Samian War
Samian War | |
---|---|
Samos 37°45′N 26°50′E / 37.750°N 26.833°E | |
Result |
Athenian victory; Samian surrender |
The Samian War (440–439 BC) was an
A larger Athenian fleet was dispatched to suppress this agitation. This fleet initially defeated the Samians and blockaded the city, but Pericles, in command, was then forced to lead a substantial portion of the fleet away upon learning that the Persian fleet was approaching from the south. Although the Persians turned back before the two fleets met, the absence of most of the Athenian fleet allowed the Samians to drive off the remaining blockaders and, for two weeks, control the sea around their island; upon Pericles's return, however, the Athenians again blockaded and besieged Samos; the city surrendered nine months later. Under the terms of the surrender, the Samians tore down their walls, gave up hostages, surrendered their fleet, and agreed to pay Athens a war indemnity over the next 26 years.
During the course of the war, the Samians had apparently appealed to
Prelude and dispute
In 440 BC,
Rebellion
The settlement thus imposed did not last long, however. A group of oligarchs fled to the mainland, secured the support of Pissuthnes, the Persian satrap of Lydia, who provided them with mercenaries and also rescued their hostages from Lemnos.[7] With their hands thus freed, the oligarchs, collaborating with allies in the city, invaded with the 700 mercenaries of Pissuthnes, defeated the democrats, and handed all the Athenians in the city over to Pissuthnes for imprisonment. Athens now found itself facing a serious crisis in the open revolt of a powerful subject state, and the situation was made more severe by simultaneous revolts in other parts of the empire, the most critical of which occurred in Byzantium; the powerful city of Mytilene, meanwhile, stood ready to revolt upon receiving a promise of Spartan support.[8] The Athenians immediately dispatched 60 ships to deal with the situation in the Aegean. 16 of these ships were sent on various independent missions, leaving only 44 to face the Samian fleet of 50 triremes and 20 transports. In a battle off the island of Tragia, the Athenians were victorious, and the Samians soon found themselves blockaded by land and sea. The Athenians constructed walls around the city of Samos, and meanwhile were reinforced by 65 more ships from Athens, Chios, and Lesbos.
At this point, with the rebellion seemingly well in hand, Pericles received word that the Persian fleet was on its way to attack him, and, taking 60 ships with him, he sailed off to
Sparta
Although Athens did succeed in restoring order to the empire, the situation in 440 BC was very severe, particularly because of the threat of Spartan intervention.
Notes
- ^ Unless otherwise noted, all details of the rebellion and war are drawn from Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, 1.115-117
- ^ Kagan, Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, 170
- ^ Meiggs, The Athenian Empire, 190
- ^ Kagan, Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, 170
- ^ Plutarch, Pericles, 25.1-3
- ^ Kagan, Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, 172
- ^ Plutarch, Pericles, 26.1
- ^ Kagan, Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, 172
- ^ Kagan, Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, 176
- ^ Kagan, Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, 176–7
- ^ Kagan, Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, 173
- ^ Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, 1.40
- ^ See Kagan, Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, 173–5, Meiggs, The Athenian Empire, 190, and de Ste. Croix, Origins of the Peloponnesian War, 200–203.
References
- ISBN 0-7156-0640-9
- Diodorus Siculus, Library[permanent dead link]
- ISBN 0-8014-9556-3
- ISBN 0-19-814843-7
- Plutarch (1683). . Lives. Translated by John Dryden – via Wikisource.
- Thucydides. . Translated by Richard Crawley – via Wikisource.
- demo.fragmentarytexts.org – The Revolt of Samos