Today's Passage
This passage describes the siege of Plataea (429 BCE), a crucial episode early in the Peloponnesian War.
Crawley Translation (1910)
Discovering this the Peloponnesians twisted up clay in wattles of reed and threw it into the breach formed in the mound, in order to give it consistency and prevent its being carried away like the soil. Stopped in this way the Plataeans changed their mode of operation, and digging a mine from the town calculated their way under the mound, and began to carry off its material as before. This went on for a long while without the enemy outside finding it out, so that for all they threw on the top their mound made no progress in proportion, being carried away from beneath and constantly settling down in the vacuum. But the Plataeans, fearing that even thus they might not be able to hold out against the superior numbers of the enemy, had yet another invention. They stopped working at the large building in front of the mound, and starting at either end of it inside from the old low wall, built a new one in the form of a crescent running in towards the town; in order that in the event of the great wall being taken this might remain, and the enemy have to throw up a fresh mound against it, and as they advanced within might not only have their trouble over again, but also be exposed to missiles on their flanks. While raising the mound the Peloponnesians also brought up engines against the city, one of which was brought up upon the mound against the great building and shook down a good piece of it, to the no small alarm of the Plataeans. Others were advanced against different parts of the wall but were lassoed and broken by the Plataeans; who also hung up great beams by long iron chains from either extremity of two poles laid on the wall and projecting over it, and drew them up at an angle whenever any point was threatened by the engine, and loosing their hold let the beam go with its chains slack, so that it fell with a run and snapped off the nose of the battering ram.
Modern Translation
When the Peloponnesians discovered this, they wove clay into reed frameworks and threw these into the gaps that had formed in their siege mound, hoping to give it stability and prevent it from being washed away like loose earth. Blocked by this countermeasure, the Plataeans shifted tactics. They dug a tunnel from within the city, calculated its path beneath the mound, and resumed removing material from below. This operation continued for quite some time without the besiegers noticing, so that despite all the material they piled on top, their mound made little headway—it was being hollowed out from underneath and continuously collapsing into the void. Yet the Plataeans, worried that they still might not withstand their enemies' superior numbers, devised another strategy. They ceased work on the large fortification facing the mound and, starting from both ends of it inside the old low wall, constructed a new crescent-shaped wall curving back toward the city. Their plan was that if the main wall fell, this secondary defense would remain standing, forcing the enemy to build another mound against it. As they advanced inward, the attackers would not only have to repeat their labors but would also face fire from both flanks. While building their mound, the Peloponnesians deployed siege engines against the city. One, positioned on the mound opposite the great fortification, demolished a substantial section, terrifying the Plataeans. Other engines attacked various points along the wall but were ensnared and destroyed by the defenders, who also suspended massive beams from long iron chains attached to poles extending over the wall. Whenever an engine threatened a particular spot, they would hoist these beams at an angle, then release them. The beams would plummet with their chains loose, smashing into the battering rams and breaking off their heads.
Historical Context
This passage describes the siege of Plataea (429 BCE), a crucial episode early in the Peloponnesian War. The small city of Plataea, Athens' oldest ally, was besieged by Peloponnesian forces led by the Spartan king Archidamus. The siege showcases the evolution of Greek siege warfare, with both sides employing increasingly sophisticated engineering techniques. The Plataeans' successful resistance against overwhelming odds demonstrated remarkable ingenuity and determination. This siege held symbolic importance as Plataea had been the site of the great Greek victory over Persia in 479 BCE. The city's eventual fall in 427 BCE would mark a significant propaganda victory for Sparta and showcase the brutal nature of the war, as the captured defenders were executed and the city destroyed.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Greek Siege Warfare
Ancient Greek siege warfare evolved significantly during the 5th century BCE. The techniques described here—siege mounds, undermining, and battering rams—represent sophisticated engineering for the period. The defenders' countermeasures, including counter-mining and the innovative use of suspended beams to destroy siege engines, demonstrate the dynamic nature of siege warfare.
Learn more →Plataea's Strategic Importance
Plataea held unique significance as Athens' oldest ally and the site of the decisive Greek victory over Persia in 479 BCE. Its siege represented not just a military operation but an attack on a symbol of Greek unity against foreign invasion, making its defense a matter of honor for Athens.
Learn more →Engineering in Classical Warfare
The siege showcases advanced engineering techniques including tunneling calculations, structural reinforcement with wattled clay, and the physics of defensive mechanisms. These innovations would influence later Hellenistic siege warfare, particularly under commanders like Demetrius Poliorcetes.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (Book 12.56)
Diodorus provides a condensed account of the Plataean siege, emphasizing the heroic resistance of the defenders and the ultimate fate of the city, though with less technical detail than Thucydides.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Pericles (Chapter 25)
While not describing this specific siege, Plutarch discusses Pericles' defensive strategy that led to Plataea's isolation, providing context for why this small city had to defend itself with such ingenuity.
Read passage →Aeneas Tacticus: How to Survive Under Siege (Chapters 32-37)
This 4th-century BCE military manual describes similar defensive techniques, suggesting that the Plataean innovations became standard practice in Greek siege defense.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does this passage illustrate the relationship between technological innovation and military necessity in ancient warfare?
- What does the elaborate nature of both attack and defense suggest about the symbolic importance of Plataea beyond its strategic value?
- How might the resource investment in this siege reflect the nature of Greek interstate warfare and concepts of honor?
- In what ways does Thucydides' detailed technical description serve his larger historiographical purposes?