A minor Spartan naval victory that ended Alcibiades' command and established Lysander as a capable adversary of Athens at sea.
Key Facts
- Date
- 406 BC
- War
- Peloponnesian War
- Spartan commander
- Lysander
- Athenian commander (absent)
- Alcibiades
- Athenian acting commander
- Antiochus (helmsman)
- Outcome
- Spartan victory; Alcibiades removed from command
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Alcibiades left his helmsman Antiochus in charge of the Athenian fleet blockading Sparta's forces at Ephesus. Against explicit orders, Antiochus devised a plan to lure the Spartan fleet into battle by presenting a small decoy force, hoping to provoke an engagement on unfavorable terms for the enemy.
Lysander recognized Antiochus's ruse and responded with the full Spartan fleet rather than taking the bait. The Athenian decoy force was overwhelmed, and the broader fleet failed to recover, resulting in a limited but clear Spartan naval victory off the coast of Notium in 406 BC.
Although the Spartan victory was small in scale, it carried significant political consequences. Alcibiades was blamed for entrusting command to an incompetent subordinate and was subsequently stripped of his generalship by Athens. The battle also elevated Lysander's reputation as a naval commander capable of defeating Athenian forces.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Antiochus (acting), Alcibiades (absent).
Side B
1 belligerent
Lysander.