Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Maps
- Preface
- Introduction
- Principal dates
- Biographical notes
- Greek deities, heroes and mythological figures
- Greek terms for distances, coinage and the calendar
- Map 1. Greece and the Aegean
- Map 2. Peloponnese and Central Greece
- Map 3. Western Asia Minor and Hellespont
- Map 4. Sicily and South Italy
- The War of the Peloponnesians and the Athenians
- Introduction [I 1–23.3]
- Background to the war [I 23.4–146]
- First year of the war, 431–30 [II 1–47.1]
- Second year of the war, 430–29 [II 47.2–70]
- Third year of the war, 429–28 [II 71–103]
- Fourth year of the war, 428–27 [III 1–25]
- Fifth year of the war, 427–26 [III 26–88]
- Sixth year of the war, 426–25 [III 89–116]
- Seventh year of the war, 425–24 [IV 1–51]
- Eighth year of the war, 424–23 [IV 52–116]
- Ninth year of the war, 423–22 (IV 117–35)
- Tenth year of the war, 422–21 [V 1–24]
- Eleventh year of the war, 421–20 [V 25–39]
- Twelfth year of the war, 420–19 [V 40–51]
- Thirteenth year of the war, 419–18 [V 52–56]
- Fourteenth year of the war, 418–17 [V 57–81]
- Fifteenth year of the war, 417–16 [V 82–83]
- Sixteenth year of the war, 416–15 [V 84–116, VI 1–7]
- Seventeenth year of the war, 415–14 [VI 8–93]
- Eighteenth year of the war, 414–13 [VI 94–105, VII 1–18]
- Nineteenth year of the war, 413–12 [VII 19–87, VIII 1–6]
- Twentieth year of the war, 412–11 [VIII 7–60]
- Twenty-first year of the war, 411–10 [VIII 61–109, unfinished]
- Appendix 1 Notes on the Greek text: variations from the OCT
- Appendix 2 Thucydides in the ancient world: a selection of texts
- Bibliography and further reading
- Synopsis of contents
- Synopsis of speeches
- Glossary
- Index of names
- General index
- References
Seventeenth year of the war, 415–14 [VI 8–93]
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 April 2013
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Maps
- Preface
- Introduction
- Principal dates
- Biographical notes
- Greek deities, heroes and mythological figures
- Greek terms for distances, coinage and the calendar
- Map 1. Greece and the Aegean
- Map 2. Peloponnese and Central Greece
- Map 3. Western Asia Minor and Hellespont
- Map 4. Sicily and South Italy
- The War of the Peloponnesians and the Athenians
- Introduction [I 1–23.3]
- Background to the war [I 23.4–146]
- First year of the war, 431–30 [II 1–47.1]
- Second year of the war, 430–29 [II 47.2–70]
- Third year of the war, 429–28 [II 71–103]
- Fourth year of the war, 428–27 [III 1–25]
- Fifth year of the war, 427–26 [III 26–88]
- Sixth year of the war, 426–25 [III 89–116]
- Seventh year of the war, 425–24 [IV 1–51]
- Eighth year of the war, 424–23 [IV 52–116]
- Ninth year of the war, 423–22 (IV 117–35)
- Tenth year of the war, 422–21 [V 1–24]
- Eleventh year of the war, 421–20 [V 25–39]
- Twelfth year of the war, 420–19 [V 40–51]
- Thirteenth year of the war, 419–18 [V 52–56]
- Fourteenth year of the war, 418–17 [V 57–81]
- Fifteenth year of the war, 417–16 [V 82–83]
- Sixteenth year of the war, 416–15 [V 84–116, VI 1–7]
- Seventeenth year of the war, 415–14 [VI 8–93]
- Eighteenth year of the war, 414–13 [VI 94–105, VII 1–18]
- Nineteenth year of the war, 413–12 [VII 19–87, VIII 1–6]
- Twentieth year of the war, 412–11 [VIII 7–60]
- Twenty-first year of the war, 411–10 [VIII 61–109, unfinished]
- Appendix 1 Notes on the Greek text: variations from the OCT
- Appendix 2 Thucydides in the ancient world: a selection of texts
- Bibliography and further reading
- Synopsis of contents
- Synopsis of speeches
- Glossary
- Index of names
- General index
- References
Summary
Summer [VI 8–62]
Next summer, in the early spring, the Athenian envoys returned from Sicily, accompanied by the Egestans who brought with them sixty talents of uncoined silver as a month's pay for a fleet of sixty ships, which is what they were about to ask the Athenians to send. The Athenians held an assembly and listened to the Egestan envoys and their own telling them various things that were both enticing and untrue, in particular that there was plenty of money available in the temples and the public treasury. They accordingly voted to send sixty ships to Sicily and appointed as generals, with full powers of decision, Alcibiades son of Cleinias, Nicias son of Niceratus and Lamachus son of Xenophanes. These were to support the Egestans against the Selinuntians and to join in restoring the Leontines to their city if the progress of the war allowed it, and in general to take whatever actions in Sicily they judged to be in the best interests of the Athenians.
Four days after this there was another assembly to discuss what provision was needed to equip the ships with all speed and to vote anything else the generals might need for the expedition. Nicias had been elected to the command against his wishes, and he thought that the city had reached the wrong decision and was harbouring ambitions for Sicily as a whole, a huge undertaking but one conceived on the basis of slight and specious considerations. He therefore came forward, hoping to divert them, and advised the Athenians as follows.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- ThucydidesThe War of the Peloponnesians and the Athenians, pp. 391 - 444Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2013