Editing Pylos (section)

===Classical Pylos===
{{Main|Peloponnesian War}}
It was one of the last places which held out against the Spartans in the [[Second Messenian War]], after which the inhabitants emigrated to [[Cyllene (Elis)|Cyllene]], and from there, with the other [[Messenians]], to [[Sicily]].<ref>{{Cite Pausanias|4|18|1}}, {{Cite Pausanias|4|23|1}}</ref> Its name is mentioned again in the seventh year of the Peloponnesian War. According to the Greek historian [[Thucydides]] in his ''[[History of the Peloponnesian War]]'', the area was "together with most of the country round, unpopulated".<ref>{{Cite Thucydides|4.3}}</ref> The ancient city was not located at the modern Pylos, but north of the isle of [[Sphacteria]]. In 425&nbsp;BC the [[Classical Athens|Athenian]] politician [[Cleon]] sent an expedition to Pylos where the Athenians fortified the rocky promontory now known as Koryphasion (Κορυφάσιον) or [[Old Pylos castle|Old Pylos]] at the northern edge of the bay, near the [[Gialova Lagoon]], and after a conflict with Spartan ships in the [[Battle of Pylos]], seized and occupied the bay. [[Demosthenes]], the Athenian commander, completed the fort in 424&nbsp;BC.

The erection of this fort led to one of the most memorable events in the Peloponnesian War. Thucydides has given a minute account of the topography of the district, which, though clear and consistent with itself, does not coincide, in all points, with the existing locality, Thucydides describes the harbour, of which the promontory Coryphasium (''Koryphasion'') formed the northern termination, as fronted and protected by the island Sphacteria, which stretched along the coast, leaving only two narrow entrances to the harbour,--the one at the northern end, opposite to Coryphasium, being only wide enough to admit two triremes abreast, and the other at the southern end wide enough for eight or nine triremes. The island was about 15 stadia in width, covered with wood, uninhabited and untrodden.<ref>{{Cite Thucydides|4.8}}</ref> [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] also says that the island Sphacteria lies before the harbour of Pylos like Rheneia before the anchorage of Delos.<ref>{{Cite Pausanias|5|36|6}}</ref> A little later the Athenians captured a number of Spartan troops besieged on the adjacent island of Sphacteria (see [[Battle of Sphacteria]]). Spartan anxiety over the return of the prisoners, who were taken to Athens as hostages, contributed to their acceptance of the [[Peace of Nicias]] in 421&nbsp;BC.