EventPolitics

Battle of Cos

The Battle of Cos was fought in c. 261 BC, or as late as 255 BC, between an Antigonid fleet and a Ptolemaic fleet. Antigonus II Gonatas led his forces to victory, possibly over Patroclus, admiral of Ptolemy II.

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Start: 261 BCE
Date: 261/255 BC
Location: Kos
Result: Macedonian victory
Location: 36.8500, 27.2333

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The Battle of Cos was fought in c. 261 BC, or as late as 255 BC, between an Antigonid fleet and a Ptolemaic fleet. Antigonus II Gonatas led his forces to victory, possibly over Patroclus, admiral of Ptolemy II. It has been widely assumed that the battle severely damaged Ptolemaic control of the Aegean, but this has been contested¹ After the battle, Antigonus dedicated his flagship to Apollo.

The date of the battle is uncertain, although it must fall within the period 262–256 BC.² Hammond dates it as late as 255 BC,³ but it is now increasingly placed in 261 BC.⁴

The Battle of Cos is proposed by modern scholars as one of three possible naval battles—along with the Battle of Amorgos (322 BC) and the Battle of Salamis (306 BC)—that provided the occasion for the erection of the statue of the Nike of Samothrace.⁵⁶⁷

References

36°51′00″N 27°14′00″E / 36.8500°N 27.2333°E / 36.8500; 27.2333

Notes

Boardman, John, Walbank, Frank William. The Cambridge ancient history, Volume 7, Part 1. The Cambridge Ancient History, John Boardman, ISBN 0-521-85073-8, ISBN 978-0-521-85073-5 Cambridge University Press, 1982. ISBN 052123445X. p.243. ↩
Janice J. Gabbert, Antigonus II Gonatas. A Political Biography. London and New York: Routledge, 1997. ISBN 0-415-01899-4. p. 52. ↩
Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond, Frank William Walbank. A History of Macedonia: 336-167 B.C. Volume 3 of A History of Macedonia, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond Oxford University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-19-814815-1. Appendix IV. ↩
Reger, Gary (1994). "The Political History of the Kyklades 260–200 B.C.". Historia. 43 (1): 33. ISSN 0018-2311. JSTOR 4436314. ↩
Lawrence, A. W. (1926). "The Date of the Nike of Samothrace". The Journal of Hellenic Studies. 46: 213–218. doi:10.2307/625309. JSTOR 625309. ↩
Burn, (2005). Hellenistic Art: From Alexander the Great to Augustus. ↩
Oliver, James Henry. Demokratia, the gods, and the free world: Morals and law in ancient Greece. Ayer Publishing, 1979. ISBN 0-405-11564-4. p. 149. ↩

The date of the battle is uncertain, although it must fall within the period 262–256 BC.² Hammond dates it as late as 255 BC,³ but it is now increasingly placed in 261 BC.⁴

References

36°51′00″N 27°14′00″E / 36.8500°N 27.2333°E / 36.8500; 27.2333

Notes

Boardman, John, Walbank, Frank William. The Cambridge ancient history, Volume 7, Part 1. The Cambridge Ancient History, John Boardman, ISBN 0-521-85073-8, ISBN 978-0-521-85073-5 Cambridge University Press, 1982. ISBN 052123445X. p.243. ↩
Janice J. Gabbert, Antigonus II Gonatas. A Political Biography. London and New York: Routledge, 1997. ISBN 0-415-01899-4. p. 52. ↩
Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond, Frank William Walbank. A History of Macedonia: 336-167 B.C. Volume 3 of A History of Macedonia, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond Oxford University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-19-814815-1. Appendix IV. ↩
Reger, Gary (1994). "The Political History of the Kyklades 260–200 B.C.". Historia. 43 (1): 33. ISSN 0018-2311. JSTOR 4436314. ↩
Lawrence, A. W. (1926). "The Date of the Nike of Samothrace". The Journal of Hellenic Studies. 46: 213–218. doi:10.2307/625309. JSTOR 625309. ↩

This page is based on “Battle of Cos” from English Wikipedia, (r1370437707) CC BY-SA 4.0 used under the license. The original authors are listed in its page history.

Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 6:08 PM · r145094 · Text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Boardman, John, Walbank, Frank William. The Cambridge ancient history, Volume 7, Part 1. The Cambridge Ancient History, John Boardman, ISBN 0-521-85073-8, ISBN 978-0-521-85073-5 Cambridge University Press, 1982. ISBN 052123445X. p.243. ↩
Janice J. Gabbert, Antigonus II Gonatas. A Political Biography. London and New York: Routledge, 1997. ISBN 0-415-01899-4. p. 52. ↩
Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond, Frank William Walbank. A History of Macedonia: 336-167 B.C. Volume 3 of A History of Macedonia, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond Oxford University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-19-814815-1. Appendix IV. ↩
Reger, Gary (1994). "The Political History of the Kyklades 260–200 B.C.". Historia. 43 (1): 33. ISSN 0018-2311. JSTOR 4436314. ↩
Lawrence, A. W. (1926). "The Date of the Nike of Samothrace". The Journal of Hellenic Studies. 46: 213–218. doi:10.2307/625309. JSTOR 625309. ↩
Burn, (2005). Hellenistic Art: From Alexander the Great to Augustus. ↩
Oliver, James Henry. Demokratia, the gods, and the free world: Morals and law in ancient Greece. Ayer Publishing, 1979. ISBN 0-405-11564-4. p. 149. ↩

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