History of the Peloponnesian War · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides.
Chapter 1
Dedication
The translator dedicates the work to Connop Thirlwall, historian of Greece, acknowledging his predecessor's influence.
Chapter 2
History of the Peloponnesian War
This chapter introduces the overarching narrative of the Peloponnesian War, detailing its origins, key events, and the complex interplay of power, strategy, and human nature that defined the conflict between Athens and Sparta.
Chapter 3
Book I
Thucydides introduces his history of the Peloponnesian War, arguing it will be the greatest war in Greek history. He recounts the early history of Greece, the rise of Athenian power after the Persian Wars, and the events leading to the war, including the Epidamnus dispute, the Corcyraean conflict, and the siege of Potidaea. The book also features the speeches of the Corinthians and Athenians at Sparta, the Spartan debate and vote for war, and Pericles' war speech in Athens.
Chapter 4
The State of Greece from the Earliest Times to the Commencement of the Peloponnesian War
Thucydides introduces his history of the Peloponnesian War, arguing that it was the greatest movement in history. He traces the early development of Hellas from a period of constant migration and weakness, through the rise of navies under Minos, the Trojan War led by Agamemnon, and the gradual consolidation of power. He describes the growth of Athens and Sparta after the Persian Wars, the formation of alliances, and the eventual split into two rival blocs. He also critiques popular misconceptions about history, such as the story of Harmodius and Aristogiton, and emphasizes the importance of critical inquiry.
Chapter 5
Chapter II
The Corcyraeans and Corinthians present competing arguments before the Athenian assembly, each seeking an alliance. The Athenians ultimately side with Corcyra, leading to a naval battle at Sybota. Tensions escalate as Potidaea revolts, drawing in Athens, Corinth, and Macedonia, setting the stage for the Peloponnesian War.
Chapter 6
Congress of the Peloponnesian Confederacy at Lacedaemon
The chapter describes the assembly of the Peloponnesian League at Sparta, where various allies, especially Corinth and Megara, voice grievances against Athens for violations of the treaty, including the siege of Potidaea and exclusion from ports. King Archidamus advises caution and preparation before war, while the ephor Sthenelaidas urges immediate action. The assembly ultimately votes for war, marking a critical step toward the Peloponnesian War.
Chapter 7
IV
This chapter details the growth of Athenian power and the escalating tensions with Sparta and other Greek states following the Persian Wars. It covers the fortification of Athens and Piraeus under Themistocles, the shift from allied leadership to Athenian imperial control, the revolt and siege of Thasos, the earthquake and Helot revolt in Sparta, the first open quarrel between Athens and Sparta over the Ithome campaign, the alliance of Athens with Argos, the Megarian defection to Athens, the Egyptian campaign, and various naval and land battles including those at Aegina and the Megarid.
Chapter 8
Second Congress at Lacedaemon: Preparations for War and Diplomatic Skirmishes
The chapter describes the period between the Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War, during which Athens consolidated its empire while Sparta hesitated. A congress is convened where the Corinthians urge war against Athens, citing Athenian aggression and the need to defend Hellenic freedom. The narrative also recounts the curses of Cylon and Pausanias, and the intrigues of Themistocles, which are used as diplomatic pretexts for conflict.
Chapter 9
Book II
Thucydides recounts the first year of the Peloponnesian War, including the Theban attack on Plataea, the Athenian plague, Pericles' Funeral Oration, and the early military campaigns of both Athens and Sparta.
Chapter 10
VI
The Peloponnesian army, led by King Archidamus, prepares to invade Attica. Archidamus delivers a speech emphasizing discipline and vigilance, and sends Melesippus to Athens in a final attempt at negotiation, but Pericles has already secured a decree to refuse any embassies once the Spartans have marched. Melesippus is sent away, declaring that this day marks the beginning of great misfortunes for Hellas. Pericles, aware that his friend Archidamus might spare his own estate, delivers a funeral oration honoring fallen Athenians, extolling the virtues of courage, duty, and love of country. The chapter also recounts the aftermath of the Plataea affair, the breakdown of the treaty, and the extensive preparations for war by both Athens and Sparta, including alliances, shipbuilding, and the general excitement and prophecy that sweep across Hellas.
Chapter 11
VII
The second year of the war begins with the Peloponnesian invasion of Attica under King Archidamus, followed by the devastating outbreak of the plague in Athens. Thucydides provides a detailed clinical account of the plague's symptoms and effects. The chapter also covers the fall of Potidaea after a long siege, the execution of Aristeus and other Peloponnesian envoys by the Athenians, the campaign of the Ambraciots against Amphilochian Argos, and the Athenian naval operations under Phormio and Melesander.
Chapter 12
VIII
The chapter covers the third year of the Peloponnesian War, detailing Athenian military campaigns in Acarnania and Chalcidice, the Thracian expedition of Sitalces, and the strategic maneuvers of both sides. It includes the Athenian defeat at Spartolus, the Acarnanian campaign led by Cnemus, and the diplomatic and military actions of Phormio and Perdiccas. The chapter also recounts the mythological story of Alcmaeon and the formation of the Echinades islands.
Chapter 13
Book III
Book III of Thucydides' History covers the revolt of Mitylene, the siege and fall of Plataea, the Corcyraean revolution, and early Athenian campaigns including the occupation of Pylos. It explores the brutal realities of war, the breakdown of civic order, and the moral debates surrounding justice and expediency.
Chapter 14
IX
The Mitylenians revolt against Athens, seeking alliance with Sparta. They argue that Athenian imperialism has turned former allies into subjects, and that only mutual fear can secure a true alliance. The Spartans accept their plea and prepare to invade Attica, but their allies are slow to assemble. Athens responds by manning a hundred ships to display strength, and the Spartan invasion falters. Meanwhile, Athens sends a fleet to Lesbos to suppress the revolt, but the Mitylenians, forewarned, prepare for war and send envoys to Sparta for support.
Chapter 15
The Corcyraean Revolution and Its Aftermath
This chapter details the brutal civil war in Corcyra, where democratic and oligarchic factions engage in a bloody struggle for power. The Peloponnesian fleet, under Alcidas and urged by Brasidas, defeats the Corcyraean navy but fails to attack the city. The arrival of an Athenian fleet under Eurymedon prompts the Peloponnesians to withdraw, after which the Corcyraean democrats massacre their opponents, including suppliants at sanctuaries. Thucydides reflects on the general breakdown of morality and language across the Hellenic world during such revolutions, attributing the violence to greed, ambition, and the lust for power.
Chapter 16
XI
The chapter covers the sixth year of the Peloponnesian War, including the second outbreak of the plague in Athens, earthquakes and tidal waves, Athenian operations in Sicily and the Aeolian islands, the purification of Delos and revival of the Delian games, the campaign of Demosthenes in western Greece, and the siege of Melos by Nicias.
Chapter 17
Book IV
This book covers the Athenian occupation of Pylos, the capture of Spartan forces on Sphacteria, the campaigns of Brasidas in Thrace, and the events leading up to the Peace of Nicias, including the deaths of Cleon and Brasidas at Amphipolis.
Chapter 18
Chapter XII
The Athenians, emboldened by their possession of Spartan prisoners on the island of Sphacteria, reject Spartan peace offers under the influence of Cleon. The Spartans, after failed negotiations, resume hostilities. Meanwhile, a naval battle occurs in the Strait of Messina between Syracusans and Athenians. The Athenians ultimately capture the Spartan forces on the island, fulfilling Cleon's boast, and the prisoners are brought to Athens, shocking all of Hellas. The Messenians then begin raiding Laconia from Pylos, causing Spartan alarm.
Chapter 19
XIII
Hermocrates urges Sicilian cities to unite against Athenian ambition, leading to a peace agreement among them. The Athenian fleet departs Sicily, and upon return, generals Pythodorus, Sophocles, and Eurymedon are punished for failing to subdue the island. Meanwhile, Megara faces internal strife and betrayal plots with Athenian generals Hippocrates and Demosthenes. The Corcyraean civil war ends with the destruction of the mountain party. The Athenians capture Anactorium, intercept a Persian envoy, and the Chians dismantle their wall under Athenian pressure. The seventh year of the war concludes with an eclipse and earthquake. Lesbian exiles seize Rhoeteum and Antandrus. The Athenians, led by Nicias, attack Cythera, which surrenders. The summer ends with the Sicilian peace congress at Gela.
Chapter 20
XIV: Eighth and Ninth Years of the War — Invasion of Boeotia — Fall of Amphipolis — Brilliant Successes of Brasidas
This chapter covers the eighth and ninth years of the Peloponnesian War, detailing Brasidas' campaign in Thrace, his persuasive speech to the Acanthians, and the Athenian attempt to seize Boeotian towns including Delium. The Athenians under Hippocrates and Demosthenes plot simultaneous uprisings in Boeotia, but the plan falters. Brasidas marches through Thessaly to Thrace, while the Athenians suffer a significant defeat at Delium against the Boeotians, led by Pagondas. The chapter also recounts the recapture of Antandrus by Athenian forces and the loss of Lamachus' ships in the Pontus.
Chapter 21
Book V
The tenth year of the war sees a temporary truce and the Peace of Nicias, but tensions persist. The Mantineans, Eleans, and Argives form a new alliance against Sparta, while Athens and Sparta struggle to maintain the fragile peace. Alcibiades emerges as a key figure, undermining the peace and forging an alliance between Athens and Argos. The chapter details shifting alliances, the Battle of Mantinea, and the growing conflict between Athens and Sparta, culminating in the Melian Dialogue where Athens brutally subjugates Melos.
Chapter 22
The Peace of Nicias and the End of the First War
After the death of Cleon and Brasidas, both Athens and Sparta, exhausted by war and facing internal and external pressures, turn towards peace. The Peace of Nicias is negotiated, establishing a fifty-year alliance and a framework for the return of prisoners and territories. However, several allied states, particularly in Thrace, refuse to accept the terms, and Clearidas delays handing over Amphipolis. The chapter concludes with the formal alliance between Athens and Sparta, marking the end of the first ten years of the Peloponnesian War.
Chapter 23
XVI
After the ten years' war and the Peace of Nicias, tensions persist as the Corinthians and other Peloponnesian states seek to undermine the Spartan-Athenian alliance. Argos, seeing an opportunity to gain supremacy in the Peloponnese, forms a league with Mantinea, Elis, and eventually Athens, spurred by Alcibiades' machinations. The Lacedaemonians, under King Agis, attempt to suppress the rebellion but face internal dissent and strategic setbacks, culminating in the Battle of Mantinea. The chapter also details Thucydides' reflections on the entire 27-year war, his exile, and the fragility of the peace.
Chapter 24
The Melian Dialogue
In the sixteenth year of the war, Athens sends a massive expedition to subdue the neutral island of Melos, a Spartan colony. Before hostilities, Athenian envoys engage in a stark dialogue with Melian leaders, arguing that might makes right and that submission is the only rational choice. The Melians appeal to justice, hope, and Spartan aid, but the Athenians dismiss these as futile. The Melians refuse to surrender, and the siege begins, leading to the eventual destruction of Melos.
Chapter 25
Book VI
The Athenians, persuaded by Alcibiades and against the cautious advice of Nicias, launch a massive expedition to Sicily. After Alcibiades is recalled to face charges of sacrilege, he defects to Sparta and advises them on how to counter Athens. The Athenians begin the siege of Syracuse but face challenges from the Syracusans and the arrival of the Spartan general Gylippus.
Chapter 26
XVIII
The Athenians resolve to launch a massive expedition to conquer Sicily, despite their ignorance of the island's size and population. Nicias attempts to dissuade them by emphasizing the strength of Sicilian cities, the need for overwhelming forces, and the risks of a distant campaign. Alcibiades counters by defending his personal conduct and arguing that Sicilian cities are weak due to internal divisions. The chapter also provides a detailed history of Sicily's settlement by various peoples, including Cyclopes, Sicanians, Trojans, Sicels, Phoenicians, and Hellenic colonists.
Chapter 27
XIX
News of the Athenian expedition reaches Syracuse, where Hermocrates urges preparations for defense. Meanwhile, Alcibiades is recalled to Athens on charges of impiety and conspiracy, but he escapes to the Peloponnese. The Athenian generals debate strategy: Nicias advocates a cautious approach, Alcibiades proposes winning allies, and Lamachus urges an immediate attack on Syracuse. Alcibiades fails to secure Messina, and the fleet proceeds to Naxos and Catana before reconnoitering Syracuse.
Chapter 28
XX
The Athenian generals in Sicily divide their forces to assess the situation at Selinus and Egesta, while the Syracusans prepare for war. Alcibiades, now in Sparta, delivers a speech revealing the grand Athenian plan to conquer Sicily, Italy, and Carthage before attacking the Peloponnese. He urges the Spartans to send troops and a Spartan commander to Syracuse, and to fortify Decelea in Attica. Meanwhile, the Athenians attempt to draw the Syracusans out of their city through a stratagem involving a false defector.
Chapter 29
Book VII
The Athenian expedition to Sicily suffers catastrophic defeat. After initial successes, the arrival of the Spartan general Gylippus turns the tide. The Athenians, led by Nicias and Demosthenes, are besieged in Syracuse, their fleet destroyed in the Great Harbour, and their army annihilated during a desperate retreat inland. The chapter ends with the complete ruin of the expedition, marking a turning point in the Peloponnesian War.
Chapter 30
Chapter XXI
The Lacedaemonians, believing Athens has broken the truce, fortify Decelea and invade Attica under King Agis, while simultaneously sending reinforcements to Sicily. The Athenians respond by dispatching Demosthenes with a fleet to Sicily and Charicles to raid the Peloponnese. In Sicily, Gylippus and Hermocrates encourage the Syracusans to engage the Athenians at sea, leading to a battle where the Syracusans capture the forts at Plemmyrium, dealing a severe blow to the Athenians. The occupation of Decelea causes immense damage to Athens, including slave desertions, loss of livestock, and financial strain, forcing the city to impose a new tax and send away Thracian mercenaries, who later sack Mycalessus.
Chapter 31
XXII
Demosthenes arrives with reinforcements at Syracuse, but his night attack on Epipolae fails disastrously. The Athenian army is demoralized, and a debate ensues between Demosthenes, who advocates immediate retreat, and Nicias, who insists on staying due to financial hopes and fear of Athenian political backlash. The chapter ends with the Athenians in a precarious position, unable to decide on a course of action.
Chapter 32
The Final Catastrophe
The Athenians, trapped in the Great Harbour of Syracuse, are defeated in a decisive naval battle. Demosthenes and Nicias attempt a desperate retreat by land, but the Syracusans under Gylippus and Hermocrates block their path, leading to the annihilation of the Athenian expeditionary force.
Chapter 33
Book VIII
Book VIII covers the aftermath of the Sicilian disaster, the Spartan alliance with Persia, the oligarchic coup in Athens, and the early stages of the Ionian War, including the revolt of Athenian allies and the rise of Alcibiades as a key figure.
Chapter 34
Nineteenth and twentieth years of the war — Revolt of Ionia — Intervention of Persia — The War in Ionia
After the catastrophic Athenian defeat in Sicily, Athens is plunged into despair and fear, yet resolves to resist. The Lacedaemonians, emboldened, prepare for a decisive war, while the Athenians work to rebuild their fleet and secure allies. In Ionia, the Athenians engage the Milesians and Peloponnesians, but Phrynichus wisely retreats to avoid a risky battle. The Peloponnesians, with Persian support, capture Iasus and take Amorges. A treaty is made between Sparta and Persia, and the war continues with Chios under siege and the arrival of a new Lacedaemonian fleet.
Chapter 35
Intrigues and Oligarchic Conspiracies
This chapter details the complex political maneuvers surrounding Alcibiades' attempt to return to Athens by leveraging his influence with the Persian satrap Tissaphernes. Phrynichus, suspicious of Alcibiades, secretly betrays the plot to the Spartan admiral Astyochus, who in turn informs Alcibiades. Despite Phrynichus's efforts to undermine him, Alcibiades persuades Tissaphernes to favor the Athenians by advocating a strategy of letting the Greeks exhaust each other. Meanwhile, Pisander leads an embassy to Athens, convincing the demos to accept an oligarchic coup and recall Alcibiades in exchange for Persian support. Phrynichus is dismissed, and the oligarchic conspiracy gains momentum among the Athenian fleet at Samos.
Chapter 36
XXVI
Alcibiades is recalled to Samos and elected general, preventing the Athenian fleet from sailing against Piraeus and instead working to reconcile the army with the city. Tissaphernes goes to Aspendus for the Phoenician fleet but does not bring it, deepening Peloponnesian distrust. The Four Hundred at Athens face internal dissent led by Theramenes and others, while the oligarchs push for peace with Sparta and fortify Eetionia.
Chapter 37
Plans
This chapter outlines the strategic plans and battle formations for key engagements in the Peloponnesian War, including the Battle of Plataea, the Battles of Naupactus, and the Athenian campaign before Syracuse. It also details the positioning of Athenian and Peloponnesian fleets, the establishment of a Peloponnesian naval base, and the Athenian occupation of Pylos in Laconia.
