Pleistias of Cos


Pleistias of Cos was a naval commander in the service of Antigonus Monophthalmus.
He is first only mentioned by Diodorus Siculus during Demetrius Poliorcetes' expedition to Cyprus in 306 BC. He was the chief pilot and possibly second-in-command of the fleet. Along with Hegesippus of Halicarnassus, he led the right wing of the Antigonid fleet in the great sea-fight off Salamis against Ptolemy of Egypt. Although the Antigonid right wing was defeated by the opposite left, led by Ptolemy himself, the Antigonid left also broke through and enveloped the Ptolemaic centre, securing a major victory for the Antigonid forces.