The Battle of Orneae was an engagement that took place in the winter of 417 BC during the

Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) was an ancient Greek war fought between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Greek world. The war remained undecided for a long time until the decisive intervention of th ...

in the city of Orneae, between a Spartan garrison left in Orneae after the Battle of Hysiae and the forces of

Argos Argos most often refers to: * Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece ** Ancient Argos, the ancient city * Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland Argos or ARGOS may also refer to: Businesses * ...

and

Athens 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 ...

Background and Battle

After the decisive defeat of Argos at Hysiae and the razing of the stronghold, the Spartan forces took the city of Orneae, fortified it, and settled the exiles from Argos in the city. The stronghold was left with a strong garrison that they then ordered to harass Argolis. After the withdrawal of the Spartan army, the Athenians sent a force of 40 triremes and 1,200 hoplites to aid the city of Argos in expelling the garrison and taking the city. The Argive/Athenian army then took Orneae by storm, both taking the city and being able to expel the garrison, and execute some of the exiles. The rest were driven out from the city of Orneae.

References

417 BC 410s BC conflicts Orneae Orneae Orneae Orneae {{AncientGreece-battle-stub