Today's Passage
This passage describes the Spartan response to the failed Athenian expedition against Aetolia in 426 BCE.
Crawley Translation (1910)
The same summer the Aetolians, who before the Athenian expedition had sent an embassy to Corinth and Lacedaemon, composed of Tolophus, an Ophionian, Boriades, an Eurytanian, and Tisander, an Apodotian, obtained that an army should be sent them against Naupactus, which had invited the Athenian invasion. The Lacedaemonians accordingly sent off towards autumn three thousand heavy infantry of the allies, five hundred of whom were from Heraclea, the newly founded city in Trachis, under the command of Eurylochus, a Spartan, accompanied by Macarius and Menedaius, also Spartans.
The army having assembled at Delphi, Eurylochus sent a herald to the Ozolian Locrians; the road to Naupactus lying through their territory, and he having besides conceived the idea of detaching them from Athens. His chief abettors in Locris were the Amphissians, who were alarmed at the hostility of the Phocians. These first gave hostages themselves, and induced the rest to do the same for fear of the invading army; first, their neighbours the Myonians, who held the most difficult of the passes, and after them the Ipnians, Messapians, Tritaeans, Chalaeans, Tolophonians, Hessians, and Oeanthians, all of whom joined in the expedition; the Olpaeans contenting themselves with giving hostages, without accompanying the invasion; and the Hyaeans refusing to do either, until the capture of Polis, one of their villages.
Modern Translation
That same summer, the Aetolians—who had dispatched an embassy to Corinth and Sparta before the Athenian invasion, consisting of Tolophus from Ophion, Boriades from Eurytania, and Tisander from Apodotia—successfully secured military support against Naupactus, the city that had facilitated the Athenian attack. In response, the Spartans dispatched three thousand allied heavy infantry toward autumn, including five hundred troops from Heraclea, their recently established colony in Trachis. The force was commanded by the Spartan Eurylochus, with fellow Spartans Macarius and Menedaius serving alongside him.
After mustering at Delphi, Eurylochus sent an envoy to the Ozolian Locrians, since the route to Naupactus passed through their lands, and he also hoped to win them away from their Athenian alliance. His primary supporters among the Locrians were the Amphissians, who feared Phocian aggression. They were the first to provide hostages and persuaded their neighbors to follow suit, fearing the approaching army. The Myonians, who controlled the most treacherous mountain passes, submitted first, followed by the Ipnians, Messapians, Tritaeans, Chalaeans, Tolophonians, Hessians, and Oeanthians—all of whom joined the campaign. The Olpaeans merely gave hostages without joining the march, while the Hyaeans refused both demands until Polis, one of their towns, was captured.
Historical Context
This passage describes the Spartan response to the failed Athenian expedition against Aetolia in 426 BCE. After their victory over Athens, the Aetolians leveraged their success to gain Spartan military support against Naupactus, an important Athenian naval base on the Corinthian Gulf. The Spartans, seeing an opportunity to strike at Athenian interests, assembled a substantial force including troops from their new colony at Heraclea. The expedition's route through Ozolian Locris required careful diplomacy, as Eurylochus needed to secure passage and potentially convert these Athens-aligned communities to the Spartan cause. This campaign represents a typical example of how local conflicts in the Peloponnesian War quickly escalated into larger confrontations between the major powers, with smaller states manipulating great power rivalries for their own advantage.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Naupactus
A strategic port city on the northern shore of the Corinthian Gulf, Naupactus served as Athens' primary naval base in western Greece. Its location allowed Athens to project power into the region and support allies like the Messenians who had been settled there.
Learn more →Heraclea in Trachis
Founded by Sparta in 426 BCE, this colony was established to control the pass at Thermopylae and threaten Athenian interests in central Greece. Its participation in this campaign demonstrates its strategic importance to Spartan regional policy.
Learn more →Ozolian Locrians
The western branch of the Locrian people, inhabiting the mountainous region between Phocis and Aetolia. Their territory controlled crucial passes, making their allegiance vital for any military movement through central Greece.
Learn more →Hostage-Taking in Greek Warfare
The practice of taking hostages ensured compliance from allied or neutral states. These were typically elite citizens whose safety guaranteed their community's cooperation, a common diplomatic tool in ancient Greek interstate relations.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (Book 12.60)
Diodorus provides a parallel account of the Aetolian campaign and Spartan intervention, offering additional details about the regional dynamics and the aftermath of the Athenian defeat in Aetolia.
Read passage →Pausanias: Description of Greece (Book 10.18.1-3)
Pausanias describes the geography of the Ozolian Locrians and their cities, providing valuable context for understanding the strategic importance of the region Eurylochus needed to traverse.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (Book 4.6.1-14)
Though describing later events, Xenophon's account of military operations around Naupactus demonstrates the continuing strategic importance of the city and the challenges of campaigning in this mountainous region.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does this passage illustrate the way local conflicts could escalate into great power confrontations during the Peloponnesian War?
- What does the varying response of the Ozolian Locrian communities reveal about the nature of political allegiance in ancient Greece?
- Why might Thucydides have included such detailed information about which communities joined the expedition and on what terms?
- How does the practice of hostage-taking reflect the balance between coercion and diplomacy in ancient Greek interstate relations?