Monday, 3/23: Amphipolis, Peace of Nicias, Mantinea

A Temporary Peace

• In the wake of Delium and Amphipolis, the Athenians are interested in peace:
  • Nicias has always favored settlement, wants to achieve it before things get any worse in Thrace
  • some other Athenians want to regain some of their lost ground before negotiationg a peace, since peace terms were likely to enforce the current status quo.
  • Pleistoanax, having been banished in 447 or so after he failed to invade Attica when he was helping to liberate Megara, had by now been reinstated and was also anxious to conclude peace with Athens
• In early spring of 423, a one-year truce was declared, to give time to prepare a more durable peace.
• Meanwhile, Scione on the western prong of Chalcidice revolted and invited Brasidas in
  • surprising b/c of Potidaea
  • Happened two days after the armistice was concluded, but it's only after Brasidas is already in Scione that messengers from Athens and Sparta arrive to announce the truce
    • how to resolve?
    • question made more significant when, shortly afterwards, the neighboring town of Mende also revolted, and Brasidas doesn't hesitate to accept their alliance, even though now he knows of the truce between Athens and Sparta
  • shortly afterward, Brasidas obliged to help Perdiccas (who was helping to finance Brasidas' operations)
    • when he returns, he discovers that Nicias, with 50 ships, has recovered Mende and is in the process or blockding Scione
• None of this makes a very comfortable environment for establishing a peace
  • Cleon and his pro-war postion becoming more popular in Athens again
    • had been elected general in 424 after his success at Spacteria
    • not re-elected for 423 (didn't seem to do much in 424)
    • but now reelected for 422
  • Between Cleon and Brasidas, there's plenty on each side to prevent the cities from moving in the direction of peace, and none is concluded
• After the expiration of the truce, in 422, Cleon carries a resolution in the Assembly that an expedition be made to recapture Amphipolis
  • Cleon given command of the expedition

Battle of Amphipolis

• Cleon left Athens with 30 ships, carrying 1200 hoplites and 300 cavalry, plus some allies
  • When he got to the region, he coopted some of the troops that were still blockading Scione, and went on to take Torone and capture the Spartan governor there.
• Retired to Eion, where he intended to wait fro reenforcements from Thrace and Macedonia before attempting to retake Amphipolis.
• Brasidas, since winning over Amphipolis two years earlier, had set about reenforcing the fortifications of the place, in particular with a wooden palisade to bring the bridge over the Strymon into a more defenisble position.
• Almost every detail of the topography is controversial, and Thucydides' account is very difficult to understand on these points.

Amphipolis from N Amphipolis from SW

Amphipolis and Region from above

 

• Northern part of plataeu was no doubt the ancient city itself -- didn't occupy the enitire triangle in the bend of the Strymon.
• Circuit wall around this part of the plataeu, 'long wall' cutting triangle off from the east.
• Bridge to south or southwest, within the long wall? Remeber, in 424 Brasidas had taken the bridge with little resistance, and still wasn't in the city itself.
  
• Brasidas meanwhile builds a palisade from which to defend approach from the bridge?
• When Brasidas knows Cleon is at Eion preparing for an attack on Amphipolis, he brings about 1500 troops, out of a total force of 3,500 or so, out to Mt. Kerdylion:
  • SW of city? So he could moniot west, from which Macedonian reenforcements might arrive, and look toward Eion to monitor Athenian activity.
  • also a good place to defend the bridge and prevent any Athenian attempt to blockade the city
    • Athenians would need to take or destroy the bridge,. and mertely guarding the city-side of the bridge wouldn't be enough to prevent Cleon from ferrying troops across.
• While all this is going on, Cleon moves his troops from Eion toward Amphipolis;
  • was planning to wait for reenfocements, but the forced inactivity was leading to discontent among the troops, who were probably not confident of Cleon's leadership in the first place.
• Takes up position on 'strong hill' opposite city
  • location?
    
• Does some reconnaisance
  • Knew Brasidas was on Kerdylion, didn't think he'd be attacked.
  • City looked fairly inactive
• But Brasidas wanted to attack the Athenian force before reenforcements could arrive.
  • descended from Kerdyllion, crossed the bridge, entered Amphipolis.
• Athenians could see that the army was gathered withing the city walls, and saw Brasidas offerening sacrifce to Athena in preparation for battle.
  • Scouts reported that the feet of a mustering army could be seen under the Thracian gates, and once Cleon verified this, thought he'd better retreat to Eion, the route to which seemed like something he could handle before any army could reach them from Amphipolis.
  • He probably would have been right, except that Brasidas had already thought of this.
• Brasidas brought a force of 150 hoplites out of the 'First Gates', charged on the Athenian center, whose unguarded flank was exposed toward the city.
  • Left wing, leading, took to flight, and at the same time, the rest of the Spartan troops under Klearidas issued forth from the Thracian gates and attacked the Athenian right, bringing up the rear.
  • Athenian right made a stand, but it was clear that the Spartans had the jump on them, and the battle was a major defeat for the Athenians
• Cleon was killed, as was Brasidas, who was wounded as he moved back to support Clearidas.

Peace of Nicias

• Death of both Brasidas and Cleon removed the biggest obstacles to peace on both the Spartan and Athenian sides
• Negotiations for peace carried out over the course of autumn and winter, and by early spring of 421, a real peace was concluded: Nicias and Pleistoanax major authors
  • fixed term of 50 years
  • Athens to restore Pylos, Cythera, and a few other places
  • Sparta to restore Amphipolis and the Athenian interests in the Chalcidic peninsula
  • Panacton, recently occupied by Boiotia, to be restored
  • captives on both sides to be liberated
• Problems right away:
  • Peloponnesian league meets to ratify the peace, but Corinth, Boiotia, Megara, and Elis voted against it
    • but the weaker members of the alliance went with Sparta and thus ensured a majority vote for peace
  • Corinth not happy that Athens gets Sollion and Anactorion near Ambracian gulf
  • Megara not happy that Athens keeps Nisaia
  • Boiotia not happy that Athens gets Panakton back
• Things go badly from the start:
  • the Chalcidians refuse to surrender Amphipolis back to the Athenians, and Sparta is in no position to compel them
    • thus Athens has no motivation to carry out its part of the baragain.
• Spartans anxious to make the peace work for several reasons
  • recovery of prisoners from Sphacteria
  • Argos:
    • remember back in 452, Argos and Sparta had negotiated a 30 year peace treaty -- now it's expiring, and the last thing Sparta wants is for Argos to join the war on the Athenian side
• To make things work, Sparta negotiates a defensive alliance with Athens, supported by Nicias
  • prisoners restored
  • Athens holds on to Pylos and Cythera, though, since it never got Amphipolis back
• This alliance caused a disruption of the Peloponnesian leage
  • Corinth, Mantiea, and Elis broke away and formed an alliance with Argos, and they were joined by the Chalcidians
  • 420: Hyperbolus, a new Cleon
• Alcibiades:
• noble born, fought at Delium with distinction, saved by Socrates
• young, out of control
• able politician, but flaky

   

• Alcibiades chosen strategos for 420, Nicias not reelected
• Athens enters into alliance with Argos, and its allies Elis and Mantinea, for 100 years
• sealed the treaty by helping Argos on an expedition agains Epidaurus
• Sparta came to the aid of Epidaurus, and as a result Athens declared that Sparta had broken the peace\

Battle of Mantinea

• 418: a reversal in Athenian politics. Nicias reelected, Alcibiades not
  • still allied with Argos, though
• Spartans under Agis led a Peloponnesian force, including Corinthians, against Argive territory
  • Argives and their allies (Mantineans and Eleans) concentrated near Nemea, where they planned to hold the pass from the North into Argive territory and keep the Peloponnesians, who had gathered at Phlius, out.
  • Agis sends Boiotians down this road, but splits the rest of the forces into two contingents, which he sends over difficult mountains passes to box in the Argives
  • Argives retreat from Nemea into the Argive plain, but both Agis and the Argive general Thrasyllus were uncertain that they could win a battle, so they came to terms and concluded a 4 month truce
  • At that point, the Athenians arrived with 1000 hoplites and 300 cavalry
    • under command of Nicostratus and Laches
    • Alcibiades as ambassador
    • convinces Argive allies that the truce is invalid, since the Athenians hadn't been there to ratify it, and that therefore they could break it with impunity.
• Allied troops cross into Arcadia, win Orchomenos, and move on to Mantinea to get ready for their next moves, an attak on Tegea, which remember had been won over by Sparta centuries ago and had served as a buffer zone for Laconia against Arcadia.
  • Spartans are alarmed at the taking of Orchomenos, and particularly worried lest Tegea fall.
  • Start moving toward Tegea, order their Arcadian allies to meet them en route. Also send to Corinth and Boiotia for reenforcements, but they have to cross hostile territory and won't make it in time
  • Forces unclear: 10-11,000 Spartan hoplites? 9-10,000 opposing?
  • Spartans move up to the border of Mantinean territory, and the Mantineans and their allies take up a defensive position on the slope of Mt. Alesion on the east of the city.
  • Agis decides not to try to attack uphill, withdraws back into Tegean territory, and begins work on diverting the course of a river to threaten Mantinea with flooding.
  • This brings the Matineans down into the plain, andAgis returns to find his enemies drawn up in battle line.
    • Thuc. says it's a surprise, which is odd, b/c Agis could easily have observed the northern part of the plain; apparently he didn't, and in fact it's noteworthy that this kind of thing happens reasonably often, and we don't hear all that much about Greek armies sending scouts ahead of the main body until the fourth century
    • also may have been heavily wooded parts of the plain that obscured the view.
• Spartans, with their discipline and training, are able to get into formation rapidly
  • Sciritai on left, Spartans who had served under Brasidas in Thrace next to them, other Spartan divisions in the center, and the Tegeans on the right, with cavalry on both wings.
  • Mantineans on right, Arcadian allies next to them, special Argive corps of 1000 in the center, with the rest of the Argives to their right, and on the right wing the Athenians.
    
• As the lines moved forward to attack, they drifted to the right -- Thuc tells us, as we've already noted, that there is a tendency for men in the hoplite formation to move to the right to get better under the protection of the next soldiers shield
  • so in general a hoplite army would try to outflank the enemy's left with its own right
• Agis noticed that in this battle the Mantineans on the opposing right were stretched far out past his own left wing, was afraid that they would disastrously outflank his line
  • Gave a signal to the troops on his left wing to move further left, laterally, and at the same time commanded two divisions on the right to move around to fill up the gap that this manouver created.
    • The left wing did move out laterally, but the two divisions from the right didn't detach to fill the gap.
    • The detachement on the left, then, was hopelessly isolated and routed, and the Argive 1000 were able to dash through the gap.
  • On the Spartan right, though, the Spartans overcame the Athenians and their allies
    • Athenians would have been completely surrouneded, but Agis called off the attack on that wing to come to the aid of the troubled left wing.
• Still, an overall victory for the Spartans, both Nicostratus and Laches died.

Wednesday, 3/25: The Sicilian Expedition

Wake of Mantineia:

• Argives, Mantineans, and Eleans returned into Spartan alliance, again leaving Athens isolated in terms of its alliances on land.

Following years, not terribly much interesting happens:

• 417: Nikias leads abortive attempt to retake Amphipolis
• 416: Melian episode
  • before war, Melos and Thera (both Dorian) were the only Aegean islands not in Delian league
  • Thera compelled to pay tribute when war started, but Melos remained outside alliance
  • 426: Nikias attempted to take the island, but withdrew unsuccessful
  • 416: under Alcibiades' influence, town blockaded by land and sea
  • capitulated following winter
  • men put to death, others enslaved
  • Thucydides' 'Melian Dialogue'
    • 'might makes right'

Sicily: the first year of the expedition

• Athenians (and Spartans) had been interested in Sicily for some time:
  • Grain and timber supplies?
  • Periclean alliances with Leontini, Rhegion
  • 427: Athenian force of 20 ships under Laches to help Leontini (along with Rhegion, Catane, Naxos, and Camarina) resist the growth of Syracusan power
    • expedition fails to achieve much, but did bring Messana into Athenian alliance, thus giving Athens free navigation of the straits between Italy and Sicily
  • 425: larger fleet of 40 dispatched to Sicily, delayed at Pylos
  • meant the loss of Messana as an ally
  • when fleet finally arrived, unable to acomplish much:
    • 424: Congress at Gela
      • meeting of Siceliot cities to consider Athenian invitation to go to war against Syracuse
      • Hermocrates of Syracuse: policy that others should stay out of Sicilian affairs, that they should be settled internally
    • Athenians left Sicily
    • Soon afterwards, Leontini defects to Syracuse after oligarchic coup
  • 418: Alliance with Segesta (Egesta), non-Greek (Sicel) city on Sicily
• 416: Segestan envoys arrive at Athens to seek help in their conflict with Selinus; supported by democrat Leontine exiles
  • promise to pay expenses of war
  • Athenian envoys sent to verify Segestan resources
  • Segestan trick; report of huge wealth
• Alcibiades argues for supporting Segesta, with the aim of greater conquests
• Nicias opposes, detailing how enormous an expedition would have to be to be effective
  • result is that 100 triremes, rather than the 60 originally requested, are voted for the expedition, despite Nicias' point that it would be foolish to commit the kind of resources that would be necessary
  • Nicias also made commander of the expedition, along with the generals Alcibiades and Lamachus
• Expedition ready to sail early summer 415
  • mutilation of the Herms
    • bad omen for the expedition
    • implication of Alcibiades in this and other impieties
      • trial delayed until after expedition
• Expedition sails off:
  • 134 triremes, numerous supply vessels
  • 5,100 hoplites; over 30,000 troops total
  • only 30 horse; reliance on Sicilian allies for cavalry
• Fleet pauses at Rhegion, where they are not as warmly welcomed as they had hoped to be
  • discovery that Segesta is not as wealthy as Athens had been led to believe
• Council of war at Rhegion:
  • Nicias advocated making a show of force, secure easy targets, help Leontines if possible without risking great danger
  • Alcibiades advocated active diplomacy to win over Sicilian cities, then an attempt to compel Selinus and Syracuse to leave Segesta and Leontini alone
  • Lamachus, taking a more soldierly and less political view, advised attacking Syracuse (which was obviously the real enemy and the ultimate goal of the whole expedition) immediately, while it might be relatively unprepared.
• Plan of Alcibiades prevails
  • Naxos and Catane won over
  • Athenian fleet made a demonstration in Great Harbor of Syracuse, captured one ship
• Before things go any further, though, an order arrives for Alcibiades to return to Athens, to stand trial for impiety immediately
  • Alcibiades goes back with the ship that brought the order, but escapes at Thurii, from which he went into exile, eventually reaching Sparta
  • Alcibiades condemned to death in absentia
• Little of consequence happening in Sicily until the winter:
• Battle at the Anapus river
  • Nicias lured the Syracusan army to Catane by leading them to expect that they would take the Athenian camp by surprise
  • meanwhile, Athenian fleet moved to the Great Harbor of Syracuse
  • Nicias landed, fortified camp on SW side of harbor near Dascon
  • Syracusans returned, battle fought:
    • Athenians had no cavalry (Syracusans had 1200) but the Syracusan ranks were undisciplined
    • Athenians able to break the Syracusan ranks, but the Syracusan cavalry was able to protect their retreat.
    • Following day Nicias brought the army back to Catane for winter quartering
• Winter spent seeking allies
  • Most of the Sicel cities joined Athens
• Alcibiades meanwhile at Sparta, working against Athenian interests
  • present at an assembly which received a Syracussan embassy seeking Spartan help
  • told the Spartans of Athens' grandiose plans (conquest of Sicily, Italy, and Carthage), which, if carried out, would put them in a position to conquer the Peloponnese
    • probably total exaggeration; or perhaps they had been Alcibiades' hopes?
  • urged the Spartans to send general to Sicily to organize things; and to fortify Dekeleia in Attika to have a permanent base there.
  • Motivations?
  • Spartans, who had been wavering between neutrality and involvement, decided to send Gylippus as general to command Syracusan forces, and Corinth (mother-city of Syracuse) sent ships.

414: The Second Year of the Sicilian Expedition

• Topography of Syracuse
  • The 'Island' (Ortygia)
    • heart of the city
    • connected to mainland by a mole
  • Lesser Harbor
  • Great Harbor
  • Achradina and Tyche on mainland, enclosed by circuit walls
  • Triangular plateau of Epipolae
• Syracusans had improved some of the fortifications to their north (precinct of Apollo Temenites), but realize they need to guard the heights of Epipolae
  • force of 600 mustered to garrison the heights
  • as it is assembling, the Athenian fleet arrives from Catane, puts in at the bay of Thapsus to the north of Epipolae, and sent soldiers up to take the heights before the Syracusans could get there
  • Syracusan attempt to dislodge them repelled
  • Athenian fortification of Labdalon
• Seige of Syracuse:
  • Athenians plan to build a wall across Epipolae, down the cliffs southwards to meet up with the harbor, and extending in the other direction to Trogilus (to north or east?)
    • wall would cut off Syracuse by land, while the fleet cut it off by sea
  • Built a round fort ('The Circle') at the center of the planned wall, from which construction would proceed outward
  • Syracusans attempt to build a counter wall from Temenites running westward to cut off the progress of the Athenian wall toward the harbor
  • Athenians ignore this and conentrate on the other wing of their wall, to ensure continued communication with fleet at Thapsos
  • But when an opportunity presents itself, Athenians attack Syracusan counter-wall and destroy it
  • Athenians begin building southern wall on the southern cliffs of Epipolae, above marshy ground on NW side of great Harbor (not waiting to build it on the south side of the Circle
  • Syracusans again build counter-work in the area of the marsh, to prevent Athenians from reaching the Harbor with their wall
    • not a wall (too swampy), but a trench and palisade
  • Lamachus led troops to swamp and destroyed Syracusan counterworks, but Syracusan reenforcements sallied from the city
    • battle fought, Athenians routed, Lamachus killed
• Nicias, who had been against the expedition from the start, now alone in command
  • Athenian southern wall continued (in double line) and Athenian fleet moved into Great Harbor
  • Syracusans begin to despair, consider offering terms
  • Nicias, thinking the city was going to be turned over to him, neglected work on the wall on the NE
  • Syracuse gives up any plans to capitulate when word arrives that Gylippus is on his way with Corinthian ships

Friday, 3/27: The Sicilian Expedition and its Aftermath

• Gylippus, in fact, decided that it was too late to save Syracuse, based on the information he had
  • sailed on to the coast of Italy, hoping to be able to save the cities there
  • At Locri, finds out that northeast Athenian wall not yet completed, realizes there is still an opportunity to save Syracuse
  • Sailed to Himera to collect a land force from Himera, Gela, and Selinus, marched overland to Syracuse
    • Ascended Epipolae from the north, advancedalong north bend of hill to Syke and entered the city without meeting any opposition!
• Gylippus takes command of Syracusan army
  • captured Labaldon
  • Began to build a counter-wall to prevent completion of the Athenian circumvallation
    • race by the two armies to build as fast as possible
    • various skirmishes
    • Syracusans win the race: Athenian wall can't be completed
      • Gylippus continues his wall toward the NW summit of Epipolae (to Labaldon?)
      • erected four forts on the western part of Epipolae to hinder Athenian communication to the NW, including one at the summit of Euryelus.
    • Corinthian fleet enters Syracuse during the distraction of the conflicts on Epipolae
• Nicias occupies Plemmyrion, headland facing the Island on the S part of the Great Harbor
  • builds forts, establishes station for the ships
    • intended to replace Labaldon, make controlling the mouth of the harbor easier
    • but bad location for camp: water and firewood sources some distance away
    • maybe thinking ahead about escape?
  • dispatches some ships to lie in wait for the expected Corinthian fleet
  • Syracusans send cavalry force to Polichna to guard southern coast of harbor
    • able to harass Athenian sorties from Plemmyrium
• Winter arrives
  • Gylippus raises new forces in Sicily, appeals for reenforcements from the Peloponnese
  • Nicias sends a written despatch to Athens, describing the situation in detail
    • Athenians, once the beseigers, now themselves under seige
    • ships waterlogged and leaky, crews out of practice
    • reliant on supplies from Italy, which might well be cut off
    • Two choices:
      • expedition must be aborted;
      • or a new armament as strong as the first had to be sent immediately.
    • Nicias also asked that he himself be replaced, on the grounds that he was seriously ill
  • Athenians respond by sending a new force under Eurymedon and Demosthenes, leaving Nicias in command.

413: Deceleia

• Early in the campaigning season, Sparta followed Alcibiades' advice and decided to fortify Deceleia
  • town in northern Attika, within sight of city itself, at norther end of Pentelicus/Parnes gap
  • fort built, garrisoned under Agis
    • good position from which to reach various parts of Attika and maintain communication with Boiotia
    • also provided a sanctuary for Athenian slaves
  • Athenians now confronted with a major engagement in Sicily, and a renewed war at home

Back in Sicily:

• Syracuse fighting for its life:
  • over the course of the winter, organized fleet of 80 triremes
    • inexperienced crews, but fighting for survival
• Gylippus plans to attack Athenian position at Plemmyrion by land and sea
  • Syracusan sea forces defeated outside the mouth of the Great Harbor
  • but land force marches round and captures Athenian forts on the promontory
• Athenian fleet now has to beach at their station on the north of the harbor, where their double wall ends
  • Syracusans control mouth of the Harbor
  • Athenian supply ships captured off the coast of Italy
• News of the second expedition arrives
  • 73 triremes, 5000 hoplites, plus light-armed troops
  • under command of Eurymedon and Demosthenes
• Syracuse wants to deal with Nikias' forces before the releif force can arrive
  • make attack on Athenian position by land and sea
    • land attack beaten off
    • two days of fighting at sea, resulting in a loss for the Athenians
      • Athenian ships can't manouver in the Harbor
      • Use of Corinthian adaptation to prows for head-to-head ramming?
        • recent use of outriggers by Corinth near Naupaktos
          
      • 'surprise' tactics
      • Athenian naval station protected by 'dolphins'
• Next day, Athenian relief force arrives, enters Harbor
  • Demosthenes knows that any hope of victory resides in capturing the Syracusan cross-wall
    • attempt to take it from the south is defeated
    • Plan to march around the west of Epipolae and take it from the NW
      • difficult because of the forts on the heights, and the 600 men on constant watch
    • Athenians set out on a moonlit night
      • initial success: one fort taken, the 600 gurads are repelled
      • but then part of the Athenian force is checked by some Boiotians, and the Athenians fall into disorder
      • rout ensues, Athenians and their allies driven on top of one another in their retreat down the hill
        • some 2000 killed
• Demosthens realizes that there is nothing left but an attempt at escape
  • But Nicias is unwilling: afraid to face the Athenian Assembly if he left Sicily without victory; wouldn't even compromise and withdraw to Catana to regroup
  • After a few days, however, with the arrival of Peloponnesian and Boiotian reenforcements, Nicias concedes that it's time to leave, preparations begin
    • on the night of the actual departure (Aug. 27), there's an eclipse of the full moon
      • taken as a bad omen by many, Nicias among them
        • soothsayers say that they have to wait for the next full moon before leaving!
• Syracusans learn that the Athenians are giving up, decide to try to destroy them before they could leave
  • Drew up fleet of 76 ships in the Great Harbor, 86 Athenian ships went out to meet them
    • disaster for the Athenians, defeated on all sides
    • Eurymedon killed
    • Left wing driven to the NW shore of the harbor, between Athenian wall and Dascon, Syracusans managed to drag away 18
  • Mouth of Harbor blockaded by line of ships connected by chains
    • Only hope for Athens was to break the barrier
      • Sept. 3: Athenian fleet musters, Nicias goes to each ship to hearten the troops
      • Fleet moves forward to attack barrier, Syracusan ships come at them from all sides
      • Athenians driven into the middle of the Harbor, and fight broke down into numerous separate conflicts
      • Battle went on for a long time, with the tide wavering, until finally the remaining 60 Athenian ships gave way, rished back to their station at the walls
    • Demosthenes wants to make another attempt to break the barrier the next day, but the men refused, so the escape will have to be by land
      • Hermocrates tricks them into delaying, while he made sure the roads inland and to Catana were blocked
    • Sept. 11: Athenian forces begin their withdrawl, leaving the sick and wounded behind
      • Nicias leads the front, Demosthenes the rear
      • Take the western road, with the aim of reaching friendly inland territory, from which to head to Catana
      • on the fourth day, they reach the cliff of Acraea, and find the pass well-guarded, had to retreat, head south to Gela
      • on the sixth day, the two parts of the army became separated
        • Nicias' troops move forward as fast as possible, eventually reach the river Erineos after defeating a Syracusan band at the Kakyparis
        • News arrives that Demosthenes forces were surrounded and all 6000 had surrendered
          • Nicias sends an offer of surrender: Athens will repay the costs of the war if the rest of the army could go free.
          • Syracuse rejects the offer
      • Army stayed put the next day
      • On the eighth (Sept. 18) they resumed the march, made it to the Assinaros, where they found an opposing force on the opposite bank
        • Athenians were dying of thirst, ran to the river to drink, slaughtered by the Syracusans
    • Nicias surrenders to Gylippus, slaughter called off, survivors made captive
      • some taken by individual victors
      • state prisoners (7,000) sent to the stone-quarries of Achradina, labored under horrifying conditions
        • Athenian allies kept there for 70 days, Ahtenians themselves for 6 months (through the winter)
        • Survivors sold, some mangaged to win freedom

Aftermath of Sicilian Disaster

• Loss of large portion of Athens' resources in men and ships
• Decelean fort causing problems
  • Nearly all cultivation in Attika hindered
  • Supplies have to sail from Euboia around Sounion, rather than be transported over land
  • 20,000 slaves desert Athens
  • Laurion mines closed, increasing the financial crisis
    • tribute payments temporarily abolished in favor of a 5% tax on all merchant traffic in the empire
    • not much success, and old system reinstitued in a few years
• Persia reenters the story:
  • Tissaphernes, satrap of Sardis, and Pharnabazus, satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia, see the Sicilian disaster as an opportunity to push Athens out of Asia
    • Each of them, anxious to get credit for himself, began negotiating with Sparta
      • Tissaphernes urged Sparta to help Chios in its desire to revolt
      • Pharnabazus urged action in the Hellespont region
    • Alcibiades advised Sparta to support Chios
• 412: A few Spartan ships come to Chios, initiate formal revolt
  • Move with Chian fleet to Miletos, Teos, and Lebedos, who revolted
  • Methymna and Mytilene on Lesbos, and them Cyme and Phocaea soon followed
• Treaty of Miletus between Sparta and Persia
  • Sparta technically recognized Persian claims to their old dominions, in exchange for financial support in their war against Athens
  • Around this time, Alcibiades, who is starting to run into trouble at Sparta, cultivates a relationship with Tissaphernes and eventually goes to Sardis
• Athens, meanwhile, is using financial reserves to carry on the war
  • Blockaded Corinthian fleet headed to Chios off the coast of the Argolid
  • Blockaded Chios, won back Mytilene and made some success with Miletos
  • But Cnidos and then Rhodes revolted
• By Spring 411:
  • northern and Hellesponting confederacy still pretty much intact
  • But west coast of Asia was largely detached, with the important exceptions of Lesbos, Cos, Halicarnassos, and Samos