Battle of Cos 261 BC
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 261 BC | Wikidata P585 (point in time); 2 differing years recorded, earliest shown |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Ancient (before 500) | derived from year |
| Location | Greece | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Chremonidean War, Syrian Wars | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 36.8500, 27.2333 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Cos was fought in c. 261 BC, or as late as 255 BC, between an Antigonid fleet and a Ptolemaic fleet. Antigonus II Gonatas led his forces to victory, possibly over Patroclus, admiral of Ptolemy II. It has been widely assumed that the battle severely damaged Ptolemaic control of the Aegean, but this has been contested After the battle, Antigonus dedicated his flagship to Apollo.
The date of the battle is uncertain, although it must fall within the period 262–256 BC. Hammond dates it as late as 255 BC, but it is now increasingly placed in 261 BC.
The Battle of Cos is proposed by modern scholars as one of three possible naval battles—along with the Battle of Amorgos (322 BC) and the Battle of Salamis (306 BC)—that provided the occasion for the erection of the statue of the Nike of Samothrace.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Cos (revision 1370437707), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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