Conon facts for kids
Conon (pronounced KOH-non) was a famous Athenian general. He lived a long time ago, from before 443 BC until around 389 BC. Conon was a leader in the Peloponnesian War, a big fight between Athens and Sparta. He led Athens' navy, but they lost an important battle called Aegospotami. Later, Conon helped Athens become strong again.
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Conon's Early Military Career
Conon became a top general for Athens in 406 BC. He took over after another general, Alcibiades, was called back home. In 405 BC, Conon chased the Spartan navy. The Spartans were led by Lysander. They sailed to a narrow sea passage called the Hellespont.
The Battle of Aegospotami
The Spartans found a strong place to hide their ships at Lampsacus. Conon and the Athenians could not make them come out and fight. So, the Athenians moved their ships to a place called Aegospotami.
Another Athenian leader, Alcibiades, came to warn them. He said their spot was dangerous. It was an open beach with no safe harbors. He told them to move to Sestos, which was only two miles away. This new spot had better supplies. But it seems Conon and the others did not listen to Alcibiades.
On the fifth day of waiting, Lysander sent out scouts. They watched the Athenians closely. When the Athenian sailors left their ships to eat, the scouts signaled Lysander. Lysander attacked quickly. Almost the entire Athenian navy was caught by surprise. They were captured without a fight.
Conon's ship was one of only nine that got away. He bravely sailed to Lampsacus. The Spartans had left their ship sails there. This stopped the Spartans from chasing Conon's ships. One of the nine ships, the Paralus, went back to Athens. Conon, with the other eight ships, sailed to Cyprus. He was afraid of what the Athenian people might do to him.
Conon's Return and Later Success
After their big win, Sparta tried to build its own empire. But their relationship with Persia got worse. Sparta started attacking Persian lands in Anatolia. By 397 BC, a Persian leader named Pharnabazus convinced the Persian king, Artaxerxes, to fight Sparta by sea.
Pharnabazus built a huge fleet of 300 ships. They needed an experienced leader. They found Conon in Cyprus. Conon was very happy to get a chance for revenge against the Spartans.
Victory at Cnidus
Conon first sailed to Caria with a small part of the fleet. He was trapped for a short time. But Pharnabazus rescued him. Then Conon went to Rhodes. There, the pro-Spartan government was replaced by a democracy. Conon also captured food supplies meant for Sparta.
In response, the Spartans sent out their own navy. But they made a mistake. They put an inexperienced leader, Peisander, in charge. The big battle happened at Cnidus in 394 BC. It was an easy and huge win for Persia and Conon. After this, many cities in the Aegean Sea kicked out the Spartan soldiers. They accepted Persian rule instead.
Rebuilding Athens
After this success, Conon felt safe enough to return to Athens. Pharnabazus let him keep some of the ships. He also gave Conon money. This money was used to strengthen the walls of Piraeus, Athens' port. It also helped rebuild the long walls that connected Piraeus to Athens.
These actions helped undo some of the damage from the Peloponnesian War. Athens became a major power in Greece again. Even though Athens had lost its empire, Sparta was stopped from taking it over.
Conon's Final Years
The next year, the Spartans started talking with the Persians. They offered to give all the cities in Anatolia to Persia. This was to make their own position in Greece stronger. Athens sent people, including Conon, to say this was not okay.
A Persian leader named Tiribazus thought Athens still wanted to get its empire back. He was angry and put the Athenian delegates in prison, including Conon. Old writings tell different stories about how Conon died. Some say he was sent deeper into Asia and killed. Others say he went back to Cyprus and died there. This second story is probably more likely. Conon's son, Timotheus, later became a famous general too.
