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The Chremonidean War (267–261) was
fought by a coalition of some Greek city-states and Ptolemaic Egypt against
Antigonid Macedonian domination. The end result of this conflict was a
Macedonian victory which confirmed Antigonid control over the city-states of
Greece. The origins of the war lie in the continuing desire of many Greek
city-states, most notably Athens and Sparta, for a restoration of their former
independence along with the Ptolemaic desire to stir up discontent within the
sphere of influence of its Macedonian rival. Ptolemy Philadelphus's ambitions
in the Aegean were threatened by Antigonus Gonatas's fleet, so he carefully
built up an anti-Macedonian coalition amongst the Greek city-states. He
especially concentrated on courting Athens, by supplying the city with grain.
The anti-Macedonian faction in Athens, led by the stoic Chremonides, took power
and proceeded to declare war on Macedon (possibly as early as the autumn of
268. The first year of the conflict saw only minor confrontations, though they
generally ended favourably for the anti-Macedonian coalition. After the
indecisive campaign season of 266, in which Athens was assisted by a Ptolemaic
fleet under Patroclus, the war began to turn against the Greek city-states, and
in 265 Antigonus won a decisive and crushing victory outside Corinth during
which the Spartan King Areus I was killed. With their primary ally defeated and
too militarily weak to confront the Antigonids alone, the Athenians could do
little but wait behind their walls and hope the Ptolemies could send aid before
the inevitable siege. Unfortunately for them, however, Philadelphus would not
be ready to mount a major expedition until after Athens had already been
starved into surrender in either 262 or 261. In the end it did not matter since
when the Ptolemies finally tried to send aid and reinforcements to Athens,
their fleet was defeated off Cos (probably in 261). This action, called the
Battle of Cos, also features in the narrative of the second of the Syrian Wars
with a strong alternative date of 258 or 255. After the end of the war, Athens
lost her last pre-Hellenistic vestiges of political independence.
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