The Battle of Oreos was fought in 431 BC during the Peloponnesian War. A Rhodian army under Arkermos attempted to take the Spartan-held town of Oreos in an amphibious assault, but the smaller garrison army and fleet combined forces and won a miraculous victory over the Rhodians, attacking the Rhodian army from two sides and annihilating it.
Background[]
In 431 BC, the Spartan general Brasidas marched north from Euboea to begin a new campaign in Thessaly, leaving the recently-captured town of Oreos undefended. The town was judged to be sufficiently loyal to Sparta, while Euboea was held to be secure due to Corinth's recent capture of Chalcis and the availability of Peloponnesian League allies across the strait in Boeotia. However, the Delian League member state Rodos had increased its naval presence in the Aegean Sea to support Athens, which suffered from overstretch in Attica, Macedonia, and in the Aegean islands. One of these fleets, commanded by Arkermos, decided to launch an amphibious assault on Oreos, which it believed would be an easy conquest. The 880-strong, well-trained Rhodian army faced 560 Spartan soldiers (mostly young hoplites) under Eurykleides and a garrison fleet of 280 troops under Alexinos. At first, it seemed as if the Spartans would suffer certain defeat.
Battle[]
The aftermath of the battle
However, the Rhodian strategy depended on the Rhodians overwhelming the Spartan land garrison before the other Spartan troops could disembark from their ships. The Spartan ships were deployed close to the shore, allowing for their troops to disembark at the same time as the Rhodian assault. However, their approach to the city took a significant amount of time, and the Spartan troops in the city formed shield walls backed up by helot javelinmen. The main force of Rhodians was held back by these resolute Spartans, and a flanking force sent to secure the town suddenly found itself attacked by the Spartan reinforcements. One phalanx was sent to reinforce the main body, while the other phalanx and its skirmishers were diverted to attack the Rhodian flanking force. The Spartan main body began to suffer, especially after the javelinmen were forced to resort to melee combat upon using up all of their javelins. Some Spartans began to break and flee, but, when the Rhodian flanking force decided to pull back and support the main body, the Spartan reinforcements followed them and charged their rear. The Spartans now had the Rhodians encircled, and they desperately kept up the pressure until the Rhodian forces began to rout. The Spartans massacred many Rhodians before they could escape the cauldron, and Arkermos' throat was cut by a Spartan soldier as he tried to flee the battlefield. To the Greek world's surprise, a small garrison of Spartan militiamen defeated and annihilated a whole Rhodian army, enabling Brasidas to continue his Thessalian campaign without having to return to protect Euboea.