Battle of Rhium 429 BC
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 429 BC | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Ancient (before 500) | derived from year |
| Location | Greece | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Peloponnesian War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 38.3167, 21.7667 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Rhium (429 BC) or the battle of Chalcis was a naval battle in the Peloponnesian War between an Athenian fleet commanded by Phormio and a Peloponnesian fleet composed of contingents from various states, each with its own commander. The battle came about when the Peloponnesian fleet, numbering 47 triremes, attempted to cross over to the northern shore of the Gulf of Patras to attack Acarnania in support of an offensive in northwestern Greece; Phormio's fleet attacked the Peloponnesians while they were making the crossing.
In the battle, the Peloponnesian ships, hampered by the fact that many of them were equipped not as fighting vessels but as transports, circled together in a defensive posture. Phormio, taking advantage of his crews' superior seamanship, sailed around the clustered Peloponnesians with his ships, driving the Peloponnesians closer and closer together until they began to foul oars and collide with each other. The Athenians then suddenly attacked, routing the Peloponnesians and capturing 12 ships.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Rhium (revision 1370587450), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Siege of Patras (1821) 1821 · 8 km
- Siege of Patras (805 or 807) 805 · 8 km
- Battle of Naupactus 429 BC · 10 km
- Battle of Leontion 217 BC · 22 km
- Battle of Chalandritsa · 23 km
- Siege of Varnakova 1826 · 25 km
Other battles of the Peloponnesian War
- Battle of Potidaea 432 BC
- Battle of Naupactus 429 BC
- Battle of Spartolos 429 BC
- Siege of Plataea 429 BC
- Battle of Pylos 425 BC
- Battle of Sphacteria 425 BC
- Battle of Delium 424 BC
- Battle of Mantinea (418 BC) 418 BC
- Siege of Melos 415 BC
- Battle of Cynossema 411 BC
All 13 battles of the Peloponnesian War →
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