阳木鼠年 (male Wood-
Rat) −229 or −610 or −1382 — to — 阴木牛年 (female Wood-
Ox) −228 or −609 or −1381
Year 356 BC was a year of the
pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Ambustus and Laenas (or, less frequently, year 398 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 356 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the
Anno Dominicalendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.
Events
By place
Persian Empire
Having blamed their defeats to
Philip II in
Thessaly and
Chalcidice on his colleagues (
Iphicrates and
Timotheus),
Chares is left in sole command of the Athenian fleet. Chares, in need of money for his war effort, frowns upon asking it from Athens, so, partly compelled by his mercenaries, he enters the service of the insurgent
Achaemenid satrap of
PhrygiaArtabazus who rewards Chares very generously.[1]
Artabazus is also supported by the
Thebans, who send him 5,000 men under one of their generals
Pammenes. With the assistance of these and other allies, Artabazus defeats his
Achaemenid enemies in two great battles.[citation needed]
The
Achaemenid King
Artaxerxes III orders all the
satraps (governors) of his empire to dismiss their mercenaries. The Athenians, who have originally approved their mercenaries' collaboration with Artabazus of Phrygia, order them to leave due to their fear of Achaemenid support for the rebellion of
Chios,
Rhodes, and
Cos. Thebes follows suit and withdraws its mercenaries.
With King Artaxerxes III succeeding in depriving Artabazus of his Athenian and Theban allies, Artabazus is defeated by the Persian King's general,
Autophradates.[citation needed]
With Pydna and Potidaea occupied, Philip II decides to keep Amphipolis anyway. He also takes the city of
Crenides from the
Odrysae and renames it
Philippi.[citation needed]
The
Phocians capture and sack
Delphi in whose territory the famous temple and oracle stand.
A sacred war is declared against them by the other members of the Great
Amphictyonic League. The Phocians, led by two capable generals, Philomelus and Onomarchus, use Delphi's riches to hire a mercenary army to carry the war into
Boeotia and
Thessaly.[citation needed]
The Athenian generals
Chares and
Chabrias are given command of the Athenian fleet with the aim of defeating the rebellious cities. However, Chabrias' fleet is defeated and he is killed in its attack on the island of Chios, off the coast of
Ionia.[citation needed]
Chares is given sole command of the Athenian fleet and withdraws to the
Hellespont to move against Byzantium. The generals
Timotheus,
Iphicrates and his son
Menestheus are sent with 60 ships to help him when the enemy fleet is sighted on the Hellespont. Timotheus and Iphicrates refuse to engage due to a severe gale, but Chares does engage and lose many of his ships. Timotheus and Iphicrates are accused by Chares and put on trial, however only Timotheus is condemned to pay a fine.[1]
July 21 (traditional date) – The
Temple of Artemis at
Ephesus is burned down by a madman named Herostratus, destroying one of the
Seven Wonders of the World. The great temple was built by
Croesus, king of
Lydia, in about
550 BC and was famous not only for its great size (110 metres by 55 metres), but also for the magnificent works of art that adorned it.[citation needed]