The Peace of Nikias 421-413 Flashcards
(11 cards)
When does Athens join an alliance between Sparta’s most powerful enemies in the Pelopennese: Argos, Elis, Mantinea and their allies
420
Athenian troops are involved in a battle against Sparta and its allies at Mantinea - Sparta wins and regain prestige - when is this?
418
When does the Siclian Expedition happen?
415-413
What does Athens do in 416?
Conquers and destroys the island polis of Melos, whose foundation and myth is of Spartan origin.
What does Athens send out in the Sicilian expedition?
Athens sends out:
1. Force of 400 warships
2. 4,000 Athenian hoplites
3. 50 Wardships from allies Chios and Lesbos
4. 300 Athenian cavalry + allied troops
What is the outcome of the Sicilian expedition?
Athenians and their allies are decisively defeated with the loss of 200 wardships and 40,000 men.
What was the effects of the Athenian disaster in Sicily?
- Athenian preoccupations in Sicily allowed the Peloponnesians to seize a stronghold in Athen’s own territory: Dekelia
- The Athenian military catastrophe provides an ideal opportunity for disgruntled members of its alliance to secede from Athens.
What is the Periklean Strategy presented to us via Thucydides?
Thucydides claims that: Perikles’s claims that
1. Athens can sit out the war by abandoning their countryside and rely on naval imports
- Athenaisn can raid Peloponnesian territory via sea as response to Peloponnesian raid.
- Athens can maintain position of strength by the Peloponnesians provided they dont try to expand their empire during war time.
What is the problem with the Periklean strategy?
- Not many instances of Athenians attempting to add to empire until the Peace of Nikias
- Sicilian Expedition took place when Sparta and Athens were at peace: a direct result of them forming an alliance with Sparta’s enemies
- Athenians couldn’t just rely on naval exports if Sparta had a competent strategist.
- Debatable if Athens could hold an alliance by being defensive: Seige of Samos (440-439) took two years to quash revolt of Potedaia and it was costly whilst imposing on the Athenian elite.
What was supposed to happen after the ultimatum made by Athens and Sparta at the end of the Archidamian war, and what actually happened?
- Athens and Sparta were supposed to return areas and poleis that they had seized from each other along with prisoners of war.
- Athens didn’t regain the poleis in the north
- Sparta’s loss was mainly prestige.
Who were the real losers of the Archidamian war?
Sparta’s most powerful allies: Korinthians, Boitian federtion had to still live with powerful southern neighbour, Athens
Plus, the rest of Sparta’s allies in the Peloponnese would have good reason to worry about the binary alliance between Athens and Sparta: they still had to go to each others aid if one was attacked.
