- Eurybiades
Eurybiades was the
Sparta n commander in charge of the Greek navy during thePersian Wars .He was the son of Eurycleides, and was chosen as commander in
480 BC because the other Greekcity-state s did not want to serve under an Athenian, despite the Athenians' superior naval skill. He was, however, assisted by the AthenianThemistocles , who led most of the fighting.His first act as commander was to sail the fleet to
Euboea to meet the Persian fleet. When they arrived the Greeks found that the Persians were already there, and Eurybiades ordered a retreat, although the Euboeans begged him to stay. Instead, they bribed Themistocles to keep the fleet there, and Themistocles used some of his bribe to pay off Eurybiades (at least according toHerodotus , who is biased against Themistocles). The subsequentBattle of Artemisium was indecisive, and the Greeks removed their fleet toSalamis Island .Eurybiades did not want to fight at Salamis either, but once again Themistocles convinced him to stay by threatening to withdraw the Athenian fleet (the largest contingent of the Greek forces). The
Battle of Salamis was a decisive victory for the Greeks. After the battle Eurybiades was opposed to chasing the Persian fleet, and also to sailing towards theHellespont to destroy the bridge of ships that the Persian kingXerxes I had built there. He wanted Xerxes to be able to escape rather than have him remain in Greece where he would possibly renew the land war.Back in Sparta Eurybiades was rewarded with an
olive wreath for his success at Salamis; Themistocles was given a similar reward.ources
*Herodot's Histories
*Plutarch'sParallel Lives
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