The Fall of the Athenian Empire-(A New History of the Peloponnesian War) Donald Kagan - (1987)

224 -THE FALL OF THE ATHENIAN EMPIRE
By use of such skills and superior speed, as well as by the brilliant
and resourceful leadership of Thrasybulus, the Athenians were able
to defeat their opponents. Thrasybulus' crew set up the trophy of
victory on top of the Cynossema promontory and sent messengers to
bring the happy news to Athens!' In spite of routing the enemy,
however, the Athenians were able to capture only twenty-one ships
while losing fifteen of their own." Thucydides tells us that the Athenians
received the news of the victory as "unhoped for good fortune."
They had won no important victory since the Sicilian campaign and
had suffered a series of losses in lonia and the straits. Worst of all was
the terrible loss of Euboea. The timing of the news was almost as
important as the victory itself, for it came just after the loss of Euboea
and the internal strife surrounding the overthrow of the Four Hundred.
It gave a remarkable boost to the sagging spirits of the Athenians:
"They were great! y encouraged, and they thought that their cause
could still win out if they set to work zealously.''"'' Modern historians
have undervalued the importance of this victory by Thrasybulus and
the Athenians, making no comment or limiting its significance to its
effect on Athenian morale. 50 In fact, it was of the greatest importance
to the course of the war. It may be justly said of Thrasybulus at
Cynossema, as it was later said of Jellicoe at Jutland, that he could
have lost the war in the space of a single afternoon. Had Mindarus
succeeded in annihilating the Athenian fleet on that early October day
in 41 1, had he merely defeated it and maintained control of the straits,
the Athenians probably would have been forced to surrender before
very long. They had no funds to build a new fleet and, therefore, no
way to gain access to the food they needed for survival. The news of
their defeat, moreover, coming on the heels of their loss of Euboea,
would almost surely have caused new defections in the empire, in lonia
47 Diod. 13·4o.6: oL 'lTEpL ,.ov E>pamJJ3ouAov E.CJ"l"1lcrav 'rp61Tm.ov E1rL 7f)~ 6.Kpac;.
Oldfather says "Thrasybulus set up a trophy," but that must be shorthand. "Those
around Thrasybulus," as the Greek reads, must, I presume, refer to the crew of his
own trireme. The significance is the same in either case: Thrasybulus made the greatest
contribution.
48 8. 106. Diodorus' list (1 3 .40.5) is almost identical.
os. I06.s.
5 °For example, Grote (VIII, 1 12) says that "it produced no very important consequences
except that of encouragement to the Athenians." Meyer (GdA, IV, 308) says
nothing about its significance; Busolt (GG III:2, 1519) calls it the most important
maritime victory after the Sicilian catastrophe but limits his comment to its effect on
morale; Beloch (GG 11:1, 393) calls it "a victory more of moral than of material
significance."