Battle of Arginusae facts for kids

The Battle of Arginusae was a major naval battle fought in 406 BC. It happened during the Peloponnesian War, a long conflict between Athens and Sparta. The battle took place near the Arginusae Islands, which are east of the island of Lesbos (modern-day Turkey).

In this battle, the Athenian fleet, led by eight generals called strategoi, won a big victory. They defeated the Spartan fleet, which was commanded by Callicratidas. This battle was very important because it happened after the Spartan navy had trapped an Athenian fleet at Mytilene.

To help their trapped ships, the Athenians quickly put together a new fleet. Many of the sailors were new to naval warfare. Even though the Spartans had more experienced crews, the Athenians used clever new battle plans. This helped them win a surprising victory. After the battle, some slaves and metics (foreign residents) who fought for Athens might have been given Athenian citizenship.

The people of Athens were very happy about the win. But their joy didn't last long. A bad storm after the battle stopped ships from rescuing sailors from 25 damaged or sunken Athenian ships. Many sailors drowned. This made the Athenian public very angry. Six of the eight generals who led the fleet were later put on trial and executed.

In Sparta, some leaders wanted peace with Athens. They knew that continuing the war might bring back their rival, Lysander, to power. They sent a peace offer to Athens, but the Athenians said no. Lysander then took command of the Spartan fleet. Less than a year later, he won a final victory at the Battle of Aegospotami, which ended the war.

What Led to the Battle?

New Commanders and Trapped Ships

In 406 BC, Callicratidas became the new leader of the Spartan navy. He replaced Lysander. Callicratidas was a traditional Spartan. He didn't like asking for help from the Persian prince Cyrus, who had supported Lysander. So, Callicratidas had to gather his fleet and money from Sparta's allies. He managed to get about 140 ships.

Meanwhile, Conon was in charge of the Athenian fleet at Samos. He had over 100 ships, but his sailors were having problems. So, he could only man 70 ships.

Callicratidas sailed to Methymna on Lesbos and captured it. From Methymna, he could control Lesbos. This would let him move his fleet to the Hellespont. The Hellespont was a very important sea route for Athens' grain supply. To protect Lesbos, Conon had to move his smaller fleet to the Hekatonnesi Islands. But Callicratidas attacked him with 170 ships. Conon had to escape to Mytilene.

At Mytilene, Callicratidas trapped Conon's fleet. Conon lost 30 ships in a fight at the harbor entrance. Conon was surrounded by land and sea. He could not fight back. He barely managed to send a messenger ship to Athens to tell them what was happening.

Athens Builds a Rescue Fleet

When Athens heard about Conon's trouble, the city quickly took action. They melted down golden statues of the goddess Nike to pay for new ships. Slaves and metics (foreigners living in Athens) were asked to join the fleet as rowers. To make sure they were loyal, Athens might have even given citizenship to thousands of slaves who rowed.

Through these efforts, Athens prepared over a hundred ships. With help from allied ships, the fleet grew to 150 triremes (ancient warships). This new fleet had an unusual command structure. Eight generals shared command: Aristocrates, Aristogenes, Diomedon, Erasinides, Lysias, Pericles, Protomachus, and Thrasyllus.

The Athenian fleet sailed from Samos to the Arginusae islands. They camped there for a night. Callicratidas, who had sailed south, saw their signal fires. He planned to attack at night. But a thunderstorm stopped him. He had to wait until morning.

The Battle Begins

At dawn the next day, Callicratidas led his fleet to meet the Athenians. He had 140 ships, while the Athenians had 150. Callicratidas had left 50 ships to watch Conon at Mytilene. For the first time in the war, the Spartan crews were more skilled than the Athenians. This was because Athens' best crews were with Conon.

To deal with the Spartans' better skill, the Athenian commanders used new tactics. First, they divided their fleet into eight separate groups. Each group was led by one general. Second, they arranged their ships in a double line instead of the usual single line. This was to stop the Spartans from using a move called the diekplous. In a diekplous, a ship would quickly sail through a gap between two enemy ships. Then it would turn and hit one of them from the side. If the Spartans tried this against a double line, a ship from the second line could move up and attack the Spartan ship.

The Athenians (yellow) used an unusual tactic to stop the Spartan diekplous maneuver.

As the Athenians moved forward, they spread their left side out towards the open sea. This allowed them to surround the Spartans. The Athenians had more ships and their new tactics made the situation dangerous for the Spartans. Callicratidas's helmsman (the person steering the ship) told him to retreat. But Callicratidas insisted on fighting. He divided his fleet into two parts to avoid being surrounded.

The battle was fierce for a while. Eventually, Callicratidas, who was leading the Spartan right side, was killed when his ship crashed into an enemy ship. After his death, the Spartan right side broke apart. The left side fought longer but could not stand against the whole Athenian fleet. Soon, they also fled. In total, the Spartans lost about 70 ships. The Athenians lost 25 ships.

What Happened Next?

The Storm and the Trial

Right after the battle, the Athenian generals had to make a quick decision. Conon was still trapped at Mytilene by 50 Spartan ships. They could try to destroy those ships. But also, the sailors from the 25 sunken Athenian ships were still in the water near the Arginusae islands.

The generals decided that most of the fleet would sail to Mytilene to help Conon. Two commanders, Thrasybulus and Theramenes, would stay behind with a smaller group of ships to rescue the survivors. However, a sudden storm hit. It forced the ships back to port. The Spartan fleet at Mytilene escaped. And rescuing the drowning sailors became impossible.

Back in Athens, the joy of victory quickly turned into anger. People wanted to know who was to blame for not rescuing the sailors. The generals thought that Thrasybulus and Theramenes, who had already returned to Athens, were responsible. So, they wrote letters to the Athenian assembly, blaming them. But Thrasybulus and Theramenes successfully defended themselves. Public anger then turned against the generals.

The eight generals were removed from their positions. They were ordered to return to Athens for trial. Two of them, Aristogenes and Protomachus, ran away. But the other six returned. They were put in prison. One general, Erasinides, was tried first. He was found guilty of some charges related to his actions in office. This trial might have been a test to see how the public felt. Erasinides had suggested leaving the survivors behind, so he might have been an easy target.

The assembly then discussed how to try the other generals. On the first day, the generals gained sympathy. They blamed the tragedy entirely on the storm. But the next day was a festival called the Apaturia. Families gathered, and the absence of those who drowned was very clear. When the assembly met again, people wanted to punish the generals severely.

A politician named Callixeinus suggested that the assembly should vote on the generals' guilt or innocence without more debate. Euryptolemus, a cousin of Alcibiades, and others said this was against the law. But they stopped arguing when another politician suggested they would face the same punishment if they kept opposing. With no more opposition, the accusers tried to get their motion voted on.

The leaders of the assembly were called the prytaneis. One of them, chosen by chance, was the epistates, or president. By chance, the famous philosopher Socrates was the epistates on the day the generals were tried. Socrates said he would "do nothing that was contrary to the law." He refused to allow the vote. Euryptolemus, encouraged by this, spoke again. He convinced the assembly to vote that the generals should be tried separately. But clever political moves changed things. In the end, the original motion to vote on them all together passed.

A vote was taken. All six generals were found guilty and executed. This included Pericles the Younger. The Athenians soon regretted their decision. Charges were brought against those who pushed for the executions. These men escaped before they could be tried. But Callixeinus returned to Athens years later. His fellow citizens disliked him, and he died from starvation.

Peace Offer Rejected

In Sparta, the defeat at Arginusae was another setback in the war. Their fleet at Chios was in bad shape. Spartans at home were discouraged. Supporters of Callicratidas were worried that Lysander would become powerful again if the war continued. Sparta's allies in the Aegean also wanted Lysander back.

Because of all these concerns, the Spartan government sent a message to Athens. They offered to give up their fort at Decelea in exchange for peace. They wanted things to go back to how they were in the Aegean. However, the Athenian assembly rejected this offer. This was mainly due to the urging of a politician named Cleophon.

The war continued. But Athens' decision proved costly less than a year later. Lysander, now leading the Spartan fleet again, totally defeated the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami. Within two years of their big victory at Arginusae, Athens surrendered. Its famous walls were torn down.

See also

• Arginusae
• Canae