Phormio
Encyclopedia
Phormio the son of Asopius, was an Athenian
general and admiral before and during the Peloponnesian War
. A talented naval commander, Phormio commanded at several famous Athenian victories in 428 BC, and was honored after his death with a statue on the acropolis and a state funeral. He is considered the first great admiral in history.
, Hagnon
, and others the command of the Athenian fleet in the later part of the Samian War
. In 432 BC, he commanded a force of 1600 hoplite
s sent to assist in the siege of Potidaea
. Phormio led his men up slowly from the side of the city that the Athenians had not yet surrounded and constructed a counterwall to complete Potidaea's investment. After Potidaea
was firmly besieged, Phormio led his men in a successful campaign against Athens' enemies in the Chalcidice
, and in the next year he again led an army attacking the Chalcidians, this time alongside Perdiccas
, king of Macedon
.
s; establishing his base at Naupactus
, Phormio instituted a blockade of Corinthian shipping. In the summer of 429 BC, however, Sparta
began preparing a sizable fleet and army to attack Athens' allies in the region, hoping to overrun Acarnania
on land, capture the islands of Zacynthus and Cephallenia, and possibly even take Naupactus. Phormio was notified of these plans by the concerned Acarnanians, but was initially unwilling to leave Naupactus unprotected. When the Peloponnesian fleet began moving along the south shore of the Corinthian gulf, however, aiming to cross over to Acarnania, the Athenians followed along the north shore and attacked them once they passed out of the Gulf into the open sea and attempted to cross from the south to the north.
In the ensuing battle
, Phormio utilized a unique and unorthodox tactic. The Peloponnesians, despite their superior numbers (they had 47 ships to the Athenians' 20, although many of their vessels were loaded with heavy infantry) pulled their ships into a defensive circle, prows facing outwards. Phormio with his ships circled around the Peloponnesian fleet, driving the circle ever tighter. The tactic was a risky one—it left the Athenians' flanks utterly vulnerable to ramming—but it paid off when a wind blew up and caused the inexperienced crews of the circled vessels to foul their oars. In this moment of confusion, the Athenians rushed in and routed the other fleet, seizing 12 ships.
In a second battle shortly after this, Phormio and his small force triumphed against an even larger Peloponnesian fleet of 77 ships. Drawn into the narrow waters of the Corinthian gulf to protect Naupactus, the Athenians were initially routed and divided, but 11 Athenian ships which were pursued into Naupactus were able to turn about on their pursuers and defeat the numerically superior force opposite them. This victory preserved Athenian naval supremacy in the Gulf and put an end to Peloponnesian attempts to challenge it during this period of the war.
Phormio's son, named Asopius after his grandfather, also commanded a naval expedition during the war.
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
general and admiral before and during the Peloponnesian War
Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War, 431 to 404 BC, was an ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases...
. A talented naval commander, Phormio commanded at several famous Athenian victories in 428 BC, and was honored after his death with a statue on the acropolis and a state funeral. He is considered the first great admiral in history.
Early commands
Phormio first appears in the historical record in 440 BC, when he shared with PericlesPericles
Pericles was a prominent and influential statesman, orator, and general of Athens during the city's Golden Age—specifically, the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars...
, Hagnon
Hagnon
Hagnon was an Athenian general and statesman. In 437/6 BC, he led the settlers who founded the city of Amphipolis in Thrace; in the Peloponnesian War, he served as an Athenian general on several occasions, and was one of the signers of the Peace of Nicias and the alliance between Athens and Sparta...
, and others the command of the Athenian fleet in the later part of the Samian War
Samian War
The Samian War was an Ancient Greek military conflict between Athens and Samos. The war was initiated by Athens' intervention in a dispute between Samos and Miletus...
. In 432 BC, he commanded a force of 1600 hoplite
Hoplite
A hoplite was a citizen-soldier of the Ancient Greek city-states. Hoplites were primarily armed as spearmen and fought in a phalanx formation. The word "hoplite" derives from "hoplon" , the type of the shield used by the soldiers, although, as a word, "hopla" could also denote weapons held or even...
s sent to assist in the siege of Potidaea
Battle of Potidaea
The Battle of Potidaea was, with the Battle of Sybota, one of the catalysts for the Peloponnesian War. It was fought near Potidaea in 432 BC between Athens and a combined army from Corinth and Potidaea, along with their various allies....
. Phormio led his men up slowly from the side of the city that the Athenians had not yet surrounded and constructed a counterwall to complete Potidaea's investment. After Potidaea
Potidaea
Potidaea was a colony founded by the Corinthians around 600 BC in the narrowest point of the peninsula of Pallene, the westernmost of three peninsulas at the southern end of Chalcidice in northern Greece....
was firmly besieged, Phormio led his men in a successful campaign against Athens' enemies in the Chalcidice
Chalcidice
Chalkidiki, also Halkidiki, Chalcidice or Chalkidike , is a peninsula in northern Greece, and one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Macedonia. The autonomous Mount Athos region is part of the peninsula, but not of the regional unit...
, and in the next year he again led an army attacking the Chalcidians, this time alongside Perdiccas
Perdiccas
Perdiccas was one of Alexander the Great's generals. After Alexander's death in 323 BC he became regent of all Alexander's empire.Arrian tells us he was son of Orontes, a descendant of the independent princes of the Macedonian province of Orestis...
, king of Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
.
Naupactus
In the winter of 429/8 BC, Phormio was sent out to the Corinthian Gulf as commander of a fleet of 20 triremeTrireme
A trireme was a type of galley, a Hellenistic-era warship that was used by the ancient maritime civilizations of the Mediterranean, especially the Phoenicians, ancient Greeks and Romans.The trireme derives its name from its three rows of oars on each side, manned with one man per oar...
s; establishing his base at Naupactus
Naupactus
Naupactus or Nafpaktos , is a town and a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nafpaktia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
, Phormio instituted a blockade of Corinthian shipping. In the summer of 429 BC, however, Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
began preparing a sizable fleet and army to attack Athens' allies in the region, hoping to overrun Acarnania
Acarnania
Acarnania is a region of west-central Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River for a boundary, and north of the gulf of Calydon, which is the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. Today it forms the western part of the prefecture of Aetolia-Acarnania. The capital...
on land, capture the islands of Zacynthus and Cephallenia, and possibly even take Naupactus. Phormio was notified of these plans by the concerned Acarnanians, but was initially unwilling to leave Naupactus unprotected. When the Peloponnesian fleet began moving along the south shore of the Corinthian gulf, however, aiming to cross over to Acarnania, the Athenians followed along the north shore and attacked them once they passed out of the Gulf into the open sea and attempted to cross from the south to the north.
In the ensuing battle
Battle of Rhium
The Battle of Rhium or the battle of Chalcis was a naval battle in the Peloponnesian War between an Athenian fleet commanded by Phormio and a Peloponnesian fleet composed of contingents from various states, each with its own commander...
, Phormio utilized a unique and unorthodox tactic. The Peloponnesians, despite their superior numbers (they had 47 ships to the Athenians' 20, although many of their vessels were loaded with heavy infantry) pulled their ships into a defensive circle, prows facing outwards. Phormio with his ships circled around the Peloponnesian fleet, driving the circle ever tighter. The tactic was a risky one—it left the Athenians' flanks utterly vulnerable to ramming—but it paid off when a wind blew up and caused the inexperienced crews of the circled vessels to foul their oars. In this moment of confusion, the Athenians rushed in and routed the other fleet, seizing 12 ships.
In a second battle shortly after this, Phormio and his small force triumphed against an even larger Peloponnesian fleet of 77 ships. Drawn into the narrow waters of the Corinthian gulf to protect Naupactus, the Athenians were initially routed and divided, but 11 Athenian ships which were pursued into Naupactus were able to turn about on their pursuers and defeat the numerically superior force opposite them. This victory preserved Athenian naval supremacy in the Gulf and put an end to Peloponnesian attempts to challenge it during this period of the war.
Legacy
After a single land campaign in 428 BC in Acarnania, Phormio is not recorded as having held command again. In his few years of activity, however, he had left a deep imprint on the early course of the Peloponnesian War. An Athenian defeat in the Corinthian Gulf in 429/8 BC would have been a devastating blow to Athens' influence in the Greek northeast, and to the city's reputation for naval invincibility. After his death, the Athenians commemorated his service to the state by erecting a statue of him on the acropolis and burying his body in the state cemetery.Phormio's son, named Asopius after his grandfather, also commanded a naval expedition during the war.