Today's Passage
This passage describes two significant events from 430 BCE, the second year of the Peloponnesian War.
Crawley Translation (1910)
During the same summer the Lacedaemonians and their allies made an expedition with a hundred ships against Zacynthus, an island lying off the coast of Elis, peopled by a colony of Achaeans from Peloponnese, and in alliance with Athens. There were a thousand Lacedaemonian heavy infantry on board, and Cnemus, a Spartan, as admiral. They made a descent from their ships, and ravaged most of the country; but as the inhabitants would not submit, they sailed back home.
At the end of the same summer the Corinthian Aristeus, Aneristus, Nicolaus, and Stratodemus, envoys from Lacedaemon, Timagoras, a Tegean, and a private individual named Pollis from Argos, on their way to Asia to persuade the King to supply funds and join in the war, came to Sitalces, son of Teres in Thrace, with the idea of inducing him, if possible, to forsake the alliance of Athens and to march on Potidæa then besieged by an Athenian force, and also of getting conveyed by his means to their destination across the Hellespont to Pharnabazus, who was to send them up the country to the King. But there chanced to be with Sitalces some Athenian ambassadors—Learchus, son of Callimachus, and Ameiniades, son of Philemon—who persuaded Sitalces’ son, Sadocus, the new Athenian citizen, to put the men into their hands and thus prevent their crossing over to the King and doing their part to injure the country of his choice. He accordingly had them seized, as they were travelling through Thrace to the vessel in which they were to cross the Hellespont, by a party whom he had sent on with Learchus and Ameiniades, and gave orders for their delivery to the Athenian ambassadors, by whom they were brought to Athens. On their arrival, the Athenians, afraid that Aristeus, who had been notably the prime mover in the previous affairs of Potidæa and their Thracian possessions, might live to do them still more mischief if he escaped, slew them all the same day, without giving them a trial or hearing the defence which they wished to offer, and cast their bodies into a pit; thinking themselves justified in using in retaliation the same mode of warfare which the Lacedaemonians had begun, when they slew and cast into pits all the Athenian and allied traders whom they caught on board the merchantmen round Peloponnese. Indeed, at the outset of the war, the Lacedaemonians butchered as enemies all whom they took on the sea, whether allies of Athens or neutrals.
Modern Translation
During that same summer, the Spartans and their allies launched a naval expedition with one hundred ships against Zakynthos, an island off the coast of Elis. The island was inhabited by Achaean colonists from the Peloponnese and allied with Athens. The fleet carried a thousand Spartan heavy infantry, commanded by the Spartan admiral Knemos. After landing, they devastated much of the countryside, but when the inhabitants refused to surrender, they sailed home.
At summer's end, several envoys set out for Asia to persuade the Persian King to provide financial support and join the war effort. The delegation included the Corinthian Aristeus, along with Aneristos, Nikolaos, and Stratodemos; Spartan ambassadors; Timagoras from Tegea; and Pollis, a private citizen from Argos. En route, they stopped in Thrace to meet Sitalkes, son of Teres, hoping to convince him to abandon his alliance with Athens and march against Potidaea, which was then under Athenian siege. They also sought his assistance in crossing the Hellespont to reach Pharnabazus, who would escort them to the King.
However, Athenian ambassadors—Learchus, son of Kallimachos, and Ameiniades, son of Philemon—were already at Sitalkes' court. They persuaded Sadokos, Sitalkes' son who had recently become an Athenian citizen, to arrest the envoys and prevent them from reaching the King, where they might harm Athens's interests. Sadokos dispatched agents with Learchus and Ameiniades to seize the envoys as they traveled through Thrace toward their ship. The captives were handed over to the Athenian ambassadors and brought to Athens.
Upon their arrival, the Athenians executed them all that very day, without trial or allowing them to present a defense. They were particularly concerned about Aristeus, who had been instrumental in previous conflicts at Potidaea and in the Thracian territories, and feared the damage he might cause if released. The bodies were thrown into a pit. The Athenians justified this action as retaliation for Spartan practices—from the war's beginning, the Spartans had been killing and throwing into pits all Athenian and allied merchants they captured aboard ships around the Peloponnese. In fact, the Spartans had been executing everyone they caught at sea, whether Athenian allies or neutrals, treating them all as enemies.
Historical Context
This passage describes two significant events from 430 BCE, the second year of the Peloponnesian War. First, a failed Spartan naval raid on Zakynthos demonstrates the limited effectiveness of Spartan naval operations against fortified island allies of Athens. Second, and more dramatically, it recounts the interception and execution of a diplomatic mission attempting to secure Persian support for Sparta. The killing of these envoys, particularly the prominent Corinthian leader Aristeus, represents a serious breach of diplomatic immunity and illustrates the escalating brutality of the war. Thucydides uses this incident to highlight how both sides abandoned traditional Greek customs of warfare, with the Athenians justifying their actions as retaliation for similar Spartan atrocities against merchants.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Diplomatic Immunity in Ancient Greece
The execution of envoys violated sacred Greek customs protecting diplomats. Heralds and ambassadors were traditionally considered inviolable, under divine protection. This breach demonstrates how the Peloponnesian War eroded traditional Greek values and customs.
Learn more →Persian Involvement
The mission to the Persian King reveals Sparta's willingness to seek support from Greece's traditional enemy. This would later become a crucial factor in Sparta's victory, as Persian gold eventually funded their fleet.
Learn more →Zakynthos Strategic Importance
Zakynthos controlled western sea routes and served as an Athenian naval base. Its position off Elis made it valuable for monitoring Peloponnesian naval movements and protecting Athenian interests in the Ionian Sea.
Learn more →Thracian Politics
Sitalkes ruled the powerful Odrysian Kingdom. His alliance with Athens, cemented by his son Sadokos receiving Athenian citizenship, was crucial for Athenian interests in the northern Aegean and the grain supply from the Black Sea region.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Herodotus: Histories (Book 7.133-137)
Herodotus describes how the Spartans once killed Persian heralds, bringing divine wrath upon themselves. The parallel highlights how both sides in the Peloponnesian War violated the sacred protection of envoys.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (Book 1.1.32)
Xenophon later describes similar Athenian brutality toward prisoners, showing how such practices became normalized throughout the war, supporting Thucydides' theme of moral degradation.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Pericles (Chapter 26)
Plutarch provides context for Athenian attitudes during this period, describing the plague and growing desperation that may have contributed to such harsh measures against enemies.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does the execution of the envoys reflect the breakdown of traditional Greek values during wartime? What modern parallels exist?
- Was Athens justified in executing the envoys as retaliation for Spartan atrocities? How do we evaluate justice versus revenge in warfare?
- What does the attempted Persian alliance reveal about Spartan desperation and pragmatism? How does this complicate the traditional narrative of Greeks versus Persians?
- How does Thucydides use this episode to illustrate his broader themes about the corrupting effects of war on society?