Lysander

Family: Lacedaemonians · Role: admiral · First appears: Book 1, section 5

Not long before the incidents described, Lysander replaced Cratesippidas as Lacedaemonian admiral. At Ephesus, he secured Cyrus’s support for the war and agreed payment terms; Cyrus then raised the sailors’ pay, paid their arrears and advanced a month’s wages. At Notium, Lysander defeated the Athenians, capturing fifteen ships after Antiochus sailed into the harbour. When Alcibiades later challenged him at Samos, Lysander declined to fight, and Alcibiades returned there.

At Chersonesus, Lysander captured 171 Athenian vessels and most of their crews. He brought the generals Philocles and Adeimantus to Lampsacus as prisoners; the allies resolved to execute the Athenian prisoners except Adeimantus, and Lysander delivered Philocles to the executioner. He went on to take Byzantium and Chalcedon, leaving Sthenelaus to govern them, reinstated former inhabitants in Aegina, pillaged Salamis and blockaded Piraeus. He sent Aristoteles to Sparta to report his answer to Theramenes, and after Samos accepted terms, delivered the city to its ancient citizens and appointed ten governors there.

In the latter end of summer, Lysander delivered the captured vessels and other spoils to the Lacedaemonians. Aeschines and Aristoteles later persuaded him to support sending a Lacedaemonian garrison to Athens. In 403 B.C., he secured a loan of one hundred talents and was appointed harmost on land, while his brother Libys became admiral of the fleet. Pausanias then called out the ban, challenging Lysander’s growing influence. Lysander later detached Orchomenus from Thebes; at Haliartus, he was slain in battle.