Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Potidaea

Battle of Potidaea was a battle fought in 432 BC at Potidaea, in what is now Greece. It was part of the Peloponnesian War, which ran from 431 BC to 404 BC. The recorded result: Athenian victory. Recorded strength: 70 ships; 3,000 hoplites; 400 cavalry against 1,600 hoplites; 400 light troops; 200 cavalry.

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Depiction of a Greek trireme: this graphic was first published in May, Elmer; Stadler, Gerald; Votaw, John; Griess, Thomas (series ed) (1984) Ancient and Medieval Warfare: The History of the Strategie
Depiction of a Greek trireme: this graphic was first published in May, Elmer; Stadler, Gerald; Votaw, John; Griess, Thomas (series ed) (1984) Ancient and Medieval Warfare: The History of the Strategie. F. Mitchell, Department of History, United States Military Academy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought432 BC
WherePotidaea, Greece40.194N, 23.328E
OutcomeAthenian victory
BelligerentsAthensagainstCorinth; Potidaea
Casualties and losses150 menand300 men
Part ofPeloponnesian War431 BC to 404 BC

Where it sits in the Peloponnesian War

Battle of Sybota, 433 BCBattle of Potidaea, 432 BCBattle of Plataea, 431 BCBattle of Naupactus, 429 BCBattle of Spartolos, 429 BCBattle of Rhium, 429 BCSiege of Plataea, 429 BCBattle of Corcyra, 427 BCBattle of Tanagra, 426 BCAetolian Campaign, 426 BCBattle of Sphacteria, 425 BCBattle of Pylos, 425 BCBattle of Solygeia, 425 BCBattle of Delium, 424 BCBattle of Megara, 424 BCBattle of Mantinea, 418 BCBattle of Orneae, 417 BCBattle of Melos, 415 BCBattle of Milet, 412 BCBattle of Abydos, 411 BCBattle of Cynossema, 411 BCBattle of Syme, 411 BCBattle of Eretria, 411 BCBattle of Cyzicus, 410 BCBattle of Ephesus, 409 BCSiege of Chalcedon, 409 BCSiege of Byzantium, 408 BCSiege of Andros, 408 BCBattle of Notium, 406 BCSiege of Athens, 404 BC433 BC404 BCBattle of Potidaea, 432 BC
30 placed engagements of the Peloponnesian War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date432 BC (year precision)
PlacePotidaea, Greece
40.194N, 23.328E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength70 ships; 3,000 hoplites; 400 cavalry1,600 hoplites; 400 light troops; 200 cavalry
Casualties and losses150 men300 men
Commanders
  • Archestratus (general)
  • Callias (son of Calliades)
  • Aristeus
Battle of PotidaeaBattle of PotidaeaSiege of PotidaeaBattle of SpartolosSiege of OlynthusBattle of ThessalonicaSiege of ThessalonicaSiege of OlynthusBattle of ThessalonicaSiege of ThessalonicaLarissaBitolaSeresKateriniXanthiVolosKavala100 km40.194N, 23.328E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Potidaea
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Potidaea today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-04-13. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 20 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -2 to 65 m, 67 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 76% water, 11% grassland, 5% built-up.

water: 76%grassland: 11%built-up: 5%tree cover: 3%cropland: 3%water 76%grassland 11%built-up 5%tree cover 3%cropland 3%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 40 mnorth to south, 10.0 km-2 to 42 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Battle of Potidaea is one of 102 engagements of the 5th century BC in the atlas and one of 529 in present-day Greece.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1356189, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Potidaea, revision 1370272207, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.