BATTLE OF TANAGRA - 426

This is an extract from the Wikipedia.entry

The Battle of Tanagra was a battle in the Peloponnesian War in 42 between Athens and Tanagra and Thebes.

Opponents: Athens versus Tanagra and Thebes
Commanders and leaders:
Athens - Nicias, Hipponicus, Eurymedon
Thebes - Unknown
Strength:
Athens - 2,000 hoplites
Thebes - Unknown
Casualties and losses Unknown and Unknown

In 426 Athens sent a fleet to the island of Melos consisting of 60 ships and 2,000 hoplites under the command of Nicias. Melos had refused to join the Delian League, and still refused to do so even when the Athenians plundered the island. The Athenians, however, did not conquer the island, but instead sailed to Oropus on the coast of Boeotia. The hoplites landed on shore and marched towards Tanagra, where they were joined by the main Athenian army that had been marching from Athens under Hipponicus and Eurymedon. They plundered the countryside, and the next day defeated a combined Tanagran and Theban army, but returned to Athens after the victory.

BATTLE OF TANAGRA IN 426

How to cite this article: Rickard, J (16 June 2011), Battle of Tanagra, 426 , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_tanagra_426.html

The battle of Tanagra in 426 was a minor Athenian victory won close to the city of Tanagra in Boeotia. Tanagra was located close to the border between Attica and Boeotia, and had been the site of a battle during the First Peloponnesian War. This second battle of Tanagra came at the end of an otherwise unsuccessful Athenian naval expedition during the Great Peloponnesian War. A fleet of sixty ships carrying 2,000 hoplites and commanded by Nicias, son of Niceratus, was sent to attack the island of Melos, to the south-east of Athens. Regions of Ancient Greece Regions of Ancient Greece Melos had never been part of the Athenian Empire, and had no intention of joining now. The Athenian troops landed on the island and laid the country waste, but the Melians refused to come to terms. The Athenian fleet then sailed back to the north-west, around the northern coast of Attica, and landing at Oropus, at the northern edge of Attica. The Athenians then marched to the area of Tanagra, where they met up with the main army from Athens, responding to a prearranged signal. This army was commanded by Hipponicus son of Callias and Eurymedon son of Thucles. The combined Athenian army spent one day devastating the countryside around Tanagra, presumably in the hope that this would bring on a battle. If this was the plan then it was successful. On the following day an army came out of Tanagra, most made up of local troops, but with a contingent from Thebes. The two sides clashed somewhere near the city, and the Athenians were victorious. They erected a trophy to commemorate the victory, and the army then split up. The contingent from Athens returned to the city, while the fleet moved north-west along the coast to devastate Locris before also returning to Athens.