520:
skirmishers at bay. Even with the archers defending them, the
Athenians were receiving the worst of the struggle; when the captain of the archers was killed, his men scattered, and the rest of the army shortly followed them. A bloodbath ensued. Demosthenes' co-commander Procles was killed, as was his Messenian guide. Leaderless troops of fleeing soldiers raced into exit-less dry canyons or became lost on the battlefield, while the fast moving Aetolians cut them down; the largest escaping contingent became lost in a forest, which was then set on fire around them. 120 of the 300 Athenians who had marched with Demosthenes were killed; casualties among the allies are not known, but were presumably of a similar order. Such losses were particularly exorbitant when contrasted with the toll of a traditional hoplite battle, in which casualty rates of over 10% were highly unusual.
512:, he began an advance into Aetolia, after making plans to rendezvous with a Locrian force in the Aetolian interior. His army advanced successfully for three days, reaching the town of Tichium on the third day. Here, Demosthenes called a halt while the plunder captured up to that point was transported back to his base. Some modern scholars have also suggested that the Locrian force that Demosthenes had planned to meet up with had been scheduled to join him at or before Tichium, and that his delay there was in part caused by his concern over their absence. The Locrians practised a style of warfare similar to that of their Aetolian neighbours, and could have provided Demosthenes with skilled javelin throwers. In their absence, the Athenian-led force was critically deficient in light missile troops, where its opponents were strongest.
516:
already out of date. The
Aetolians had learned of Demosthenes' plans even before he invaded, and by this time they had assembled a substantial force from throughout the region. Demosthenes advanced to the town of Aegitium, which he took easily, but he would go no further. The inhabitants of Aegitium retreated to the hills around the town, where they joined the main Aetolian army, and soon Demosthenes' force came under assault from the surrounding high ground.
500:
Before he arrived there, however, his force was appreciably diminished by the departure of several major contingents. The
Acarnanians, upset that their preferred strategy of taking Leucas had been spurned, returned to their home country, and the Corcyraean ships also departed (apparently out of unwillingness to participate in an operation that offered their city no clear benefits).
415:, Demosthenes's army came under heavy attack from the surrounding high ground and was driven into a retreat that soon became a rout. A great number of his men perished, and any notion of taking Aetolia had to be abandoned. The battle emboldened Sparta's allies in the region, and lasting damage to Athenian interests was only avoided through a tactically brilliant defence of
529:
was so concerned about his potential reception in Athens (where the assembly was known to deal harshly with disgraced generals) that he chose not to return home with his fleet. In the upcoming months, however, the strategic situation would be stabilised and
Demosthenes' reputation restored by his spectacular victory at
528:
After returning to
Naupactus, the defeated Athenian force sailed for home, leaving behind it a newly precarious strategic situation and a commander with a severely shaken reputation; the Aetolians were emboldened by their victory and began preparing for an offensive against Naupactus, and Demosthenes
515:
Nonetheless, his confidence bolstered by the
Messenians, who assured him that the element of surprise would guarantee success as long as he continued to strike before the Aetolians had a chance to combine their forces against him, Demosthenes continued inland. The Messenians' advice, however, was
499:
from the lightly defended western approach. Furthermore, as Nicias was simultaneously engaging in operations in eastern
Boeotia, Demosthenes may have considered the possibility of forcing the Boeotians to fight on two fronts. Accordingly, he pulled up stakes at Leucas and set out for Aetolia.
519:
Moving with relative ease over the rough terrain, the
Aetolian javelin throwers were able to fling their weapons and retreat easily before the heavily encumbered Athenian hoplites could reach them; without the Locrians, Demosthenes could rely only on a contingent of archers to keep the Aetolian
494:
Thucydides notes that
Demosthenes made this decision partly to please his Messenian allies, but also states that he also wished to, if possible, pass through Aetolia, increase his army on the march by adding to it the men of Phocis, and attack
398:
At first, the invasion met with little resistance, and several towns fell easily. But, before long, an effective
Aetolian force was gathered by summoning tribesmen from throughout the region. Demosthenes, meanwhile, having alienated his
490:
and taking the city. Demosthenes, however, chose instead to follow the advice of the Messenians, who wished to attack and subdue the tribal region of Aetolia, which they asserted was threatening Naupactus.
395:. Leaving Leucas, he set out towards Aetolia, losing along the way several major contingents from his army, whose leaders were apparently unhappy with his change in strategy.
508:
If Demosthenes was daunted by these significant breaches in his coalition, he did not reveal it through his immediate actions. Establishing a base at the city of Oeneon in
474:
soldiers, and smaller contingents from a number of Athens' other allies in the region. With this formidable force, Demosthenes fell upon and destroyed a garrison of
170:
451:). Demosthenes and Procles, meanwhile, with a fleet of half that size, were dispatched to round the Peloponnese and operate in the north-west and the
379:
in command of a fleet of 30 ships. Arriving in the north-west, he quickly assembled a coalition force from Athens' allies in the region and
613:
570:
554:
163:
767:
762:
565:
Unless otherwise noted, all details regarding the early maneuvering and Demosthenes strategical decisions are drawn from Thucydides,
455:. Upon its arrival in the northwestern theatre, this relatively small Athenian force was substantially augmented by the addition of
435:
in the previous year, took a more aggressive stance than in previous campaigning seasons. A major fleet of 60 ships, commanded by
411:(spear throwers) whose range and mobility could have proved decisive in the rough terrain of Aetolia. After seizing the town of
156:
710:
693:
487:
388:
380:
333:
278:
757:
448:
233:
283:
391:
reached a conclusion, he was persuaded to abandon it in favour of an attack on the tribal region of
772:
431:
In the summer of 426 BC, Athens, having ended the immediate threat to its security by quashing the
608:
Unless otherwise noted, all details regarding the campaign itself are drawn from Thucydides,
372:
343:
106:
483:
273:
258:
8:
681:
338:
313:
298:
218:
208:
201:
706:
689:
432:
323:
308:
248:
228:
180:
28:
686:
A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and the Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War
328:
318:
288:
268:
263:
223:
194:
112:
79:
752:
729:
530:
452:
376:
368:
253:
243:
213:
303:
293:
721:
746:
698:
87:
733:
716:
403:
allies and failing to rendezvous as scheduled with reinforcements from
359:, often referred to as "Demosthenes' Aetolian campaign", was a failed
471:
463:
420:
416:
400:
91:
83:
148:
486:
base in the region, and the Acarnanians enthusiastically advocated
456:
412:
496:
467:
459:
444:
408:
392:
62:
51:
509:
479:
475:
436:
404:
384:
364:
360:
440:
720:
423:(which fully restored Demosthenes' military reputation).
16:
Military campaign during the Peloponnesian War (426 BC)
140:
Severe; 120 of 300 Athenians, unknown for other allies
744:
478:troops, then attacked and blockaded the city of
164:
171:
157:
745:
715:
178:
152:
13:
482:itself. Leucas was a significant
375:was dispatched from Athens to the
14:
784:
768:Battles involving ancient Athens
763:Battles of the Peloponnesian War
723:History of the Peloponnesian War
658:
645:
632:
619:
602:
589:
576:
559:
543:
407:, was critically short of the
1:
675:
523:
7:
503:
439:, was sent to attack first
10:
789:
426:
363:offensive in northwestern
470:ships, a great number of
190:
134:
121:
100:
73:
34:
26:
21:
536:
387:. However, before the
101:Commanders and leaders
96:Aetolian tribal forces
688:(Random House, 2005)
610:The Peloponnesian War
567:The Peloponnesian War
551:The Peloponnesian War
135:Casualties and losses
682:Hanson, Victor Davis
703:The Archidamian War
666:The Archidamian War
653:A War Like No Other
640:The Archidamian War
627:The Archidamian War
597:The Archidamian War
584:The Archidamian War
299:Sicilian Expedition
447:(resulting in the
758:420s BC conflicts
705:(Cornell, 1974).
449:Battle of Tanagra
433:Mytilenean revolt
357:Aetolian campaign
352:
351:
182:Peloponnesian War
147:
146:
69:
68:
29:Peloponnesian War
22:Aetolian campaign
780:
737:
728:. Translated by
727:
669:
662:
656:
649:
643:
636:
630:
623:
617:
606:
600:
593:
587:
580:
574:
563:
557:
547:
185:
183:
173:
166:
159:
150:
149:
36:
35:
19:
18:
788:
787:
783:
782:
781:
779:
778:
777:
773:Ancient Aetolia
743:
742:
730:Richard Crawley
678:
673:
672:
663:
659:
650:
646:
637:
633:
624:
620:
607:
603:
594:
590:
581:
577:
564:
560:
548:
544:
539:
526:
506:
453:Corinthian Gulf
429:
377:Corinthian Gulf
371:. In 426 BCE,
369:Archidamian War
353:
348:
186:
181:
179:
177:
110:
90:
86:
82:
54:
17:
12:
11:
5:
786:
776:
775:
770:
765:
760:
755:
739:
738:
713:
696:
677:
674:
671:
670:
657:
644:
631:
618:
601:
588:
575:
558:
541:
540:
538:
535:
525:
522:
505:
502:
428:
425:
350:
349:
347:
346:
341:
336:
331:
326:
321:
316:
311:
306:
301:
296:
291:
286:
281:
276:
271:
266:
261:
256:
251:
246:
241:
236:
231:
226:
221:
216:
211:
206:
199:
191:
188:
187:
176:
175:
168:
161:
153:
145:
144:
143:Relatively few
141:
137:
136:
132:
131:
128:
124:
123:
119:
118:
115:
103:
102:
98:
97:
94:
76:
75:
71:
70:
67:
66:
60:
56:
55:
50:
48:
44:
43:
40:
32:
31:
24:
23:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
785:
774:
771:
769:
766:
764:
761:
759:
756:
754:
751:
750:
748:
741:
735:
731:
726:
724:
718:
714:
712:
711:0-8014-9714-0
708:
704:
700:
699:Kagan, Donald
697:
695:
694:1-4000-6095-8
691:
687:
683:
680:
679:
667:
661:
654:
648:
641:
635:
628:
622:
615:
611:
605:
598:
592:
585:
579:
572:
568:
562:
556:
552:
546:
542:
534:
532:
521:
517:
513:
511:
501:
498:
492:
489:
485:
484:Peloponnesian
481:
477:
473:
469:
465:
461:
458:
454:
450:
446:
442:
438:
434:
424:
422:
418:
414:
410:
406:
402:
396:
394:
390:
386:
382:
378:
374:
370:
366:
362:
358:
345:
342:
340:
337:
335:
332:
330:
327:
325:
322:
320:
317:
315:
312:
310:
307:
305:
302:
300:
297:
295:
292:
290:
287:
285:
282:
280:
277:
275:
272:
270:
267:
265:
262:
260:
257:
255:
252:
250:
247:
245:
242:
240:
237:
235:
232:
230:
227:
225:
222:
220:
217:
215:
212:
210:
207:
205:
204:
200:
198:
197:
193:
192:
189:
184:
174:
169:
167:
162:
160:
155:
154:
151:
142:
139:
138:
133:
129:
126:
125:
120:
116:
114:
108:
105:
104:
99:
95:
93:
89:
85:
81:
78:
77:
72:
64:
61:
58:
57:
53:
49:
46:
45:
41:
38:
37:
33:
30:
25:
20:
740:
732:– via
722:
702:
685:
665:
660:
652:
647:
639:
634:
626:
621:
609:
604:
596:
591:
583:
578:
566:
561:
550:
549:Thucydides,
545:
527:
518:
514:
507:
493:
430:
397:
383:the city of
356:
354:
334:2nd Mytilene
238:
229:1st Mytilene
202:
195:
74:Belligerents
27:Part of the
373:Demosthenes
367:during the
344:Aegospotami
107:Demosthenes
88:Cephallonia
747:Categories
734:Wikisource
717:Thucydides
676:References
472:Acarnanian
468:Corcyraean
401:Acarnanian
274:Amphipolis
259:Sphacteria
668:, 205-209
524:Aftermath
488:besieging
476:Leucadian
464:Naupactus
457:Messenian
443:and then
421:Acarnania
417:Naupactus
339:Arginusae
314:Cynossema
219:Naupactus
209:Spartolos
92:Zacynthus
84:Naupactus
651:Hanson,
504:Campaign
460:hoplites
413:Aegitium
409:peltasts
381:besieged
361:Athenian
279:Mantinea
203:Potidaea
122:Strength
111:Procles
63:Aetolian
47:Location
664:Kagan,
638:Kagan,
629:, 203-4
625:Kagan,
614:3.95-98
595:Kagan,
582:Kagan,
571:3.94-95
497:Boeotia
445:Boeotia
427:Prelude
393:Aetolia
324:Cyzicus
309:Eretria
249:Idomene
239:Aetolia
234:Tanagra
224:Plataea
117:Unknown
65:victory
52:Aetolia
753:426 BC
725:
709:
692:
510:Locris
480:Leucas
437:Nicias
405:Locris
385:Leucas
365:Greece
329:Notium
319:Abydos
289:Orneae
284:Hysiae
269:Delium
264:Megara
196:Sybota
80:Athens
59:Result
42:426 BC
655:, 145
642:, 205
599:, 203
586:, 202
537:Notes
531:Olpae
466:, 15
462:from
441:Melos
389:siege
294:Melos
254:Pylos
244:Olpae
214:Rhium
130:3,000
127:2,500
707:ISBN
690:ISBN
555:3.91
419:and
355:The
304:Syme
39:Date
749::
719:.
701:.
684:.
612:,
569:,
553:,
533:.
736:.
616:.
573:.
172:e
165:t
158:v
113:†
109:,
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.