta. Italy The Roman Republic holds elections for military tribunes with consular power. Military tribunes are as follows. Lucius Valerius (for the fifth time), Publius Valerius (third time), Gaius Sergius (third time), Licinius Menenius (second time), Publius Papirius and Servius Cornelius Maluginensis. War springs up with the Praenestines and they soon move to the territory of the Gabii (east of Rome ), as soon as they hear of civil disputes in Rome. In Rome the enrolment of troops cannot start, as the tribunes and the commons oppose it. The young men refuse to enroll their names and the tribunes will not allow those bound over to be taken away for military service. The Praenstines meanwhile see that Rome has no army in the field, so they proceed to destroy all the fields up to Rome and appear near the walls of Rome. Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus is made dictator, and he chooses Aulus Sempronius Atratinus as master of the horse. Quinctius defeats the enemy at Allia. Afterwards he captures eight towns subject to Praenste, stormes Velitrae, and accepts the surrender of Praenste. Quinctius holds a triumph in which he brings with him a statue of Jupiter from Praenste. By topic Art What some historians call the Rich style in Greece comes to an end.

Births
389 BC

Aeschines, Greek statesman and orator (d. 314 BC) 386 BC

Rhydondis, Greek mercenary (approximate date) 385 BC

Mentor of Rhodes, Greek mercenary and satrap (approximate date) 384 BC

Aristotle, Greek philosopher (d. 322 BC) Demosthenes, Greek statesman and orator (d. 322 BC) 382 BC

Philip II, king of Macedon (d. 336 BC), son of Amyntas III of Macedon and Eurydike of Lynkestis[2] Antigonus I Monophthalmus (d. 301 BC), Macedonian general under Alexander the Great and king of Macedon 306-301 380 BC

Darius III, king of (Achaemenid) Persia (approximate date) Menaechmus, Greek mathematician and geometer (d. 320 BC) Pytheas, Greek explorer, who will explore northwestern Europe, including the British Isles (d. c. 310 BC) (approximate date)

Deaths
388 BC

Thrasybulus, Athenian general who has helped overthrow the Thirty Tyrants 387 BC

Wen, marquis of the State of Wei, China Rhydondis, Greek mercenary (b. c. 386 BC) 386 BC

Aristophanes, Greek playwright (b. c. 456 BC) 385 BC

Camissares, Persian satrap of Cilicia Chuzi II, Chinese ruler of the Zhou Dynasty (approximate date) 382 BC

Orontes I of Armenia (b. 425 BC), son of Artasyrus 381 BC

Wu Qi, Chinese military general, Prime Minister of the State of Chu, also a servant of the State of Lu (born in Wei, 440 BC) 380 BC

Agesipolis I, king of Sparta Philoxenus of Cythera, Greek dithyrambic poet (b. 435 BC) Hakor, king of the Twenty-ninth dynasty of Egypt Nefaarud II, son of Hakor and last king of the Twenty-ninth dynasty