Source edition
Cornelius Nepos. Cornelii Nepotis Vitae. Fleckeisen, Alfred; Halm, Karl, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1886.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
Chabrias is a biographical work depicting the military achievements and turbulent life of the outstanding Athenian general Chabrias. The narrative begins with his brilliant exploit in a battle at Thebes, where he introduced a unique defensive tactic of bracing the shield with the knee and presenting the spear, successfully halting the advance of the Spartan king Agesilaus. This victory led to the erection of a statue in his honor and established his fame. Subsequently, Chabrias distinguished himself in various foreign campaigns in Egypt and Cyprus; however, to escape the jealousy of the Athenian populace, he was forced to spend much of his time abroad. Ultimately, during the Social War at the siege of Chios, he fought courageously at the forefront as a private citizen and chose an honorable death when his ship sank.