[2] In the wake of the Athenian victory at Abydos in November 411 BC, the Spartan admiral Mindarus sent to Sparta for reinforcements and began working with the Persian satrap Pharnabazus to plan for a new offensive.

[4] The Athenian fleet in the Hellespont withdrew from its base at Sestos to Cardia to avoid the superior Spartan force, and to regroup under Alcibiades, Theramenes and Thrasybulus.

[5] The consolidated Athenian fleet, including a force of land troops under Chaereas, set out to the Hellespont to challenge Mindarus.

Mindarus, seeing the trap, fled in the one open direction, towards a beach south of the city, where Pharnabazus was located with his troops.

[16] Alcibiades's troops, leading the Athenian pursuit, landed and attempted to pull the Spartan ships back out to sea with grappling hooks.

Pharnabazus sent his Persian soldiers to intervene; numerically superior and on firmer ground, they began to drive the Athenians into the sea.

For a time, Thrasybulus and Alcibiades were both driven back by superior forces, but the arrival of Theramenes and Chaereas turned the tide; the Spartans and Persians were defeated, and Mindarus was killed.

This force, however, did not depart until over a year after the battle, and although the Athenians eventually recaptured Byzantium and resumed collecting tribute from Chalcedon, they never truly pressed the advantage that Cyzicus had given them.

Largely, this was a result of financial inability; even after the victory, the Athenian treasury was hard pressed to support large-scale offensive operations.

Although Cyzicus was a dramatic victory for the Athenians, the Spartans were eventually able to recover their strength and end the war in their favour, with the surrender of Athens and its allies 6 years later.