by Rhonda Allen

Created on: December 11, 2008   Last Updated: October 08, 2009

The Battle of Pylos, fought in 425 B.C., was the scene of an impressive historic victory for the Athenian naval fleet over the soldiers of Sparta. This battle, one of many in the Peloponesian War, occurred near the end of the war and is historically significant because it established Demosthenes as an important strategist and military leader.

*An Accidental Occupation - A foothold at Pylos is established due to weather delays.

In the spring of 425 B.C., Demosthenes joined a fleet sailing to Corcyra, in hopes of of taking and then holding a key Spartan port. Demosthenes convinced the fleet's commanders to divert their 40 ships from Corcyra because he believed he could establish a strong foothold at Pylos. The other commanders in the fleet thought Demosthenes was wasting time, but were caught in Pylos by inclement weather and allowed their soldiers to assist in the fortification effort to pass time until the weather cleared and the ships could sail again. Six days after beginning the process, Pylos was fortified and the main fleet continued on to Corcyra and Sicily, leaving Demosthenes with 5 ships and their respective soldiers.

*The Quick Reply - Spartan forces surge to recover Pylos.

The Spartans has a strong negative reaction to the news that Demosthenes had taken Pylos. They began an immediate march toward Pylos, with orders to 60 ships to meet them near the coast. The Spartan commander, Epitadas, planned to use a combination of his 440 soldiers on land and the 60 ships in port to block the Athenians ability to get supplies out to their troops and eventually overtake their stronghold and renew Spartan control of Pylos and it's surrounding area.

*A Sneaky Trap - Demosthenes surrounds his and surprises his enemies.

Demosthenes learned of the incoming Spartan fleet, and contacted the 40 ships that had left him in Pylos, requesting that they rejoin the group and protect the fortification. Soon after, Epitadas and 440 hoplites (official term for armored soldiers) landed on the neighboring region of Sphacteria. Demosthenes, whose troops were mainly unarmed soldiers left behind with the ships, took approximately 60 of his own armed hoplites and began to guard the unfortified part of the beach against the Spartan offensive that was on it's way to challenge their stronghold.

It was at this point that Demosthenes gave his most famous speech, assuring his troops that "if you stand your ground on the beach, the enemy can not breach your lines". Forty-three Spartan ships attempted to make land in the area that was guarded by Demosthenes, but were pushed back by the small Athenian land troops. Three days into this sea-to-land battle, the ships that had been requested by Demosthenes returned and managed to get past the Spartan ships at the entrance to Pylos. They chased and destroyed the remaining Spartan vessels, leaving the a number of Spartan ground troops stranded and surrounded by Athenians.

* A Failed Negotiation - Spartan negotiators cannot convince the Athenian rulers to sight a treaty.

More than 400 armed Spartan soldiers were trapped at Sphacteria, 120 of them were from the elite social class, which threw the Spartan government into massive upheaval. Spartan negotiators were sent to attempt to free the captives, even offering the surrender of their entire remaining fleet in exchange for the prisoners. Negotiators were unable to reach agreement in Athens, and after 72 days, the Athenians invaded Sphacteria. This invasion signaled the end of the battle of Pylos and the beginning of the battle of Sphacteria.

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