At the Battle of Arginusae (406 BCE), the Athenians won a naval victory but famously executed their own generals because:
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Correct answer: The generals failed to rescue shipwrecked sailors after a storm
Despite the victory, a storm prevented the rescue of Athenian sailors. The emotional and erratic Assembly voted to execute the generals for negligence, depriving the city of its most capable commanders.
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More Peloponnesian War questions
- Which Spartan general was responsible for the final decisive victory at Aegospotami in 405 BCE?
- The 'Thirty Tyrants' were a pro-Spartan oligarchy installed in which city after its surrender?
- Which city-state, a key member of the Peloponnesian League, was a commercial rival to Athens and pushed Sparta toward war?
- What was the significance of the 'Melian Dialogue' in Thucydides' history?
- Which fortification, established by the Athenians on the Peloponnesian coast, encouraged the desertion of Spartan helots?
- In 413 BCE, the Spartans established a permanent base at Decelea within Attica. What was the impact of this move?