Ionian War

Question 1

Decelea

Answer 1

A town that was situated half way between Athens and Boeotia, which was captured and occupied by the Spartans in 415 until the end of the war. Using Decelea as a base, the Spartans conducted constant raids of Attica, burning crops and freeing slaves, which resulted in the Athenians losing the income from their silver mines at Laurium and the escape of approximately 20 000 slaves according to Thucydides. Although the effect of the occupation of Decelea on Athens was significant, the Athenians were able to survive through grain shipments into the Piraeus.

Question 2

Satrap

Answer 2

The name of the Persian provincial governors as appointed by the King. They enjoyed a fairly large degree of freedom, but always acted directly under the Kings wishes. Pissouthnes for example was the satrap of Ionia, until he was replaced by the loyal Tissaphernes by King Darius.

Question 3

Pissouthnes

Answer 3

The satrap of Ionia who assisted the Samians in revolting from Athens in 440. He revolted from King Darius sometime between 425-415 and was captured by Tissaphernes, who gained his satrap. His rebellion was continued by his son, Amorges.

Question 4

Artaphrenes

Answer 4

A messenger who was intercepted by the Athenians while delivering a message to Sparta in 425. His message stated that the Persians did not know what the Spartans wanted, in reference to Sparta’s freedom of the Greeks ideal but their wanting of Persian assistance.

Question 5

Darius (II)

Answer 5

The Persian King who took the throne in 424 after the murder of Xerxes II. His full backing of the Spartans in 407 BC proved essential for their success in the war.

Question 6

Pharnabazus

Answer 6

The Persian satrap of the Hellespont. Initially left out by the Spartans, they turned to him to help them fund their fleet from 411-408. He proved far better help than Tissaphernes and was generally more willing to assist the Spartans, helping them rebuild their fleet after the defeat at Cyzicus in 410.

Question 7

Tissaphernes

Answer 7

The Persian satrap of Ionia, whom the Spartans chose to ally with initially in 413. Tissaphernes assistance was weak however, and eventually he turned to undermine the Spartans by deliberately lowering their pay and telling them not to engage the Athenian navy. He was of the opinion that he should wait for the Athenians and Spartans to weaken each other, and therefore refused to fully support either state.

Question 8

Probouloi

Answer 8

The board of ten older Athenians which was set up as part of the Athenian democracy after the Sicilian expedition in an attempt to prevent radical decisions from being made. They reviewed and proposed legislation, and they represented some of the initial sentiment in favor of the oligarchic revolution.

Question 9

Amorges

Answer 9

The son of Pissouthnes, whom the Athenians supported in rebellion and soured their relations with the Persians. He is captured and killed by Tissaphernes in 412.

Question 10

Lichas

Answer 10

The Spartan ambassador whom, during a meeting over the terms of the peace with Tissaphernes, voiced the fact that the Spartans couldn’t give the Persians Boeotia and Thessaly when they promised freedom to the Greeks. Tissaphernes stormed out of the meeting, but his concerns were later recognized in the third meeting between Sparta and Persia in 411.

Question 11

Alcibiades

Answer 11

The Athenians politician who at the begging of this period was in exile at Sparta, being part of the Spartan detachment sent to Chios and assisting the Spartans in getting Chios to revolt. He then fled to the court of Tissaphernes, persuading him to undermine the Spartans with the secret hope of securing an alliance between Athens and Tissaphernes, and then allowing his own return to Athens by orchestrating an oligarchic coup. After realizing that Tissaphernes would not ally himself with Athens, Alcibiades purposefully undermined the negotiations causing Peisander and the Athenians to leave the negotiations. Alcibiades then was allowed to be recalled to Athens under the new oligarchic rule, although he probably stayed out with the Athenian fleet for a few more years, having a significant role in the battle of Cynossema and Cyzicus. He most likely returned to Athens triumphantly in 409 BC, however is triumph was short lived, for after the Athenians were defeated at Notium in 407 he was banished from Athens for a final time.

Question 12

Peisander

Answer 12

One of the Athenian commanders stationed at Samos in 411, and convinced by Alcibiades to instigate the oligarchic revolt. He accompanied the Athenians to the negotiations with Tissaphernes, but the Athenians walked out when Alcibiades orchestrated the meetings failure.

Question 13

Phrynichus

Answer 13

One of the Athenians commanders at Samos in 411 who accompanies Peisander to return to Athens and instigate the Oligarchic revolt. He distrusted Alcibiades.

Question 14

Mindarus

Answer 14

The Spartan Nauarch who took control of the Peloponnesian fleet in 411 and decided to rebase the fleet to the north, drawing on the support of Pharnabazus instead of Tissaphernes. He suffered defeats at the battle of Cynossema and Cyzicus, being killed at Cyzicus and causing the Peloponnesians to lost the majority of their fleet.

Question 15

Cynossema

Answer 15

A battle which was fought in 411 opposite Abydos in the Hellespont, in which Mindarus leading 85 ships attacked the Athenian fleet of 76 ships under Theramenes and Thrasybulus. The Athenians emerged victorious, although the defeat was not crushing for the Peloponnesians.

Question 16

Cyzicus

Answer 16

A battle which was fought between the Spartans and the Athenians in propontis in 410. Alcibiades, Theramenes and Thrasybulus led a fleet of 86 ships against a Spartan fleet of 60 ships commanded by Mindarus. The Athenians emerged decisively victorious, burning most of the Peloponnesian ships and killing Mindarus. The remaining Spartan ships did not have enough money to feed their crews, and the Spartan officer in charge sent a message back to Sparta simply reading “Ships lost. Mindarus dead. The men are starving. I don’t know what to do”.

Question 17

Theramenes

Answer 17

One of Alcibiades fellow generals, who was involved in the defeat of the Spartans at Cyzicus in 410. Was one of the ten generals at the battle of Arginusae but managed to avoid prosecution by returning to Athens first with Thrasybulus. Was not elected strategoi subsequent to this and therefore did not take part in the battle of Aegospotami.

Question 18

Thrasybulus

Answer 18

One of Alcibiades fellow generals, who was involved in the defeat of the Spartans at Cynossema in 411 and Cyzicus in 410. Was one of the ten generals at the battle of Arginusae but managed to avoid prosecution by returning to Athens first with Theramenes. Was elected as one of the ten generals after Arginusae, but was deemed invalid during his dokimasia.

Question 19

Chrysopolis

Answer 19

Chrysopolis was the trading post set up opposite Byzantium after the Athenian victory at Cyzicus in 410. It was the birth of the new Athenian tribute system, which charged a 10% tariff on all goods moving in and out of the Black Sea.

Question 20

Thrasyllus

Answer 20

The commander who accompanied Thrasybulus in 411 at the battle of Cynossema. He was able to recover some Athenian allies in 409 BC.

Question 21

Cyrus

Answer 21

The son of the Persian King Darius, satrap to many provinces including central Asia Minor. In 407 BC, he was sent personally by the King to oversee the Persian assistance with the Spartans, forming a strong relationship with Lysander and giving him more than the 500 talents that was originally supplied to the Spartans. When Lysander gained the command in 405, Cyprus left for Susa and entrusted Lysander with the money owed to him through all his satraps, which allowed Lysander to finally face the Athenians with a huge fleet in 405 BC at the battle of Aegospotami.

Question 22

Lysander

Answer 22

A Spartan inferior, a ‘mothate’ born to a Spartan father and helot mother, becoming Nauarch in 407. After defeating the Athenians at Notium and securing significant financial assistance from his good relationship with Cyrus, he was replaced as Nauarch by Callicratidas in 406. After the Spartan defeat in at Arginusae in 406, he was elected assistant Nauarch in 405 with full powers over the fleet. He negotiated more money for the fleet with Cyrus, and then led the Spartan fleet to defeat the Athenians at Aegospotami in 405.

Question 23

Nauarch

Answer 23

The Spartan naval commander, held by the key figures of Mindarus, Lysander and Callicratidas during this period.

Question 24

Notium

Answer 24

A battle in 407 where Lysander drew in the Athenian fleet commanded by Antiochus to battle, where the Spartans were able to defeat them.

Question 25

Antiochus

Answer 25

An Athenian commander, who was told by Alcibiades to not attack the Peloponnesians in 407 but did so anyway, losing to the Spartans at the battle of Notium in 407.

Question 26

Callicratidas

Answer 26

A Spartan Nauarch who took command of the Spartan fleet in 406. He was of the faction that did not believe the Persian could be trusted and resented fighting fellow Greeks with a foreign enemy. He tired of negotiating with Cyrus, and in 406 struck out on his own against the Athenians, trapping Conon in the harbour of Mytilene but losing decisively and being killed at the battle of Arginusae in 406 BC.

Question 27

Arginusae

Answer 27

A battle which occurred between the Spartan and Athenian fleets in 406 BC. Callicratidas had trapped the Athenian admiral Conon with 50 ships in the harbour of Mytilene. The Athenians sent a fleet of 150 ships against Callicratidas’ fleet of 170, decisively defeating them and rescuing Conon, causing the destruction of more than 70 Peloponnesian ships. After the battle, bad weather led to the Athenian admirals deciding to not all collect rescued sailors, which led to 6 out of the 10 strategoi being executed by the Athenian assembly.

Question 28

Aegospotami

Answer 28

The final battle of the Peloponnesian war, which occurred in Aegospotami at the mouth of the Hellespont. Lysander was able to outmaneuver the Athenian admiral Conon by waiting till the Athenians retired and sailing up and seizing all their ships. This battle won the Spartans the war, allowing them to restrict grain from entering Athens.