Phyle Campaign

The Phyle Campaign (404-403 BC) was the civil war that resulted from the Spartan imposition of a narrow oligarchy on Athens (see Thirty Tyrants) and resulted in the restoration of Athenian democracy.

v t e Phyle Campaign
Phyle Munychia Piraeus

v t e Greek wars of the 5th century BC
Greco-Persian Wars (Ionian Revolt • First Persian invasion of Greece • Second Persian invasion of Greece • Wars of the Delian League) Greco-Punic Wars First Peloponnesian War (Second Sacred War) Samian War Peloponnesian War Phyle Campaign

Prelude

The Thirty were short of funds and this led them to persecute wealthy Athenians of whatever political views.^[1] Many fled to Boeotia and Corinth who offered asylum in defiance of Sparta.^[2]

The campaign

The Thirty Tyrants had left Athens' border forts ungarrisoned, both out of deference to Sparta and because of their cash shortage. This allowed a group of Athenian exiles to seize the fort of Phyle^[1] in 404/403 BCE.^[3] The leader of the exiles, initially only some 70 strong, was Thrasybulus, who had a reputation as a moderate democrat, and thus was ideal to unite all democratic opponents of the Thirty.^[3] A force of Athenian cavalry and Spartans was sent against Phyle, but was defeated in two surprise attacks by Thrasybulus at the Battle of Phyle. Thrasybulus then marched on Piraeus and defeated the force the Thirty sent against him at the Battle of Munychia.

Sparta first responded by sending Lysander with a force of mercenaries who clearly intended simply to restore the Thirty to power.^[1] Very quickly, however, Sparta sent King Pausanias with a levy of the Peloponnesian League. Pausanias defeated the democrats in the Battle of Piraeus. However he opened negotiations and accepted the restoration of democracy, nevertheless insisting on the separation of Eleusis as a safe haven for the oligarchs.^[4]

Aftermath

Lysander's faction at Sparta was furious and along with King Agis brought Pausanias to trial to the end of 403 BCE. The exact charge is uncertain but the essence was presumably that he had been soft on Athens. Fifteen of the Gerousia, including Agis, voted guilty and 14 against but all 5 Ephors voted not guilty so he was acquitted.^[5]

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Cartledge 1987, p. 350.
^ Cartledge 1987, p. 349–350.
^ ^a ^b Cartledge 1987, p. 283.
^ Cartledge 1987, p. 283–284.
^ Cartledge 1987, p. 351.

Bibliography

Cartledge, Paul (1987). Agesilaos and the Crisis of Sparta. Duckworth. ISBN 978-0715630327.

v t e Ancient Greek wars
Archaic	First Messenian War Lelantine War Second Messenian War Lydian–Milesian War First Sacred War Sicilian Wars
Classical	Greco-Persian Wars Aeginetan War Wars of the Delian League Third Messenian War First Peloponnesian War Second Sacred War Samian War Second Peloponnesian War Phyle Campaign Corinthian War Boeotian War Wars of the Theban hegemony Theban–Spartan War Social War (357–355 BC) Third Sacred War Foreign War Expansion of Macedonia Wars of Alexander the Great
Hellenistic	Lamian War Wars of the Diadochi Antigonid–Nabataean confrontations Seleucid–Mauryan war Pyrrhic War Syrian Wars Pyrrhus' invasion of the Peloponnese Chremonidean War Seleucid–Parthian Wars Cleomenean War Lyttian War Social War (220–217 BC) Macedonian Wars (First, Second, Third, Fourth) Cretan War Roman–Seleucid War Aetolian War War against Nabis Galatian War Maccabean Revolt Seleucid Dynastic Wars Achaean War Mithridatic Wars (First, Second, Third) War of Actium
Military history

This page was last edited on 7 May 2023, at 20:15

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Prelude

The campaign

Aftermath

Notes

Bibliography