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The siege of Samos in 356 saw the rebels against Athens besiege one of
the loyal members of the Athenian League (Social War). In 357 Chios, Rhodes,
Cos and Byzantium, with the support of Mausolus, the satrap of Caria, rebelled
against the Athenian League. The Athenians sent a force under
Chares and
Chabrias to deal with the
revolt, but they suffered a defeat at Chios in 357 or 356 in which Chabrias was
killed. In the aftermath of this victory the rebels raised a fleet of 100 ships
and raided Imbros and Lemnos, in the northern Aegean, and then turned south to
besiege Samos. The island was ravaged, and the city put under siege by land and
sea. Athens raised a fresh fleet, commanded by
Iphicrates and
Timotheus, and sent it to
cooperate with Chares. The combined fleet moved towards Byzantium, the most
significant of the rebel powers for Athens, as it could disrupt the crucial
grain supplies from the Black Sea. The rebels lifted the siege of Samos, and
moved north to deal with this threat. The two fleets met in the Hellespont, but
probably then moved south before fighting, probably at Embata in 356.
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