Battle of Spartolus
| date | 429 BC Chr. |
|---|---|
| place | Spartolos |
| output | Athens defeat |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
Athens |
Chalcidians (Spartan allies) |
| Commander | |
|
Xenophon †, Phanomachus †, Hestiodoros † |
|
| Troop strength | |
| Hoplites , cavalry | Peltasts , cavalry |
| losses | |
|
430 hoplites, all generals |
|
Sybota - Potidaia - Spartolus - Stratos - Naupactus - Plataea - Olpai - Tanagra - Pylos - Sphacteria - Corinth - Megara - Delion - Amphipolis - Mantinea - Melos - Syracuse - Miletus - Syme - Eretria - Kynossema - Abydos - Kyzikos - Ephesus - Chalcedon - Byzantium - Andros - Notion - Mytilene - Arginus - Aigospotamoi
The Battle of Spartolus took place in 429 BC. Chr. In the early phase of the Peloponnesian War between troops Athens on the one hand and with Sparta allied chalkidikischen cities on the other side instead.
After the victory in the Battle of Potidaia and the capture of this city after a long siege, the Athenians under the strategists Xenophon (not to be confused with the historian Xenophon , who was just born at the time ), Phanomachos and Hestiodoros, set out to defeat the other cities that had fallen away from Athens on the peninsula Chalkidike to subdue, above all Olynthos and Spartolos . When the Athenians set fire to the grain fields around Spartolos in order to starve its population, troops from Olynthus came to the aid of the Spartolians, but they were defeated by the Athenian hoplites so that their remains had to retreat to Spartolos.
Their cavalry, however, remained victorious against the Athenians, as did the light troops. When they were reinforced by fresh Peltasts from Olynthus, they renewed their attack against the Attic hoplites, who were too slow for a counterattack and were wiped out from a distance. After all the military leaders and 430 soldiers had died, the remaining Athenians fled back to Potidaia.