CONON, an Athenian general, was the son of Timotheus. The first time he is mentioned in history is 5.0. 413, in the eighteenth year of the Peloponnesian war, when he had the command at Naupactua on the Corinthian gulf. (Thucyd. vii. 31.) Conon was the chief of the ten generals who were appointed to the commend of the Athenian fleet, when Alcibiades and Thrasybulus were removed from office, and, though at first beaten in a sca-fight by Callicratidas (Causeasetuss] the Lacedmmonian general, he afterwards gained a signal victory at Arginuses. Lyeauder being appointed a eecoud time to tho command of the Spartan fleet, engaged with Conon at illgospotami, and defeated him, no. 405. Immediately despatching to Athena the sacred ship 'Parable' with the news of' the defeat, Conon himself fled to Salamis in Cyprus!, where the friendship of the klug, Evagoras, ahettered him from the obloquy or punishment which he would have encountered at home.
Itiocrates has given us a pleasant picture of the intimacy which subsisted between the Athenian general and tho Prince of Salamis during Conon's residence in Cyprus. Here for a time ho kept aloof from action, watching attentively the progress of affairs: the negocia tient', which he commenced with the Persian entrap Pharuabazus, terminated in a speedy union of the Persian and Athenian forces with those of Evagoras, with the view of stopping the progress of the Lecodannonians. Evagoras, Couon, and Pharnabazus together, raked a powerful fleet, in the command of which Pharnebazus was materially assisted by the experience of Conon. Falling in with the enemy's fleet near Coidos, they gained a complete victory, me. 394. The galley of the Spartan general, Peisandcr, being driven on shore, most of his crew escaped; but Peisander disdained to save himself by flight, and was killed on board his ship. The consequences of this victory were of groat importance to the interests of Athens; and Isocratea (' Philip.' PI 91, 95) represeuts Conon as having completely destroyed the Lacedremonian empire. Of the Grecian islands, some surrendered at once, and others showed a readiness to renew their old alliance. This was a juncture too favourable to bo lost sight of, and accordingly Conon and Pharnabazus hastened to follow up their success by an invasion of the Thracian Chersoneee. Town after town submitted to
them, and the people abandoned their lands. Sestos and Abydos still held out, but the approach of winter at last put an end to the attempt at reducing them, and the satrap and Athenian admiral began to prepare for the operations of the ensuing spring,at the commencement of which they proceeded without delay to the coast of Laconia, and ravaged the country in various parts, B.C. 393. Conon seized the opportunity, which the flush of their present success afforded, for obtaining from Pharnabazus many important favours for his country. The satrap allowed him the use of his fleet for recovering the payment of tribute from the islands, and not only gave a large sum of money towards the rebuilding of the long walls at Athens, which had been demolished by the Spartans at the close of the Peloponnesian war, but sent men to assist in the work. At this time Common appears to have returned to Athens, amidst the joy and congratulations of his countrymen : his portrait, with that of Evagoras was placed beside the statue of Zeus Soter, as a memorial of their gratitude.
At the time when Antalcidas was sent on an embassy from Sparta to conclude a peace with the Persian king, Conon, the Athenian ambas sador, was one of those who refused to give their assent to such terms as were proposed for their acceptance. The result was that he was imprisoned by the Persian minister Teribazus, on pretence of his adopting measures detrimental to the great king. What became of him afterwards we have no certain information. According to some he was brought up before the king himself and put to death; while others affirm that he escaped from confinement. He probably escaped to Cyprus, where he had considerable property. Lysias, who (' On the Property of Aristophanes,' §§ 635-646) gives an account of Conon's property in Cyprus, states that it was disposed of after his death. The words of Lysias (§ 640) certainly imply that he died a natural death, and was not murdered. He appears to have died about B.C. 388. (Clinton, Fast. Het') He had a wife in Cyprus at the time of his death.
(Isocrates and Lysias, as cited above; Xenophon, Ilellenica, i. 4-7; iv. 3-8; Diodorus Siculus, xiii. and xiv ; Nepos, Life of Conon ; Plutarch, Life of Lysander, and of Ariaxerrea.)