阴金猪年 (female Iron-
Pig) −242 or −623 or −1395 — to — 阳水鼠年 (male Water-
Rat) −241 or −622 or −1394
Year 369 BC was a year of the
pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Tribunate of Fidenas, Cicurinus, Cossus, Cornelius, Cincinnatus and Ambustus (or, less frequently, year 385 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 369 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
Greece
After driving off the
Spartan army that has threatened
Mantinea,
Epaminondas of
Thebes moves south and crosses the
Evrotas River (the frontier of Sparta), which no hostile
army has breached in historical memory. The Spartans, unwilling to engage the massive Theban army in battle, remain inside their city while the Thebans and their allies ravage
Laconia.
Epaminondas briefly returns to
Arcadia, then marches south to
Messenia, a territory which the Spartans had conquered some 200 years before. There, Epaminondas starts the rebuilding of the ancient city of
Messene on Mount
Ithome, with fortifications that are among the strongest in Greece. He then issues a call to Messenian exiles all over Greece to return and rebuild their homeland. The loss of Messenia is particularly damaging to the Spartans, since the territory comprises one-third of Sparta's territory and contains half of their
helot population.
On returning to Thebes, Epaminondas is put on trial by his political enemies who charge that he has retained his command longer than constitutionally permitted. While this charge is considered to be true, Epaminondas persuades the Thebans that this has been necessary to protect Thebes and its allies and reduce the power of Sparta. As a result, the charges against him are dropped.
In a search for a balance of power against the now powerful
Thebes,
Athens responds to an appeal for help from
Sparta and allies itself with its traditional enemy.
On the death of the
Macedonian King
Amyntas III, his eldest son
Alexander II becomes king. The young king is simultaneously faced with an
Illyrian invasion from the north-west and an attack from the east by the pretender of the Macedonian throne, Pausanias (who quickly captures several cities and threatens the queen mother,
Eurydice). Alexander defeats his enemies with the help of the Athenian general
Iphicrates, who has been sailing along the Macedonian coast on the way to recapture
Amphipolis.
Alexander of Pherae becomes tyrant of
Thessaly following the death of his father. Alexander's tyranny causes the
Aleuadae of
Larissa to seek the help of
Alexander II of Macedon. Alexander II successfully gains control of
Larissa and several other cities but, betraying a promise he has made, put garrisons in them. This provokes a hostile reaction from
Thebes. The Theban general
Pelopidas drives the Macedonians from Thessaly.
Pelopidas forces Alexander to abandon his alliance with
Athens in favour of Thebes by threatening to support Alexander's brother-in-law, Ptolemy of Aloros. As part of this new alliance, Alexander is compelled to hand over hostages, including his younger brother
Philip, the future conqueror of Greece.