Battle of Aegospotami

In 405 BC, the Spartan admiral Lysander destroyed the Athenian navy at Aegospotami, on the Hellespont in the northern Aegean, deciding the Peloponnesian War. Lysander had taken the key city of Lampsacus, threatening the route through which Athens imported grain from the Black Sea. The Athenian fleet of around 180 ships followed and beached across the strait at Aegospotami, an open shore with no harbor or town to supply it. For several days, the Athenians sailed out to offer battle, and Lysander stayed in port. According to the ancient accounts, the exiled Alcibiades warned the Athenian generals that their position was dangerous, but they ignored him. When the Athenians grew careless and scattered to find food, Lysander launched a sudden attack. He captured almost the entire fleet while it was still on the beach. Only a handful of ships escaped, including those of the general Conon. Thousands of Athenian prisoners were executed. With its navy gone and its grain supply cut, Athens could no longer continue the war. The city was besieged and surrendered the following year.