The naval Battle of Eretria, between

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

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 ...

, took place in September 411 BC, off the coast of

Euboea Evia (, ; el, Εύβοια ; grc, Εὔβοια ) or Euboia (, ) is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait (only at its narrowest poin ...

Background

During the spring of 411 BC, the

Eretria Eretria (; el, Ερέτρια, , grc, Ἐρέτρια, , literally 'city of the rowers') is a town in Euboea, Greece, facing the coast of Attica across the narrow South Euboean Gulf. It was an important Greek polis in the 6th and 5th centur ...

ns drove the Athenians out of

Oropos Oropos ( el, Ωρωπός) is a small town and a municipality in East Attica, Greece. The village of Skala Oropou, within the bounds of the municipality, was the site an important ancient Greek city, Oropus, and the famous nearby sanctuary of Am ...

with the help of the

Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia ( el, Βοιωτία; modern: ; ancient: ), formerly known as Cadmeis, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, and its lar ...

ns. This city was a strategic point for Athens because it allowed them to control all of Euboea. Moreover, all the commercial traffic was made through the city. The Eretrians would hope that Sparta would help them to end the Athenian rule on Euboea.

Battle

By the end of the summer 411 BC, a large Spartan fleet sailed towards Euboea. The Athenians tried to prevent the Euboeans from switching sides by sending a squadron to Eretria under

Thymochares Thymochares ( Gr. ) was an Athenian general under the Four Hundred who may have come from the ''deme'' of Sphettos. In late 411 BC, commanding 36 triremes, he opposed the arrival of the Spartan commander Hegesandridas at Oropos, but was routed, lo ...

. However, the Eretrians supported the Spartans. While the Athenians were in the harbour of Eretria in order to supply themselves, the Eretrians informed the Spartan

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Hegesandridas Hegesandridas or Agesandridas ( grc, Ἡγησανδρίδας or Ἀγησανδρίδας), son of a "Hegesander" or "Agesander", who could have been a member of the last Spartan embassy sent to Athens before the Peloponnesian War. Hegesandridas ...

by a signal fire that it was an appropriate time to attack. The Athenians hurriedly embarked but were defeated during the naval battle which followed with the Athenians losing 22 ships.Thucydides, viii.95.2-7; Xenophon, ''Hellenica'', i.1.1; Diodorus Siculus, xiii.36.4. See D. H. Kelly, ''Xenophon's Hellenika: a Commentary'' (ed. J. McDonald), Amsterdam, 2019, p. 67. The Athenians who tried to take refuge in Eretria were killed by the town's inhabitants. Only those who decided to go to the Athenian fort in Eretria (which was likely on the Pezonisi Peninsula) survived.

Aftermath

Following the battle, almost all of Euboea switched sides. Then there was a huge debate as to whether the Athenians would take them back, ending up in a massacre of Eretrians.

References

Sources

Swiss School of Archeology
{{coord missing, Greece 411 BC 410s BC conflicts

Ancient Eretria

Background

Battle

Aftermath

See also

References

Sources