Archidamian War

• Archidamian War 431-420
• Thucydides; Pericles refusing peace: “i hope that none of you will think that we shall be going to war for a trifle if we refuse to revoke the Megara Decree“ “some greater demand“
• Thucydides; Pericles’ confidence on sea: “they have not command of the sea”
• Thucydides; Greece supported Sparta: “the good wishes of men made greatly for the Lacedaemonians” “liberators of Hellas”
• Thucydides; Sparta believed they would end the war quickly: “they believed that they could destroy the power of Athens in a few years simply by laying waste too her land”
• Annual Spartan invasions

  431, 430, 428, 427, 425

  in 429 and 426 the invasions were interrupted by plague and an earthquake
• Thucydides; effect of Spartan invasions: “the Athenians were worn out by having to keep guard on the fortifications“
• Thucydides; Periclean strategy: “they were not to go out to battle, but to come into the city and guard it,and get ready their fleet, in which their real strength lay. they were also to keep a tight rein on their allies”
• Thucydides; Pericles‘ effect on Athens: “he succeeded in convincing them… applied themselves with increased energy to the war “
• Thucydides; Pericles’ defensive/maritime strategy: “pay attention to their Marine, to attempt no new conquests, and to expose the city to no hazards during the war“
• Thucydides; Athen begin to dislike Pericles, he has to defend himself: “they began to find fault with Pericles… and became eager to come to terms with the Lacedaemonians“ “you cannot decline the burdens of the empire and still expect to share its honours“
• Thucydides; Peloponnesians consider to make the first aggressive act in war: “the injury proceeded from their own side, in that th Thebans had netted Plataea in time of peace“
• Herodotus; Lacedaemonians refusing to take in Plataea in 519, forcing them to join with Athens: “the Lacedaemonians gave this advice not so much out of goodwill towards the Plataeans as wishing to cause trouble for the Athenians with the Boeotians“
• Thebes take Plataea at first but then Athens garrison the city and take it back from Thebes. Sparta return in 429 and siege the city for 3 years, eventually taking it and killing the Athenian garrison in 427.
• Thucydides; Plague in Athens: “a pestilence of such extent and mortality was nowhere remembered“ “an aggravation of the existing calamity was the influx from the country to the city“ “fear of god or law of man was none to restrain them“ “no one expected to live to be brought to his trial for his offences“
• The first cause of violence in 431: Thebes and Plataea

  • Plataea had become allies with Athens after being rejected by the Peloponnese in 519 (while being attacked by Thebes)
  • Thebes harboured resentment for this
  • Thebes invades Plataea in 431
  • Athens take back the city and garrison it
  • Sparta come back later
• Plague of Athens 430-428

  • caused people to become dejected
  • crime rose in Athens
  • Pericles died
  • 1/3 of Athens population died
• Naupactus in 429

  • general Phormio campaigning in wester Greece, hoping to gain allies north of the Peloponnese
  • he blocked the Gulf of Corinth which causes problems for the Peloponnesian Navy
  • Naupactus was a significant naval base for Athens
  • Sparta tried to force Athens out but were defeated despite outnumbering Athens by 7 ships
• Revolt of Mytilene in 428

  • the only other ship building ally (apart from Chios)
  • they asked Sparta for aid which was promised but never arrived
  • the revolt was crushed in 427 and the whole population was almost executed
• Thucydides; description of Cleon: “Cleon… the most violent man in Athens“
• Thucydides; Cleon’s speech about Mytilene: “no one state has ever injured you as much as Mytilene“ “deliberate and wanton aggression; an attempt to ruin us by siding with out bitterest enemies“ “punish them as they deserve, an teach your other allies by striking example that the penalty of rebellion is death”
• Thucydides; Diodotus argues against Cleon that being so harsh will hurt athens in the long run

  • will cause cities who want to revolt to hold stronger
  • even the people who don’t want to revolt will be forced to participate or die
  • Athens will have to spend more time. and resources subduing the city and be left with a destroy city rather than an ally
  • ”when they induce theor cities to rise, will immediately have the people on their side“
  • “same punishment for those who are guilty and those who are not”
• Thucydides; Punishment tof Mytilene: “demosliehd the walls of the Mytileans and took possession of their ships”
• Sparta send embassies to Persia in 425 however they are intercepted by the Prince of Thrace (Athenian ally) and killed
• The Thoudippos Decree in 425

  • ordered increased tributes as well as tributes from states which had previously not paid
  • also outlined penalties
  • Raised to 1460 talents
  • Plutarch reports 1300
  • Aristophanes reports 2000 in revenue
• Pylos and Spacteria in 425

  • Demosthenes was fortifying Pylos (epiteichismos)
  • hes hoping to incite the helots to revolt
  • Sparta counter from land an area but the Athenian navy arrive, made a naval blockade and strand Sparta
  • Sparta ask Athens for peace
• Thucydides; Sparta asks Athens for pace after Spacteria: “Sparta calls on you to make a treaty and to end the war. she offers you peace, alliance and friendly neighbourhood relations“ “if we, Athens and Sparta stand together, you can be sure tht the rest of Hellas, in its inferior position, will show us every possible mark of honour”
• Athenian demands from Sparta

  • return of Nisaea, Troezen, Pegae and Achaea
  • Sparta reject this
  • However Athens cannot hold the blockade over winter and then regret not taking the peace
• Nicias and Cleon

  • Nicias offered to let Cleon take his role if he thought he could do a better job
  • Cleon claims he could take the island in 20 days
• Thucydides; Cleon’s fear upon taking the expedition to Spacteria: “thoroughly scared, since he never imaged that Nicias would have gone so far as to give up his post to him“
• Thucydides; Cleon’s claim: “he claimed that within twenty days he would either bring the Spartans back to Athens alive or would kill them on the spot”
• Thucydides; Sparta surrender to Athens: “this event caused much surprise… the generals impression had been that the Spartans would never surrender“
• Thucydides; how the hostages from Spacteria are used: “if the peloponnesians invadded Attica before then, they would take the men out and kill them“
• Thucydides; raid in Spartan territory and incited helot revolts: “the troops carried out raids into Laconia and, helped by the fact that they spoke the same dialect as the inhabitants, did a lot of damage“
• Brasidas in Thrace in 424
• Thucydides; Brasidas’ description: “great reputation for energy in every direction and who on his foriegn service had show himself to be so valuable“
• Thucydides; Reason hwy Brasidas could go on campaign: “the spartans thought that the best way of alleviating these attacks would be to give Athens, too the same kind of trouble“ “sending an army to her allies”
• Thucydides; Brasidas‘ army was made up of helots

  • disposable
  • stopped revolts
• Thucydides; Sparta glad to send away helots: “glad to have a good excuse for sending some of their helots out of the country… the feared revolution“
• Aristophanes; shows want for peace in Athens: “they were faithless in diplomacy, chased off peace with ignominy to let loose war“