Lysander

Lysander (d. 395 BC),
Spartan general. His family, though of Heraclid origin (see Heracles), was poor and when young he was reputedly of mothax status, requiring sponsorship through the agōgē (state training). He subsequently became the erastēs (‘lover’) of Agesilaus, younger son of King Archidamus II. Appointed admiral in 408 or 407, he gained the friendship and support of the Persian prince Cyrus the Younger, commenced the creation of a personal following, and won a victory at Notion which led to the dismissal of Alcibiades. Resuming command in 405, he transferred his fleet to the Hellespont (Dardanelles) and destroyed the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami. His personal success was celebrated through several monuments and dedications; at Samos he was worshipped as a god, perhaps the first living Greek ever to receive divine worship. See [The entire page is 381 words long]

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