Spartan Naval Performance in the Decelean War, 413-404 BCE

A truism of military history is the supremacy of the Athenian navy during the Classical Period of ancient Greek history. Yet during the final phase of the Peloponnesian War of 431 to 404 BCE, the Spartans surpassed the Athenians in naval performance. This paper argues that Spartan performance benefited from improvements in Sparta's cadre of naval officers.