Athens defeated Aegina's fleet and forced the island into the Delian League as a tribute-paying subject, consolidating Athenian dominance of the Saronic Gulf.
Key Facts
- Date range
- Summer 458 BC – Spring 457 BC
- Aeginetan ships captured
- 70 triremes
- Max Aeginetan ships present
- 80 triremes
- Annual tribute imposed
- 30 talents
- Peloponnesian hoplites sent to aid Aegina
- 300 hoplites
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Athens had been asserting control over the Saronic Gulf through engagements at Halieis and Kekryphaleia. Feeling threatened, Aegina chose open hostility and aligned itself with the Peloponnesian League against Athens, prompting the Athenians to dispatch a large fleet under the commander Leocrates to confront Aegina directly.
Beginning in summer 458 BC, the Athenian fleet met the Aeginetan navy — reinforced by newly built triremes and Peloponnesian support — in a major naval engagement. The Athenians prevailed, capturing 70 of an estimated 80 Aeginetan ships, then landed on the island and laid siege to the city. Peloponnesian diversionary moves, including sending 300 hoplites and a Corinthian attack on Megara, failed to relieve the besieged Aeginetans.
In spring 457 BC, Aegina surrendered and received the standard punishment Athens imposed on rebellious subjects: demolition of its walls, surrender of its remaining fleet, and enrollment as a tribute-paying member of the Delian League at 30 talents per year, firmly subordinating the once-independent island to Athenian power.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Leocrates.
Side B
2 belligerents