Battle of Cnidus
| Battle of Cnidus | |
|---|---|
| Part of 36°41′09″N 27°22′30″E / 36.68583°N 27.37500°E | |
| Result | Achaemenid victory |
Conon
The Battle of Cnidus (
The battle outcome was a significant boost for the anti-Spartan coalition that resisted Spartan hegemony in the course of the Corinthian War.
Prelude
In 394 BC, King Agesilaus II of Sparta and his army were recalled from Ionia to help fight the Corinthian War. The Spartan fleet, under Peisander, also began a return to Greece, sailing out from its harbor at Cnidus with eighty-five triremes.[2]
The "Greek" vanguard of the Achaemenid fleet, referred to as such only due to its consisting of Greek mercenaries, was commanded by Conon, while the Persian
The battle
Sources are vague for the events of the battle itself. It appears that the Spartan fleet encountered advance elements of the Achaemenid fleet under Conon and engaged them with some success. Then the main body of the Persian fleet arrived and put the Spartans to flight, forcing them to beach many of their ships. The Spartans suffered heavy casualties; according to Diodorus Siculus, fifty Spartan triremes were captured by the Persians while the remaining triremes safely returned to Cnidus.[6] Peisander saw retreat as disgraceful towards Sparta and was ultimately killed while fighting to defend his ship.[7]
Aftermath
This battle ended the Spartans' attempt to establish a naval empire. Sparta never again engaged in major military efforts at sea, and within a few years Athens had reclaimed her place as the preeminent Greek sea power.
Following his victory, Conon raided the coast of the
With Sparta removed from the scene, Persia re-established its dominance over Ionia and parts of the Aegean. The Peace of Antalcidas in 387 BC officially ceded control of these areas to Persia; it would continue to hold them until the arrival of Alexander the Great half a century later.
References
Citations
- ^ "MYSIA, Kyzikos. Pharnabazos". Classical Numismatic Group, LLC. Lancaster and London: CNG. 2020. Archived from the original on 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ Diodorus Siculus. Historical Library, 14.83.5.
- ^ Xenophon. Hellenica, 4.3.10–12.
- ^ Brownson 1918; Brownson 1921.
- ^ Isocrates. Evagoras, 56.
- ^ Diodorus Siculus. Historical Library, 14.83.7.
- ^ Diodorus Siculus. Historical Library, 14.83.6.
- ^ Pausanias. Description of Greece, 1.1.3.
Sources
- Brownson, Carleton (1918). Xenophon in Seven Volumes. Vol. 1. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- Brownson, Carleton (1921). Xenophon in Seven Volumes. Vol. 2. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
External links
- Rickard, J. (10 March 2016). "Battle of Cnidus, 394 BC". Military History Encyclopedia on the Web.
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