419-404 end of war Flashcards
(14 cards)
Loss of Pericles/periclean strategy - strength
Thucydides2.65: “foresight with regard to the war”
Thucydides2.65: “the state was wisely led and firmly guarded, and it was under him that Athens was at her greatest”
(bolstered by 1.144)
(reliability - speeches + later account)
Loss of Pericles - importance
Thucydides2.13: “victory in war depended on a combination of intelligent resolution and financial resources”
Thucydides2.13: Pericles advocated a purely naval, attritional war—avoiding land battles, raiding the Peloponnese, and holding the empire securely.
Thucydides2.63: He warned that if Athens relinquished any subject state, a hundred more enemies would rise against her. (made worse by 2.8 Spartans being the liberators)
Examples: raids by Sparta not being successful
Sicily reasons for going
Th 6.8
- Rich in resources, Pelop grain
- Possibilities of trade to the west
- Desire to expand (avoid too much discontent)
- Appeal from Leotini - ally
- Egesta promise to finance
6.15
- only ‘ a few’ not in favour
Reasons against
Nicias 6.12-3 speech
- Danger of corinth
- Plague and economics (6.8 egestan promise untrue)
- Alcibiades ‘reckless young spendthrift’
- Focus at home not ‘exiles begging for assistance’
- Alcibiades ‘entirely for his own selfish reasons’ ‘in a hurry’
- endangering state for personal gain
6.31 ‘far reaching’ hopes
On launch: ‘danger of the situation came home to them’
‘demonstration of the power and greatness of Athens’
Sicily impact domestic
Hanson: Wiped out entire generation of rowers/soldiers, could not be replaced (8.1)
8.1 bankrupted ‘number of ships was inadequate, as was the money in the treasury, and there were no crews for the ships’
People ‘turned against the public speakers who had been in favour
Buckley: Athens has ‘no ships, no money, no food’
Sicily impact states against athens
8.2 ‘whole of Hellas turned against Athens
8.17 Revolt of Chios and Lesbos
- Alcibiades organising ‘revolt’
- Chios meant loss of ship building state
Expulsion of Alcibiades
6.28 ‘exaggerated the whole thing and made all the fuss they could about’ mutilations
used his ‘unconventional and undemocratic’ character as evidence
Plutarch Alcibiades 19 evidence of ‘metics and slaves’
Alcibiades speech
6.89 - Alcibiades flees to Sparta
- Ancestors representatives for Sparta in Athens
- Looked after Pylos prisoners
- Proponent of democracy
6.90
- Exaggerates Athenian aims
- Attack carthaginains, war to sparta
- Tells Sparta to fortify Decelea + go to Sicily
- (7.27 - effective in decreasing morale ‘one of the chief reasons for decline in Athenian power’) - loss of 20000 silver
Sicily part 1
6.82 Debate at Camorina, Athens justifies presence
Siege of Syracuse in 414
Lamachus killed, Nicias sole leader in charge (in bad health, opposed to invasion)
Nicias worried citizens would bring charges against him (inc soldiers) so is too kind to them - does not complete the wall in 414
Gylippus enters through gap in wall
Athens cut off in Autumn
Corinth defends port
New expedition commissioned
Expedition part 2
New Syracusan fleet (80 ships)
Defeated first time
Gylippus attacks unmanned forts, taken (supplies lost)
Reformed fleet, defeat reinforcements from Demosthenes (as not informed by Nicias)
(Th book 8)
Eventually cut off, routed in night battle (fought themselves), massacred
1000s killed
Very few returned
Persia + Sparta under Tissaphernes
Treaty via Tissaphernes
8.18 - war supported by persia. Prevent Athens receiving tribute
8.37 - aiming to wear out both sides
Alcibiades involvement - gets increased pay through king - (month at 1 drachma - a doubling)
(8.52 counter Athens attempting to persuade Tissaphernes ‘to become a friend’)
8.58 - directly funded by Tissaphernes
Cyrus involved
Xenophon 1.52 - initial 500 talents to Lysander, offering ‘his own money’
1.57 - pay increase from ‘3 to 4 obols a day’
Aegospotami - 170 ships captured, ‘all prisoners’ put to death 2.1.30
Athens 411-404
Oligarchic coup of 411, old council removed, terror, peace with Sparta attempt fails
Revolt under Theramenes - moderate democracy
Alcibiades returns
Notion (406 ) - alc disobeyed and loses - Alc removed
Arginusae - losses for Spartans (70 ships + 14000 men) - but kill 6 generals for not rescuing ships wrecked
Reject peace after defeat at Aegospotami (bad leadership as disorganised)
Alcibiades in control
Alcibiades victory at Hellespont - control of supply route - big loss for Sparta-Persia
Gets Sparta to sue for peace (rejected by assembly under Cleophon)
Success in Propontis and Bosphorus (elected commander in 408) - fear from Athens
Expelled after Notium
Later giving advice to generals at Aegospotami - rejected
