Battle of Eretria
Sybota - Potidaia - Spartolus - Stratos - Naupaktos - Plataea - Olpai - Tanagra - Pylos - Sphacteria - Corinth - Megara - Delion - Amphipolis - Mantinea - Melos - Syracuse - Miletus - Syme - Eretria - Kynossema - Abydos - Cyzicus - Ephesus - Chalcedon - Byzantium - Andros - Notion - Mytilene - Arginusae - Aigospotamoi
The Battle of Eretria was a naval battle in the Peloponnesian War, which was fought in 411 BC between the fleets of Athens and Sparta. The battle established the independence of the island of Euboea from Athens.
Prehistory
After the Athenians had blocked a Peloponnesian fleet in the Corinthian Speiraion in the year 412, Sparta sent another fleet of 42 ships in the Saronic Gulf in the following year. Just as in Athens, the conflict between oligarchs and democrats reached their peak, these ships sailed under the command of Agesandridas of Epidauros to the island of Salamis around the port of Piraeus past. Their sudden appearance made in the still weakened by the disaster in Sicily capital of the Athenian Empire considerable agitation and accelerated the return to democracy.
Approach
As the Spartans were defending the entrance to Piraeus, they drove on to Cape Sounion around for Oropus in northeastern Attica. In the harbor there they anchored within sight of the city of Eretria on the island of Euboea, which had agreed to revolt from Athens. Concerned about their richest province, the Athenians immediately available at that moment in Piraeus ships under the command of Thymochares sent after them, who sailed into the harbor of Eretria, where they came to a thickness of 36 ships already stationed there with some triremes.
Course
The defector from Eretria signaled at night the Spartans on the opposite coast and studied at the same time the supply of Athenian teams in their city to delay. As the Spartans appeared the next morning ready for battle against Eretria, the Athenians were, therefore, preparations in the residue. Your only incompletely manned ships went largely uncoordinated in the battle. Nevertheless, they visited for a while booth, they seized but to flee. The Spartans pursued them to the city, which changed sides immediately and the Attic rowers prepared a bad reception. 22 Athenian ships were stopped, the others were able to escape in part to Chalcis.
Follow
After the battle of Eretria fell almost entirely of Euboea and Athens from, a little later Chalcis, which built a bridge over the Euripus to get stronger to be connected to Boeotia and the Peloponnesian League. The newly established fleet Euboias who should intervene under the command of the Spartan Epikles in the struggle for naval supremacy was, however, granted no luck, as they went down the end of 411 on the way to the Hellespont at the foothills Athos by storm. From 50 ships were able to save allegedly only twelve men. Euboea nevertheless remained independent and posted 406 BC again a ship quota in support of Sparta at the Battle of the Arginusae.