Archelaus, almost immediately after he takes power,…

Archelaus, almost immediately after he takes power, is faced with a situation that allows him to completely reverse Macedon's relationship with Athens, which has been a major threat for the past half century.

The Athenians had experienced a crushing defeat at Syracuse in late 413 during which most of their ships were destroyed.

This leaves the Athenians in desperate need of a huge amount of timber to build new ships and Archelaus in a position to set the price.

Archelaus generously supplies the Athenians with the timber they need.

In recognition of this, the Athenians honor Archelaus and his children with the titles of proxenos and euergetes.