The Battle of Aegospotami was the final battle of the Peloponnesian War which was fought at sea, off Thrace, in 405 BC. A Spartan surprise attack on the Athenian navy on the Hellespont resulted in the destruction of the Athenian navy, cutting off Athens' grain supply from the Black Sea and forcing the besieged city to surrender in 404 BC.
History[]
After its defeat at Syracuse, Athens was seriously weakened. The Spartans put the city under almost permanent siege by land; all that they needed for a complete victory was to overcome Athenian domination at sea. Athens survived by importing shiploads of grain from the Black Sea, recognizing that if the Spartans cut that lifeline it was doomed. Under the direction of admiral Lysander, the Spartans had their new fleet ready for battle in 406 BC. Results were at first mixed. Lysander was victorious at Ephesus, only to be removed from his post because Spartan law limited an admiral's command to one year. The Athenians then crushingly defeated the Spartans under Callicratidas at Arginusae. In return for funding more shipbuilding in the wake of this defeat, the Persian prince Cyrus insisted on Lysander's return. In 405 BC the Athenian fleet established itself at Aegospotami on the Hellespont. Lysander, shadowing their movements but avoiding battle, positioned himself on the opposite shore. He observed that the Athenian sailors had fixed habits: they set sail each morning, paraded on the sea, then returned to shore for lunch. Lysander saw an opportunity not to be missed. A single scout vessel was sent to watch the Athenian base. When a signal flashed from the spy ship, informing Lysander that the Athenians were ashore, the Spartan fleet descended on the enemy, seizing empty triremes and landing marines to butcher the Athenians on the beach. Only eight Athenian warships escaped. The following year, facing starvation, Athens surrendered.