Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
A World at War: The Peloponnesian War - Coggle Diagram
A World at War: The Peloponnesian War
Thucydides
Thucydides 1.1
Wrote history of the Peloponnesian war between the Peloponnesian and the Athenians
Began his work at the outbreak, believing this would be a major, momentous war
Both sides were at the full height of their power and resources for war
The rest of the greeks signed with one another almost immediately
This was was the greatest disturbance to affect the greek and a good part of the non-Greek world
Notes on Thucydides' Method
Sources
Various speeches
Thucydides 1.22
'What I saw myself'
Thucydides 1.22
'What I heard from others'
Thucydides 1.22
Personal experience
Thucydides 5.26
'Lived through the whole of the war'
Athenian general on the camp until his exile in 422 BC after failing to fulfil his tasks
'In exile from my own country for 20 years' --> allowed him to gather information from either side
Goals
'It was composed as a permanent legacy, not a showpiece for a single hearing'
Thucydides 1.22
Attitude to chronology
Innovative attitude to chronology
Thucydides 2.1
Introduces a narration of events 'in chronological order' by summers and winters
Thucydides 2.1
'One should reckon the time by seasons'
Thucydides 5.20
To overcome the diversity of institutional time/chronology, he resources to the methods by discussing events by 'summers and winters' (
2.1
)
HOWEVER, his account does break of in summer 411 BC
The narrative is picked up by
Xenophon's
Hellenica
(7 books)
Some scholars think that Xenophon published Thucydides' unfinished materials, due to style change in book 3
The Wars of the Peloponnesian War
The 'Ten Year' / Archidamian War (431-421 BC)
Thucydides 5.25
Gives us a second beginning of the work which introduces new phases of the war
Maintains the war being one single coherent event
For 6 years and 10 months
Each side refrained from operations against one another's territories
'Elsewhere the truce (421) had only tenuous effect and they continued to inflict much damage on each other'
Afterwards, 'resort[ed] once more to open war' as provisions had not been respected by either party
Thucydides 5.26
War lasted 27 years
'Peace is hardly a reasonable description'
Historical interpretation
[ Interlude: Melos (416) and Sicilian (415-413) Expedition
The Declean War (413-404 BC)
413
Spartans invade Attica and fortify Declea
Athenian grain supply from north-east Attica is disrupted
Spartans are advised by Alcibiades
Spartans commissioned a fleet
Athenian grain supply from Hellespont and Black Sea disrupted
Sparta signs a treaty with Persia
Sparta is bound to consider Persia's enemies as their own
In return receives financial aid towards the fleet
The Causes of War
Thucydides 1.23
Athenians and Pelopponesians broke the Thirty Years Treaty (446/5 BC)
Established after the capture of Euboea
Reveals the 'grievances and disputes'
'Growth of Athenian power and Spartan feat of it'
The immediate grievances
The Epidamnos - Corcya Affair (435-433 BC)
Civil war in Epidamnos (colony of Corcyra)
Oligrachs seek help from Corcyra
Democrats seek help from Corinth
Epidamnos affair turns into conflict between Corcyra and Corinth
Corcyra seeks Athenian alliance against Corinth
Corinth seeks Spartan help against Corcyra
Corinth perceives Athenian intervention as an intrusion
The Revolt of Potedaea (433/2 BC)
Athens demands that Potidaea (colony of Corinth; Athen's ally) tear down its walls
Potedaea revolts, backed by Sparta and Corinth
Athens besieges Potedaea
The Decree for Megara (432 BC)
Athens imposes economic sanctions on Megara (Spartan ally; supporter of Corinth)
Megarians banned from Athenian-controlled parts
Spartan demands Athens revoke the decree
Athens refuses
Much corinthian involvement in the immediate causes of the war
Corinth was one of the most prominent allies of Sparta at this time
Corinth was the one which asked Sparta and the Peloponnesian League to intervene
What did the Spartans request during the preparation after the Pentekontaetia?
Expel the descendants of those responsible for the murder of the followers of Kylon
Lift the siege of Potedaea; return autonomy to the Aiginetans; recall the decree that excluded the Megarians from athenian markets/habours
No war if the Athenians restore autonomy to the Greeks
Athenian reaction
Called an assembly
Mixed opinions
Pericles was present
Athens in the first years of war (432-429 BC)
The speeches of Pericles
First Speech (432 BC)
Advocates for war
Thucydides 1.140-144
Do not concede to Sparta's ultimatums, otherwise they will ask more
War is inevitable; it's Bette to fight on Athen's own terms
Be confident in Athen's strength
Sparta has no chance to win
Avoid land battles and use the navy
Second Speech (431/0 BC)
Funeral oration
Thucydides 2.13
A praise of Athenian democracy and system of values
The greatness of Athens makes all sacrifices worthwihile
Third Speech (430 BC)
Apologises, but advocates that war must continue
Thucydides 2.60-64
Context
2nd year of war
Situation unfavourable for Athens
Attica invaded twice
Plague
Athenians in anger and accuse Pericles of the war
Tried to negotiate with Sparta, with no success
Pericles convenes extraordinary assembly
Auto-apology and exhortation addresses to the Athenians
Still defends himself
Athenians commit let the empire go
Thucydides 2.65
Supporter of Pericles
Pericles' 'moderate policies ensured [Athens'] preservation in safety'
What happens next?
Revolt of Mytilene (428 BC)
Mytilene revolts against Athens
Seeks Spartan support
Athens besieges Mytilene
Forces its surrender
Debate in Athens on action
Cleon pushes for executing all male citizens (
Thucydides 3.36
)
Diodotus argues for leniency
Athenians decide to spare most Mytilenaeans, executing only the rebellion's leaders
Pylos and Sphacteria (425 BC)
Athenian general Demosthenes driven to Pylos while sailing along Peloponnese
Athenians build fortified camp on Pylos
Sparta reacts by sending forces from island of Sphacteria
Athenians trap Spartan hoplites on Sphacteria
Cleon takes command and captures 292 hoplies
Among them 120 of Spartan's elite warriors
The capture of this kind of prisoner had a great symbolic impact on the war
The war moves North (424-422 BC)
The Spartan general, Brasidas, leads an expedition to Thrace and Macedonia
Aiming to weaken Athens' northern holdings
Brasidas takes the Athenian colony of Amphipolis
Thucydides was called to defend it, but arrived too late
He was exiled afterwards for failing to fulfil his duties
422 BC
Athens sends Cleon to retake Amphipolis
Second battle of Amphipolis
Without their leaders, both sides are more willing to negotiate peace
The Peace of Nicias (421 BC)
'Agreed between them to make peace on the basis that each side should give back what they had won in war'
Thucydides 5.17
But the Athenians should retain Nisaea
50-year agreement
Thucydides 5.22
'The Spartans dismissed their allies and proceeded independently of them to negotiate an alliance with the Athenians ...'
'... They thought this would minimise the likelihood of any attack on them by the Argives'
Restoration of captured territories
Release of prisoners that were no further hostilities
Dispute resolution by judicial procedures rather than war
Did this end the war?
No
'27 years and if anyone claims that the intervening period of agreement cannot be counted as war, the facts will not justify this convention'
Thucydides 5.26
The Conflict after the Peace
Thucydides 2.65
The Athenians were responsible for their own disaster
Pericles' successors were each striving for first position
Complains there was a series of mistakes in Athens
Dynamic internal to Athens that provoked factions
Athenian expedition to Melos (416 BC)
The Melians had previously remained neutral --> Athens wanted them to submit to the Athenian League (
Thucydides 5.84
)
Dialogue between the Melians and the Athenians (
Thucydides 5.85-111
)
Athens wanted to take Melos
Melos did not want to submit to Athens
Athens threats destruction
Melos wishes for peace
Athens believes that 'friendship is more dangerous to [them] than [their] hostility ... friendship indicates a weakness on the [Athenian's] part'
Thucydides 5.116
'Melians volunteered surrender'
Athens later colonised Melos
Athenian expedition to Sicily (415-413 BC)
Thucydides believed this expedition was foolish as Athenians were 'ignorant to the extent of the island and the size of its population' (
6.1
)
Thucydides 6.6
'The real reason was the ambition to dominate the whole of Sicily'
'They also had a decent pretext of a desire to help their own kinsmen' (people sharing a layer of common identity/ ethnicity)
Athenian treaty with Egesta, Sicily in 418/17
Even before they dispatched forces to Sicily, Athens and engaged in relations / a network of alliance with Sicily previously
The gaze of Athenians had been projected to the west
Alcibiades
'The most insistent advocate of the expedition'
Thucydides 6.15
his 'extravagance' was 'later a significant factor in the ultimate defeat of Athens'
Thucydides 6.15
'They thought he was aiming at tyranny, and turned against him'
Thucydides 6.15
'Even though in the public sphere his command of strategy was unrivalled, on a personal individual level the people took exception to his behaviour, and replaced him with others'
Thucydides 6.15
'By doing so they caused the city's downfall not long afterwards'
An accusation that Alcibiades was behind a plot to subvert the democracy
Alcibiades eventually deserted and defected to Sparta
Thucydides 6.27-28
Thucydides 6.27-28
Thucydides' account reports the public accusations of Alcibiades , rather than establishing how true it really is
The siege of Syracuse and the Athenian disaster (414-413 BC)
The generals of the Athenians couldn't decide on the best course of action
The Athenians lost twice by land and sea
Try to withdraw 40,000 by land and they are killed by Syracuse
7000 taken prisoner
Declean War (413-404 BC)
413 BC
The Spartans invade Attica and fortify Declea
Athenian grain supply from north-east Attica is disrupted
Spartans are advised by Alcibiades
Spartans commissioned a fleet
Athenian grain supply from Hellespont and Black Sea disrupted
Sparta signs a treaty with Persia
Sparta is bound to consider Persia's enemies as their own
In return, Sparta receives financial aid towards the fleet
The Oligarchy of the Four Hundred (411 BC)
Events in Athens
Peisander leads an oligarchic coup in Athens
Establishes an oligarchic government of Four Hundred
The new regime planed to seek Persian support to end the war with Sparta
The Four Hundred rule through violence and assassination
Promise of replacing strict oligarchy with broader oligarchy of Five Thousand
This promise is not met for the time being
Events in Samos
Athenian forces on trireme Paralos stationing at Samos become involved with the local civil conflict between democrats and oligarchs
Support the democratic faction
As news of the Four Hundred reaches them, they plan to restore democracy at Athens
Their leaders were Thrasyllos and Thrasyboulos
They recall Alcibiades hoping he could gain Persian support
Events in Athens 2
Spartans exploited the chaos in Athens
Attacked Euboia
Destroyed an Athenian fleet
News of this defeat led to the overthrow of the Four Hundred
New oligarchic government of Five Thousand established
Short-lived
Promoted by Theramenes
Democracy is restored after Athens' naval victory at the Battle of Kyzikos (410 BC)
The fall of Athens and the Thirty Tyrants (404 BC)
The final phase of the war (406-404 BC)
Battle of Arginusae (406 BC)
Athenian victory
Commanders were executed for failing to rescue drowning sailors
Spartan general, Lysander, takes command of Spartan operations
Draws on Persian money to refurbish fleet
Plans to attack Athenian holdings in the Hellespont to cut off supply lines
Lysander sets camp at Abydos in the Hellespont
Athenians respond by setting camp at Sestos on the opposite side of the strait
Athenian troops and Lysander's troops clash at Aegospotamoi (405 ABC)
Spartan victory
Theramenes negotiates terms of Athen's surrender with the Spartans
Lysander arrives at the Piraeus and Athens' walls are torn down
Athen's surrender
Xenophon,
Hellenica
, 2.2.19-20
Theramenes and the other ambassadors at Sellasia said they had 'full power to treat for peace'
The ephors thus 'gave orders to summon them to Lacedaemon'
At the assembly, many Greeks (particularly the Corinthians and Thebans) 'opposed making a treaty with the Athenians and favoured destroying their city'
The Lacedaemonians, however, offered to make peace on the conditions that the Athenians:
'Destroy the long walls and the walls of Piraeus'
'Surrender all their ships except 12'
'Allow their exiles to return'
'Count the same people friends and enemies as the Lacedaemonians did'
'Follow the Lacedaemonians both by land and sea'
The Thirty Tyrants and the end of Democracy
Element of violence
'Oligarchy came into being'
Xenophon,
Hellenica
, 2.3.2
'Voted by the people to choose 30 men to frame the ancient laws into a constitution under which to conduct the government'
Including Critias and Theramenes
The experience of the 30 did not go very well
Xenophon,
Hellenica
, 2.3.13-14
Too harsh
Persuaded Lysanders to send a Spartan garrison which would remain until they rid the state of opposition