Battle of the Eurymedon
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| Greco-Persian Wars |
|---|
| Ephesus – Lade – Marathon – Thermopylae – Artemisium – Salamis – Plataea – Mycale – Eurymedon – Cyprus |
The naval Battle of the Eurymedon took place between 470 BC and 466 BC on the Eurymedon River in Pamphylia in Asia Minor, and was between the Athenian-led Delian League and Persia.
The Greeks, according to Thucydides,led by Cimon of Athens, actually defeated the Persians at two separate battles on the same day, first on the river and then on land.The Delian league launched a campaign against the Persians in Asian Minor in order to secure it's possesions in the Aegean sea from possible Persian aggresion.Two descriptions of the battle are available.Plutarch and Diodorus Siculus.They both agree that athenian general Cimon led 250 athenian ships against asian minor.According to Diodorus the 250 ships were joined by a 100 more from Ionia and other members of the Delian league.The greek cities near the coast of Caria surrendered without resistance but the bilangual cities resisted and Cimon had to besiege them.The city that resisted the most was the greek-speaking Fasilida.According to Plutarch the soldiers of Khios,that followed the Athenians,long-standing friends of Fasilides,threw arrows with written messages inside the walls calling their friends to submit.The inhabitants of the city accepted and after offering 10 talanta (ancient money)to the allies,they followed the Athenians in their campaign and joined the Delian league.Afterwards Cimon managed to subdue the majority of Lycia cities,which joined the Delian league.Then he directed the fleet against the Persian navy near Eurymedon river.Descriptions by Diodorus and Plutarch differ.They both state that supreme commander of the Persian navy was Tithrafstes,an illegitimate son of king Xerxes.Supreme commander of the ground forces was Ferendatis but according to Plutarch the most important person was Ariomandes.Plutarch says that Ariomandes waited with the majority of the fleet near Eurymedon river,another 80 Phoenician ships from Cyprus while the Persian ground force was nearby.Cimon attacked them before the reinforcements arrive.The Persians tried to avoid the battle but finally gave up.The Persian fleet comprised 350 ships according to Ephoros or 500 ships according to Fanodemos,as Plutarch mentions.The Athenians won the battle,inside the river, and captured a lot of ships.Remaining Persian forces fled in the Persian camp and united with the Persian ground force.Then Cimon attacked the Persian camp after landing his troops.A fierce battle followed with both sides suffering major casualties.The Athenians finally won,after capturing many Persians.Then Cimon led his forces against the 80 reinforcement ships that Ariomandes waited.These ships have fled to Hydra island without a single knowledge of the Eurymedon events.Cimon attacked them and destroyed the majority of their ships.This is the description of the events by Plutarch.Diodorus tells us that Cimon attacked first the Persian navy near Cyprus and won a victory after capturing many ships.Remaining Persian forces fled to Cyprus and when the Athenians arrived they abandoned their ships in the coast and fled to the inside.So Cimon captivated many Persian ships.Afterwards Cimon dressed his men with Persian clothes and imported them in captured Persians ships.Then he led his fleet in Eurymedon river where the Persian camp was situated.The Persians thought the Athenians to be theirs and accepted them with pleasure.Suddenly the Greeks attacked them and won the battle.Persian general Ferendatis was killed in fighting.This is the description of the battle according to Diodorus Siculus.The account of Plutarch is generally more believable because it has many common points with the short account of Thucydides,who is considered the most accurate source since his written work is dated close to the event (some decades after while all the other accounts we have,were written after many centuries).
The biggest result of the battle was the security ensurance of the Delian league.The Persian fleet was no more a threat to the Aegean sea.After the battle Cimon attacked remaining Persian forces in Thracian peninsula.After the victory he succeeded he secured the Aegeean sea definitely.The Athenian-led Delian League was immunized and the Athenians had a free hand in inner Greek policies.This situation lasted until the destruction of the Athenian expeditionary force in Egypt,possibly between 460 BC - 456 BC an event that contributed to the reappearence of Persia as a major player in East Mediterannean.
REFERENCES
Main sources
Thucydides,Histories,I,100
Plutarch,Parallel Lives,Cimon,12-13
Diodorus Siculus,Library,IA,60.3-62
Plato,Menexenus,241E
Secondary sources
Olmstead A.T.,History of the Persian Empire,1948,Chicago
External links
- [Pictures]
[link] for Thucydides "Histories"
[link] for Plutarch's account on Cimon
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