Today's Passage
This passage describes the final phase of the Spartan-led siege of Plataea in 429 BCE, during the third year of the Peloponnesian War.
Crawley Translation (1910)
After this the Peloponnesians, finding that their engines effected nothing, and that their mound was met by the counterwork, concluded that their present means of offence were unequal to the taking of the city, and prepared for its circumvallation. First, however, they determined to try the effects of fire and see whether they could not, with the help of a wind, burn the town, as it was not a large one; indeed they thought of every possible expedient by which the place might be reduced without the expense of a blockade. They accordingly brought faggots of brushwood and threw them from the mound, first into the space between it and the wall; and this soon becoming full from the number of hands at work, they next heaped the faggots up as far into the town as they could reach from the top, and then lighted the wood by setting fire to it with sulphur and pitch. The consequence was a fire greater than any one had ever yet seen produced by human agency, though it could not of course be compared to the spontaneous conflagrations sometimes known to occur through the wind rubbing the branches of a mountain forest together. And this fire was not only remarkable for its magnitude, but was also, at the end of so many perils, within an ace of proving fatal to the Plataeans; a great part of the town became entirely inaccessible, and had a wind blown upon it, in accordance with the hopes of the enemy, nothing could have saved them. As it was, there is also a story of heavy rain and thunder having come on by which the fire was put out and the danger averted.
Failing in this last attempt the Peloponnesians left a portion of their forces on the spot, dismissing the rest, and built a wall of circumvallation round the town, dividing the ground among the various cities present; a ditch being made within and without the lines, from which they got their bricks. All being finished by about the rising of Arcturus, they left men enough to man half the wall, the rest being manned by the Boeotians, and drawing off their army dispersed to their several cities. The Plataeans had before sent off their wives and children and oldest men and the mass of the non-combatants to Athens; so that the number of the besieged left in the place comprised four hundred of their own citizens, eighty Athenians, and a hundred and ten women to bake their bread. This was the sum total at the commencement of the siege, and there was no one else within the walls, bond or free. Such were the arrangements made for the blockade of Plataea.
Modern Translation
After these failures, the Peloponnesians realized that their siege engines were ineffective and that their earthwork had been countered by the defenders' construction. They concluded that their current offensive methods were insufficient to capture the city and began preparations for a complete encirclement. Before committing to this lengthy process, however, they decided to attempt one more assault using fire, hoping that with favorable winds they might burn down the town, given its modest size. They were determined to explore every possible strategy that might achieve victory without the considerable expense of a prolonged blockade.
They gathered bundles of brushwood and hurled them from their siege mound into the gap between the earthwork and the city wall. With many hands working simultaneously, this space quickly filled up. They then piled the bundles as far into the city as they could reach from their elevated position, before igniting the wood with sulfur and pitch. The resulting conflagration exceeded any fire previously created by human design, though it naturally could not compare to the wildfires that occasionally occur when wind causes mountain forest branches to rub together and ignite. This fire was extraordinary not only in its scale but also because it came perilously close to destroying the Plataeans after they had survived so many other dangers. A substantial portion of the city became completely inaccessible, and had the wind blown as the enemy hoped, nothing could have saved the defenders. According to one account, however, a sudden heavy rainstorm accompanied by thunder extinguished the flames and eliminated the threat.
When this final stratagem failed, the Peloponnesians dismissed most of their forces while retaining a contingent to construct a wall completely surrounding the city. They allocated sections of the construction to the various allied cities present. Ditches were excavated both inside and outside the fortification lines to provide material for bricks. The entire project was completed around the time of Arcturus's rising. They left sufficient troops to guard half the wall, with the Boeotians manning the remainder, then withdrew their main army, with soldiers returning to their respective cities. The Plataeans had previously evacuated their women, children, elderly, and other non-combatants to Athens. The defending force that remained consisted of four hundred Plataean citizens, eighty Athenians, and one hundred and ten women to prepare food. This was the complete garrison at the siege's commencement—no other person, whether slave or free, remained within the walls. These were the arrangements implemented for the investment of Plataea.
Historical Context
This passage describes the final phase of the Spartan-led siege of Plataea in 429 BCE, during the third year of the Peloponnesian War. Plataea, Athens' oldest ally, had been under attack by Peloponnesian forces led by the Spartan king Archidamus. After conventional siege tactics failed—including the construction of a siege mound that the Plataeans countered with their own fortifications—the besiegers attempted to burn the city using a massive fire. When this too failed, possibly due to divine intervention in the form of rain, the Peloponnesians settled in for a long siege, building a wall of circumvallation around the city. This siege would last over two years and end with Plataea's surrender and destruction, marking a significant symbolic victory for Sparta and demonstrating the vulnerability of Athens' smaller allies.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Ancient Siege Warfare
The siege of Plataea showcases typical Greek siege tactics: earthworks, counter-walls, and attempted burning. The use of sulfur and pitch as incendiaries was common in ancient warfare. The circumvallation (surrounding wall) represents the final resort when assault tactics failed.
Learn more →Rising of Arcturus
Arcturus is a bright star whose heliacal rising (first appearance before dawn) occurred in mid-September in ancient Greece. Thucydides uses astronomical phenomena to date events precisely, reflecting Greek scientific knowledge and his methodological approach to history.
Learn more →Plataea's Historical Significance
Plataea held special status as Athens' oldest ally, dating from before the Persian Wars. The city had fought alongside Athens at Marathon (490 BCE) and was the site of the final Greek victory over Persia (479 BCE), making its destruction particularly symbolic.
Learn more →Greek Women in Warfare
The mention of 110 women remaining to bake bread highlights women's essential support roles during sieges. While excluded from combat, women were crucial for food preparation, nursing, and maintaining domestic functions during military crises.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Herodotus: Histories (Book 9.51-85)
Describes the Battle of Plataea (479 BCE) where Greeks defeated Persians, establishing Plataea's importance to Greek freedom and its special relationship with Athens that explains why it was targeted in 429 BCE.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (Book 5.4.10-12)
Describes the later seizure of the Theban Cadmea using surprise rather than siege, contrasting with the prolonged investment of Plataea and showing evolution in Greek siege tactics.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Pericles (Chapter 24-25)
Discusses Pericles' strategy of avoiding land battles and relying on Athens' walls, explaining why small allied cities like Plataea were vulnerable to Spartan siege tactics.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- What does the escalation from conventional siege tactics to attempted burning reveal about the nature of warfare and its tendency toward total destruction?
- How should we interpret the story of divine intervention through rain? Does Thucydides include it skeptically or as a legitimate possibility?
- What does the precise enumeration of defenders (including women) tell us about Thucydides' historical method and values?
- How does the fate of Plataea illustrate the vulnerability of smaller states in great power conflicts?