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battle, major, ancient

Battle of Sphacteria

Battle of Sphacteria was a battle fought in 425 BC at Sphacteria, 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: 3,000+ soldiers,; 8,000 lightly armed rowers against 440.

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A map of Battle of Sphacteria, Chinese version.
A map of Battle of Sphacteria, Chinese version.. Battle of sphacteria.png: Javierfv1212 derivative work:子罕/Zihan (English), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought425 BC
WhereSphacteria, Greece36.930N, 21.666E
OutcomeAthenian victory
BelligerentsAthensagainstSparta
Casualties and lossesFewand148 killed,; Remainder captured
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 Sphacteria, 425 BC
30 placed engagements of the Peloponnesian War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date425 BC (year precision)
PlaceSphacteria, Greece
36.930N, 21.666E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength3,000+ soldiers,; 8,000 lightly armed rowers440
Casualties and lossesFew148 killed,; Remainder captured
Commanders
  • Demosthenes (general)
  • Cleon
Battle of SphacteriaBattle of SphacteriaBattle of SphacteriaBattle of NavarinoBattle of PylosBattle of ModonBattle of ZonchioBattle of SphacteriaTripoliPirgosSpartiPiraeus100 km36.930N, 21.666E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
Sphakteria ist die undeutlich zu erkennende schmale Insel vor der Bucht
Sphakteria ist die undeutlich zu erkennende schmale Insel vor der Bucht. Captain Blood at de.wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Sphacteria
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Sphacteria today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-30. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 24 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -2 to 481 m, 482 m of relief, steep country and today it is 86% water, 10% tree cover, 2% grassland.

water: 86%tree cover: 10%grassland: 2%water 86%tree cover 10%grassland 2%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 78 mnorth to south, 10.0 km-2 to 49 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

Contested ground: this site was fought over 7 times between 425 BC and 1827.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 425 BC

Battle of Sphacteria 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 Q176416, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Sphacteria, revision 1370589780, 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.