pothos.org

I realize that the subject is more suitable for April 1 post but still....

Long story short, this May I am going to Greece and will be in Epiros. Planning the itinerary, I considered if I should visit Lefkada - after all Dorpfeld argued it was the real Ithaca. Then, reading upon the history of the island I came across a statement that in 338 BC it was conquered by Philip of Macedon.... Oh, I thought, wasn't he busy winning at Chaeronea that year? Firstly, dismissing such a statement as nonsense, I ignored it but I couldn't erase this funny thought from my mind. I googled more on the subject and discovered that many websites that includes the history of Lefkada mentioned the fact. There is a simple explanation for this fact, obviously, one website just copied from another and yet.... Is it possible they simply got the date wrong? How far west did Philip ever get in his wars with Illyrians? Is there any possibility that he actually ever was on the island? Not that it's going to determine whether I am going to visit the island or not, just curious.

At a guess, I would say the nearest Philip ever got to Lefkada would have been Delphi, and that he wouldn't have bothered sending any troops there. Perhaps the island sent a delegation to him at Corinth as it seems to have been a Corinthian colony and this has found its way into local myth.

Unfortunately my books are in semi-permanent storage pending another (much?) later move so I can only give an educated guess here, but there is some implication on the web that Lefkada was an ally of Athens at Chaeronea. If so, Lefkada would have technically suffered a defeat against Macedonia, and therefore one could say it was "conquered" by Philip. Can't find confirmation of their participation in the battle though, but there is much suggestion of other parties at Chaeronea. Then again, perhaps being an ally of Athens even if not an active participant in the battle would have been enough to bring one's city under Philip's thumb. Does anyone have a copy of Ian Worthington's Philip II of Macedon to hand?

Best Regards,

Demosthenes mentions an attack on Lefkada or Leukas as it was called then Philippic III 34

[34] And it is not only his outrages on Greece that go unavenged, but even the wrongs which each suffers separately. For nothing can go beyond that. Are not the Corinthians hit by his invasion of Ambracia and Leucas? The Achaeans by his vow to transfer Naupactus to the Aetolians? The Thebans by his theft of Echinus? And is he not marching even now against his allies the Byzantines?

Will have a trawl for more

I should have looked it up. Nicholas Hammond says:

Philip then moved his army towards two colonies of Corinth, Leucas and Ambracia, which was the chief exporter of timber and animal products from eastern Epirus. The reactions of Corinth and her allies, including Athens, were such that he withdrew. (P.122)

The advance of Philip towards Ambracia in summer 342 caused a reaction which he may not have expected. Athens sent an expedition to reinforce Acarnania, and Corinth presumably sent one to Ambracia. Philip wisely withdrew. (p.127)

Of Chaeronea Other states were in alliance with Athens - Corcyra and Leucas (colonies of Corinth), Acarnania and Euboea - but they did not have access to Boeotia; thus only small numbers of their citizens may have been in the allied forces. (p.149)