The Battle of Embata was a naval battle fought in 356 BC between the
Chians
Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is ...
and the
Athenians
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...
led by
Chares.
Battle
The Athenians possessed a fleet of 120 naval vessels while the Chians possessed 100
galleys
A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...
. This specific naval battle was fought within the straits between the island of
Chios
Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic ...
and the
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
n mainland. The arrival of stormy weather compelled Chares's collaborators,
Iphicrates
Iphicrates ( grc-gre, Ιφικράτης; c. 418 BC – c. 353 BC) was an Athenian general, who flourished in the earlier half of the 4th century BC. He is credited with important infantry reforms that revolutionized ancient Greek warfare by ...
and
Timotheos (or Timoleon), to abandon the overall expedition. Chares, left with only one-third of his fleet, attacked the Chians and suffered defeat with heavy losses.
Aftermath
On a more specific note, Iphicrates and Timotheos both commanded a supplementary force of 60 naval vessels and joined up with Chares's fleet in the summer of 356 BC. After Chares suffered defeat in the autumn expedition, he ultimately established a lawsuit against both Timotheos and Iphicrates. Timotheos faced impeachment in the aftermath of the lawsuit, which led to his ruination. As a result,
Isocrates
Isocrates (; grc, Ἰσοκράτης ; 436–338 BC) was an ancient Greek rhetorician, one of the ten Attic orators. Among the most influential Greek rhetoricians of his time, Isocrates made many contributions to rhetoric and education throu ...
developed a personal hatred for Chares since Timotheos was one of his closest pupils.
[Flower, p. 128. ootnote"Isocrates had a very personal reason for hating Chares, in that Chares had ruined Timotheus, the pupil dearest to Isocrates, by impeaching him after the battle of Embata in 356 BC."]
See also
*
Social War (357-355 BC)
References
Citations
Sources
*Harbottle, Thomas Benfield. ''Dictionary of Battles from the Earliest Date to the Present Time''. S. Sonnenschein & Co., Ltd., 1904 (Original from Harvard University).
*
Mossé, Claude (translated by Jean Stewart). ''Athens in Decline, 404-86 B.C.'' Routledge, 1973.
*Flower, Michael Attyah. ''Theopompus of Chios: History and Rhetoric in the Fourth Century BC''. Oxford University Press, 1997.
{{coord missing, Greece
356 BC
Embata
Embata
Ancient Chios