Thasos: Gold Mines, Athenian Conflicts, and Delian League Revolts

Thasos, an island off the coast of Thrace in northern Greece, became an important polis and member of the Athenian League. A mountainous island sixteen miles in diameter, was five miles offshore, opposite the River Nestus, just east of Chalcidice. Its original inhabitants came from the Thracian region during the Neolithic period, and by the late Bronze Age, it had not only become an important Thracian village but soon attracted the attention of the Phoenicians, who mined the nearby shore mountains, especially Mount Pangaeum, for gold.

The Phoenicians established a temple to their god Melqart, which many Greeks equated with Heracles. A later Greek temple with five rooms was the chief temple, and it was situated in the lower city, near the harbor. The island, although mountainous, had a good supply of water and rich valleys. The original Thracian tribe, the Sintes, were defeated and probably assimilated by colonists from the island of Paros under Telesicles, an aristocrat, in about 650. Joining him as a colonist or in a second wave that closely followed was the poet Archilochus. This conquest of the island took only about twenty years, and within a short time, they also established colonies on the shoreland.

They appear to have had friendly relations with the native Thracians and soon dominated the gold and silver mines on the mainland. Although gold mines probably did not exist on the island of Thasos, it did have sufficient silver mines to allow it to become prosperous and mint its own coins, which showed a satyr carrying off a nymph.

During the sixth century, the island began to expand economically by exporting timber to other city-states for the construction of their ships. In addition, Thasos became known for its own brand of wine, which was exported and widely sought after. By 500, their exploitation of the mines both on the mainland and the island made it the most important and powerful Greek city-state and colony in the north.

All of these factors allowed Thasos to build a powerful fleet and control the region. During the Ionian revolt, after the fall of Miletus, Histiaeus, the Ionian leader, attacked the city. The island, warned of his intent, built a strong navy and fortified the city. The strength of the island and city probably prompted the Persian king Darius to seize them. In 491, the island was forced to submit to the Persians in their first attempt to attack Greece before Marathon. During this time, the forts protecting their city and harbor were destroyed, although the island probably regained its freedom.

During the fifth century, the annual revenue of the island and the surrounding region amounted to over 200 talents, an immense amount that made it highly attractive. The island’s capital, also named Thasos, had two harbors. It is probable that the city was taken by Darius’s son, Xerxes, in his subsequent invasion of Greece in 480. With the Persian defeat, the island joined the new Delian League and sent a large fleet. Within a short time, the Athenians demanded that the mines be turned over to them, and Thasos revolted, probably in 465. The Athenians defeated Thasos’ fleet and began to lay siege to the city for two years. In 463, they city fell, and the Athenians ordered the destruction of its fortifications, surrender of its fleet, and to give up control over the mainland regions, especially the mines. In addition, it was required to pay an indemnity and annual payments for over 20 talents a year.

The historian Thucydides, who described the rebellion, noted that this was one of the events that showed the change of Athens from the democratic Delian League to the Athenian Empire. It is probable that the Athenians realized the riches that they could obtain by reducing Thasos, so they were probably the aggressor, using the pretext of helping protect the smaller states of the region. The Athenians had sent a large group of colonists to Amphipolis, which would have allowed them to control the region. During the siege, the colony was destroyed by the Thracians and gave hope to Thasos. In addition, Sparta was supposed to attack Athens, but before it could, an earthquake and subsequent helot rebellion prevented it.

Thasos remained a tribute-paying member of the Athenian Empire, and when the oligarchic revolution broke out in Athens in 411, the Thasians likewise rebelled and admitted the Spartans. The pro-Spartan party was ousted in 407, and the Athenians once again controlled the island until 405, when after the Battle of Aegospotami, the victorious Spartans took the city under General Lysander. After the fall of Athens, the island once again became important and was controlled by the Athenians in the Second Athenian League, when they faced Philip of Macedon. It appears to have been independent until about 340. The island was the subject of one of the disputes between Philip and Athens, again over its rich gold and silver mines.