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== Admiral == [[File:Meeting between Cyrus the Younger and Lysander, by Francesco Antonio Grue (1618-1673), maiolica with a dusting technique, Castelli manufacture, Abruzzo. Italy, 17th century.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Encounter between [[Cyrus the Younger]] (left), Achaemenid satrap of [[Asia Minor]] and son of [[Darius II]], and Spartan admiral Lysander (right) in [[Sardis]]. The encounter was related by [[Xenophon]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rollin |first1=Charles |title=The Ancient History of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Grecians, and Macedonians |date=1851 |publisher=W. Tegg and Company |page=[https://archive.org/details/ancienthistorye03rollgoog/page/n123 110] |url=https://archive.org/details/ancienthistorye03rollgoog |language=en}}</ref> [[Francesco Antonio Grue]] (1618β1673).]] From [[Gythium]] on the eastern shore of the [[Peloponnese]], Lysander set out with 30 triremes. He sailed to [[Rhodes]], where he collected some more ships, and made his way to [[Kos|Cos]], [[Miletus]], [[Chios]], gathering ships, until he finally arrived at [[Ephesus]], which he turned into the Peloponnesian League's main naval base for the [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]].<ref>Donald Kagan, ''The Fall of the Athenian Empire'' Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1987, 301</ref> His arrival was shortly followed by that of [[Cyrus the Younger|Cyrus]], young son of the Persian king [[Darius II|Darius]], who had been appointed by his father as governor of the provinces of [[Asia Minor]] in response to an earlier Spartan embassy requesting increased aid in the war against Athens. Lysander promptly went to meet Cyrus at his headquarters in nearby [[Sardis]], and with calculated deference made a deep impression on the young prince, developing with him a close friendship that was to have a decisive effect in the course of the war.<ref>Charles D. Hamilton, ''Sparta's Bitter Victories: Politics and Diplomacy in the Corinthian War'', Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1979, 36, 37; Donald Kagan, ''The Fall of the Athenian Empire'' Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1987, 305β306</ref> Cyrus began funding Sparta's war effort on a large scale, and was encouraged to increase the pay of Lysander's crews from three to four obols, increasing their morale and Lysander's popularity among them.<ref>Charles D. Hamilton, ''Sparta's Bitter Victories: Politics and Diplomacy in the Corinthian War'', Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1979, 37</ref> Once back in Ephesus, Lysander summoned a conference of influential oligarchs from all over the Greek cities in the Aegean, encouraged them to organize into political clubs (''hetaireiai''), and promised to put them in power in their respective cities in the event of Athens' defeat. In doing so, Lysander created in effect a network of clients who were loyal to him personally and contributed to Sparta's war effort with increased eagerness.<ref>Charles D. Hamilton, ''Sparta's Bitter Victories: Politics and Diplomacy in the Corinthian War'', Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1979, 37β38; Paul Cartledge, ''Agesilaos and the Crisis of Sparta'', London: Duckworth, 1987, 81; Donald Kagan, ''The Fall of the Athenian Empire'' Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1987, 306β307</ref> {{Location map+ |Greece |float = right |width = 300 |caption = Location of [[Ephesus]] and the [[Battle of Notium]] |nodiv = 1 |mini = 1 |relief=yes |places = {{location map~ |Greece |lat=37.992778|N |long=26.8475|E |label=[[Battle of Notium]]|position=left |label_size=80}} {{location map~ |Greece |lat=37.941111|N |long=27.341944|E |label=[[Ephesus]] |position=right |label_size=80 }} }} As Lysander was fitting out his vessels at Ephesus, an Athenian fleet roughly the size of his own, led by the famous [[Alcibiades]], set up anchor at the nearby port of [[Notium]].<ref>Donald Kagan, ''The Fall of the Athenian Empire'' Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1987, 310</ref> At first, the Spartan was content to refuse battle and let his higher wages, funded by Cyrus, encourage desertions among the enemy crews.<ref>Donald Kagan, ''The Fall of the Athenian Empire'' Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1987, 310β311</ref> Eventually, however, one of the Athenian officers, despite orders to stay put, was drawn into a fight with an advance party of Peloponnesian ships. Lysander gave a timely order for his entire fleet to advance, and [[battle of Notium|drove off]] the intruder before they had properly deployed for battle, inflicting modest losses.<ref>Donald Kagan, ''The Fall of the Athenian Empire'' Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1987, 317β318, 319</ref> Alcibiades, who had been away on urgent business, returned upon hearing of this setback and again offered battle off Ephesus, but Lysander once more refused, and the Athenians had to withdraw.<ref>Donald Kagan, ''The Fall of the Athenian Empire'' Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1987, 318</ref> However, Lysander ceased to be the Spartan [[navarch]] after this victory and, in accordance with the Spartan law, was replaced by [[Callicratidas]]. Callicratidas' ability to continue the war at sea was neatly sabotaged when Lysander returned all the donated funds to Cyrus when he left office.<ref>"Spartans, a new history", Nigel Kennell, 2010, p. 126</ref>
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