Siege of Sestos

479–478 BC · Hellespont (Dardanelles straits) Theater

479–478 BC

After Mycale, the Greek fleet crossed to the Hellespont to destroy the pontoon bridges Xerxes had built over the straits. They found the bridges already destroyed by storms but laid siege to the Persian-held city of Sestos, the key to controlling the straits. The siege lasted through the winter; the garrison eventually broke out and was captured. The Persian governor Artayctes was crucified — the first time Athens directly exercised military power in the Hellespont, a harbinger of empire.

• ●Siege of Sestos