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The Battle of Piraeus was fought in 403 BC between Athenian exiles who
had defeated the government of the Thirty Tyrants and occupied Piraeus and a
Spartan force sent to combat them. In the battle, the Spartans narrowly
defeated the exiles, with both sides suffering appreciable casualties. After
the battle, Pausanias arranged a settlement between the two parties which
allowed the reunification of Athens and Piraeus, and the reestablishment of
democratic government in Athens.
Opponents: Athenian exiles versus Spartans
Commanders and leaders:
Athenians - Thrasybulus
Spartans -Pausanias
Casualties and losses:
Athenians - over 180 killed
Spartans - unknown
Prelude:
In late 404, a small force of Athenian exiles under the command of
Thrasybulus entered
Attica and seized the border strong point of Phyle. These exiles were seeking to dislodge the
repressive oligarchic government of the Thirty Tyrants. In two battles, they
defeated the forces of that government; after the second battle, the Thirty
were deposed and replaced by a more moderate government, the Ten. These new
rulers, although they ended the brutality that had marked the reign of the
Thirty, were not ready to compromise with the exiles, who now held Piraeus, the
port of Athens. Desultory skirmishing between the two sides continued during
this stalemate, with the Athenian cavalry attacking foragers from Piraeus;
meanwhile, the men in Piraeus began to make attacks on the walls of Athens.
Accordingly, both the Thirty at Eleusis and the Ten at Athens sent emissaries
to Sparta, requesting assistance against the men in Piraeus. At this point,
Spartan internal politics took a vital role in determining the future of
Athens. Upon the arrival of the envoys,
Lysander, who supported an
aggressive foreign policy, and who had installed the Thirty in power in the
first place, set out to Eleusis, where he began raising an army. After he left,
however, the king
Pausanias, who wished to pursue a more defensive foreign policy, succeeded
in winning the support of three of the five ephors. He was dispatched at the
head of an army to resolve the situation.
The battle:
Upon Pausanias's arrival in Attica, he ordered the men in Piraeus to disperse;
when they refused to do so, he drew his men up to attack them, but did not
actually engage them. The next day, however, a party of Athenian light troops
attacked the Spartans while they were reconnoitering near Piraeus. Pausanias
dispatched his cavalry and his youngest infantrymen to attack them, while he
with the rest of the infantry followed in support. In pursuit, the Spartan
cavalry and advance infantry entered Piraeus, where they encountered a large
body of light troops, and were driven back with losses. Thrasybulus then came
out with his hoplite force to press the issue; the Spartan hoplites engaged
them, and, after a time, defeated them, inflicting 150 casualties. The men from
Piraeus returned to the city, while Pausanias and his men returned to their
camp. The war was over.
Aftermath:
After winning this victory, Pausanias, instead of pressing his advantage,
sought to effect a reconciliation between the two Athenian parties.
Accordingly, he persuaded both the men from Piraeus and the government in
Athens to send emissaries to Sparta. These returned along with 15 officials
empowered to work with Pausanias to negotiate a settlement to the issue.
Pausanias then persuaded the Athenians to settle their disagreement on the
terms of all being permitted to return to their homes except for the Thirty and
their most prominent collaborators, while all who feared for their safety were
free to remove to Eleusis. Democracy was reestablished, and all but the most
egregious offenders were pardoned. Eleusis remained independent for a time,
but, when it was revealed that the Thirty were gathering a mercenary army
there, a preventive strike was launched and the town was reabsorbed into the
Athenian state.
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