L16. Peloponnesian War 2 HIST 332 Spring 2012 Peloponnesian War Peace of Nicias breaks down 418 BCE Battle of Mantinea proxy war (Argos vs. Tegea) Sparta almost loses but wins in the end reestablished her hegemony over Pelo after being weak 416 BCE Melos crushed by Athens Delian fleet sails to island of Melos Athenian soldiers walk in and demand their surrender Melian Dialogues The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. The Athenians further suggest that the Spartans are no strangers to this principle, and thus that the Spartans will not assist the weak Melians if doing so is to Sparta's disadvantage. 1
Phase 2: Exporting the War West Sicilian Expedition (415-413) Athens spends all its resources to help small Greek polis in Sicily Nicias Alcibiades largest fleet ever assembled by Athens Syracuse asks Sparta for aid Sparta eventually wins the conflict Athens forced to withdraw War breaks out in the West 416 two cities in Sicily go to war Segesta Selinus Selinus was joined by Syracuse, a colony of Corinth and implied ally of Sparta Egestans turned to Athens. An embassy of Egesta asked for 60 ships with men from Athens. Alcibiades saw this opportunity to carve out $ and political power After a speech by Alcibiades to the ekklesia, Athenians voted for over 200! By this time Alcibiades was becoming too powerful for jealous political opponents to endure. 2
Differing Strategies Nicias wants slower, quieter planning before rushing off to help some foreigners loses debate but forced to joint command of fleet wanted to scout out enemy lays siege to Syracuse trapped and forced to withdraw Athenians slaughtered (413) Alcibiades argues that war is good for all and Athens can conquer and spread its power West Eve of embarking, called in for religious improprieties starts by invading neighboring city Defects to Sparta assists them with war in Attica sleeps with King s wife Alcibiades: James Bond of Ancient Greece Athenians still maintained respect for aristocrats Alcibiades was stylish and flamboyant with tremendous ambition He fought bravely in 424 at the battle of Delium, which the Athenians lost to the Boeotians. His life was saved in that battle by none other than Socrates, the philosopher, who became a lifelong friend. Some say he wanted to be the new Pericles Initially favored democracy Over time demonstrated that he was more self-serving than ideologically wed to democracy 3
Nicias Speech (6.10) I say then, that you wish, though leaving many enemies behind you here, to bring hither fresh ones besides, by sailing there. And you fancy, perhaps, that the treaty that has been made by you affords some round of confidence. But tho as long as you remain quiet, that will, indeed, be a treaty in name (for this condition have certain persons here and among your enemies brought it by their intrigues), yet if we are ever defeated with any considerable force, those who hate us will quickly make an attack upon us; seeing, in the first place, that the arrangement was made of necessity by them, under circumstances of disaster, and of greater discredit to them than to us; and, secondly, that in this very arrangement we have many subjects open to debate. the Lacedæmonians remain quiet at present, they too are restrained by truces from one ten days to another. But probably, if they should find our power divided (which we are now so anxious to bring about), they would with all their might attack us, in conjunction with the Siceliots, whose alliance they would in time past have valued most highly. 4
Alcibiades Speech (6.18) This is how we get our Empire as did everyone else who rules by eagerly coming to the support of anyone who calls on us, whether Greek or foreign. In dealing with a stronger power, one should not only defend oneself when it attacks; one should take advance action to preempt the attack. We cannot control the size of our empire we want as we would a budget. Know that we shall increase our power at home by this adventure abroad... Let us humble the pride of the Peloponnesians by sailing off to Sicily... And at the same time we shall become either masters, as we very easily may, of the whole of Hellas... Or in any case ruin the Syracusians, to no small advantage to us and our allies. Thucydides Analysis of Sicilian Expedition (6.31) Indeed the expedition became not less famous for its wonderful boldness and for the splendor of its appearance, than for its overwhelming strength as compared with the peoples against whom it was directed, and for the fact that this was the longest passage from home attempted up until that time, and the most ambitious in its objectives considering the resources of those who undertook it. 5
The Great Sicilian Expedition 134 triremes 70 supply vessels 27,000 men Treasury is emptied Three Commanders to keep things balanced Alcibiades Nicias Lamachus Day of the Expedition s Launch The night before the fleet sailed busts were systematically defaced all over the city the blasphemy was compounded as this came during the celebration of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Alcibiades was suspected immediately and called for an inquiry Fleet would not sail without him Alcibiades political enemies arranged for him to sail with a cloud hanging over him. The Fleet Arrives in Sicily ship summons Alcibiades to return to Athens to face charges brought by the ekklesia. Alcibiades dives into the sea defects to Sparta, leaving Nicias and Lamachus in charge of the operation. Syracuse was built on an island and peninsula defended by an old wall. The key to victory was to cut off all escape by land by spanning the peninsula and reducing the city. 6
Good start for Athens The Athenians won early victories but then withdrew to establish winter quarters in Catana, north of Syracuse The Syracusans used this extra time to throw up an entirely new and stronger wall send messengers to ask the Spartans for help call on a shared Dorian heritage Alcibiades in Sparta On the advice of Alcibiades, Sparta agrees to send troops to Syracuse Sparta occupies the Decelea, near Athens prevents Athenians from making use of their land year round. The fortification disrupted silver production and freed 20,000 Athenian slaves Athenian treasury and emergency reserve fund of 1,000 talents dwindling away Athens forced to demand even more tribute from her subject allies, increasing rebellion within the Empire He then sleeps with Spartan King s wife (pregnant?) Sparta Sends Help The Corinthians, the Spartans, and others in the Peloponnesian League sent more reinforcements to Syracuse Athenians sent another hundred ships and another 5,000 troops to Sicily. Under Gylippus, the Syracusans and their allies were able to decisively defeat the Athenians on land Syracusans to build a navy, Athenian fleet was destroyed, Athenian army, divided and defeated entire Athenian army was sold off into slavery. 7
9,000 Athenian hoplites had perished Real concern was the loss of the huge fleet dispatched to Sicily. Triremes could be replaced, but the 25,000 experienced sailors lost in Sicily were irreplaceable and Athens had to rely on ill-trained slaves to form the backbone of her new fleet. Aftermath of the Expedition Most of the original 25,000 man force died due to incompetent leadership, especially that of Nicias lunar eclipse prevented a withdraw Demosthenes and Nicias were condemned to death by the Spartans. The last battle is humiliating for Athenians back home as they hear horrible stories of fellow citizens cut off from their ships, dying of thirst. Surviving Athenian prisoners are forced to work in stone quarries on a diet of bread and water for six months. Spartans intervene to make sure they are not put to death by Syracusans. Fate of Athenian and Allied Survivors (Thucydides, 7.87) The prisoners in the quarries were at first harshly treated by the Syracusans. Crowded in a narrow hole, without any roof to cover them, the heat of the sun and the stifling closeness of the air tormented them during the day, and then the nights which came on autumnal and chilly made them ill by the violence of the change; besides, as they had to do everything in the same place for want of room, and the bodies of those who died of their wounds or from the variation in the temperature, or from similar causes, were left heaped together one upon another, intolerable stenches arose; while hunger and thirst never ceased to afflict them, each man during eight months having only half a pint of water and a pint of grain given him daily. In short, no single suffering to be apprehended by men thrust into such a place was spared them. For some seventy days they thus lived all together, after which all, except the Athenians and any Siceliots or Italians who had joined in the expedition, were sold. The total number of prisoners taken it would be difficult to state exactly, but it could not have been less than 7,000. 8
Athenian Reaction to Sicily The expedition and consequent disaster left Athens reeling. In Athens, the citizens did not, at first, believe the defeat When the magnitude of the disaster became evident, there was a general panic. Attica seemed free for the taking, as the Spartans were so close by at the Decelea. The defeat caused a great shift in policy for many other states Neutral states joined with Sparta, assuming that Athens' defeat was imminent. Many Delian League allies in the also revolted Athens began to rebuild its fleet, there was little they could do about the revolts for the time being. Athens Recovers Alcibiades (who angers Spartan king) escapes to Samos wants to come back to Athens if they reinstate him given command of Samian fleet 411 Sparta makes alliance with Persia for a fleet Battle of Syme indecisive 410 Battle of Cyzicus Athenian fleet obliterates Spartan fleet Between 410 and 406, Athens won a continuous string of victories and eventually recovered large portions of its empire due, in no small part, to Alcibiades Spartan Naval Commander Lysander not of royal family line skilled strategist, statesman and speaker was able to get Persian money to build a Spartan fleet After being removed from command briefly was reinstated and became the victorious Spartan general 406 cuts off Athenian grain supply from Hellespont 405 Battle of Aegospotami destroys Athenian fleet 9
Defeat of Athens Spartan King Pausanias lays siege to Athens Lysander blockades Piraeus Theramenes started negotiations with Lysander took three months, but in the end Lysander agreed to terms at Piraeus Facing starvation and disease from the prolonged siege, Athens surrenders in 404 BCE Lysander s Puppet government Initially Spartans wanted to raze Athens Lysander said no! honor for defeating Persians He establishes an the oligarchy called Tyranny of the 30 under Critias included Theramenes as a leading member executed a number of citizens deprived all but a few of their former rights as citizens of Athens Many of Athens former allies now ruled by boards of ten (decarchy) often reinforced with garrisons under a Spartan commander (harmost) Resistance by Athens Tyranny of the 30 Severely reduced the rights of Athenian citizens. Imposing a limit on the number of citizens allowed to vote The Athenian general Thrasybulus, had been exiled from Athens led the democratic resistance to the new oligarchic government 403 He invades Attica with a small force of exiles first defeats Spartan garrison forces of the oligarchic government into Battle of Munychia Critias killed in battle. 10