Battle of Salamis

Overview

The Battle of Salamis in 306 BC took place off Salamis, Cyprus between the fleets of Ptolemy I of Egypt and Antigonus I Monophthalmus, two of the Diadochi, the generals who, after the death of Alexander the Great, fought each other for control of his empire.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Salamis, fought off Cyprus in 306 BC, was a naval engagement between the fleets of Ptolemy I of Egypt and Antigonus I Monophthalmus during the Wars of the Diadochi — the prolonged contest among Alexander the Great's successors for control of his empire. The confrontation placed Antigonid forces under Demetrios against Ptolemaic forces under Ptolemaios and Menelaos, reflecting the broader rivalry between two of the most powerful successor dynasties. Cyprus, as a strategically positioned island in the eastern Mediterranean, represented a significant prize in this contest, and the engagement off its coast formed part of the wider struggle to dominate the sea lanes and territories that had once constituted Alexander's unified empire.

Commanders (4)