Amphipolis is a town and former Ancient Greek polis in Macedonia, Greece. In 465 BC, Athenian settlers attempted to establish a colony on the site, only for the first 10,000 Greek colonists to be massacred by the Thracians. A second attempt in 437 BC was successful, and Amphipolis quickly became a large and wealthy city. The city's name means "around the city", referring to the Struma river's flowing around the city on two sides. Amphipolis became Athens' main power base in Thrace during the Peloponnesian War, and the Spartan general Brasidas conquered Amphipolis in 424 BC. In 422 BC, the Athenian general Cleon attempted to reconquer the city at the Battle of Amphipolis, during which both he and Brasidas were slain. Brasidas was thereafter honored with yearly games and sacrifices, being honored as the city's founder. The city retained its independence until the reign of King Philip II of Macedon, with Philip conquering the city in 357 BC. Philip oversaw the Macedonianization of the city, and Amphipolis became an important naval base during the reign of Alexander the Great. After Alexander's death, his wife Roxana and their young son Alexander IV of Macedon were imprisoned and executed by Cassander at Amphipolis. After the Roman conquest of Macedon in 168 BC, Amphipolis became the capital of one of the four republics into which a conquered Macedon was divided, before being incorporated into the Roman Republic. During the 1st century BC, the city was badly damaged during a Thracian revolt against Roman rule. During the 50s AD, the Christian missionaries Paul the Apostle and Silas proselytized to the Greeks of Amphipolis. The Slavic invasions of the late 6th century led to Amphipolis' decline, and the city was abandoned during the 8th century. Amphipolis survived as a municipality, and, in 2011, Amphipolis had a population of 9,182 people.
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