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The battle of Embata (356 BC) was a
minor naval defeat for Athens during the
Social War, but in the
aftermath two of her best commanders were put on trial, and the remaining
commander soon provoked the Persians. We have several accounts of this
campaign, all of which agree in the key elements (names of commanders, Athenian
defeat and trial of the commanders), but disagree in other details. In Diodorus
the Athenians raised a new fleet and gave
Iphicrates and
Timotheus join command of
the combined fleet (with
Chares). The combined Athenian fleet headed for Byzantium, perhaps the most
important of the rebel powers, as she could intercept the grain convoys from
the Black Sea. The rebels lifted the siege of Samos
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/siege_samos_356.html,
and moved north. The two fleets met in the Hellespont. They were both preparing
for a battle, when a storm began. Iphicrates and Timotheus decided not to
attack because of the weather, but Chares was determined to fight. Afterwards
he wrote to the people of Athens accusing his co-commanders of refusing to
fight deliberately. Both Iphicrates and Timotheus were put on trial, fined and
lost their commands. Cornelius Nepos gives us
a different account. This time command of the new fleet was given to
Menestheus, son of Iphicrates and son-in-law of Timotheus. The two older men
were sent along as advisors. The new fleet headed for Samos, as did Chares, who
didn’t want to miss any chance of winning credit. As the two fleets
approached Samos a storm arose. Iphicrates and Timotheus decided to anchor and
ride out the storm. Chares continued on to Samos, where he suffered a defeat
and lost several of his ships. After this defeat he complained to Athens, and
the other generals were recalled. Timotheus was found guilty, fined 100
talents, and went into exile at Chalcis. Iphicrates and Menestheus were found
not guilty. The battle probably took place at Embata (or Embatum), in the
straits between Chios and the mainland of Asia Minor. As only part of the
Athenian fleet took part, it can't have been an especially costly clash.
However the aftermath probably cost Athens the war. Chares, the only remaining
Athenian commander in the field, was short of supplies and money. He solved
this problem by fighting for Artabazus, satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia, then
involved in the Satrap's Revolt
against Artaxerxes
III. Chares won at least one victory for Artabazus, but this provided
Artaxerxes into sending a letter of complaint to Athens. He was also known to
be preparing a sizable fleet. This scared the almost bankrupt Athenians, and
they were forced to make peace, accepting the independence of the rebels.
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