Today's Passage
This passage describes the Spartan assault on the Athenian fortification at Pylos in 425 BCE, a pivotal moment in the Peloponnesian War.
Crawley Translation (1910)
Thus encouraged by Demosthenes, the Athenians felt more confident, and went down to meet the enemy, posting themselves along the edge of the sea. The Lacedaemonians now put themselves in movement and simultaneously assaulted the fortification with their land forces and with their ships, forty-three in number, under their admiral, Thrasymelidas, son of Cratesicles, a Spartan, who made his attack just where Demosthenes expected. The Athenians had thus to defend themselves on both sides, from the land and from the sea; the enemy rowing up in small detachments, the one relieving the other—it being impossible for many to bring to at once—and showing great ardour and cheering each other on, in the endeavour to force a passage and to take the fortification. He who most distinguished himself was Brasidas. Captain of a galley, and seeing that the captains and steersmen, impressed by the difficulty of the position, hung back even where a landing might have seemed possible, for fear of wrecking their vessels, he shouted out to them, that they must never allow the enemy to fortify himself in their country for the sake of saving timber, but must shiver their vessels and force a landing; and bade the allies, instead of hesitating in such a moment to sacrifice their ships for Lacedaemon in return for her many benefits, to run them boldly aground, land in one way or another, and make themselves masters of the place and its garrison.
Not content with this exhortation, he forced his own steersman to run his ship ashore, and stepping on to the gangway, was endeavouring to land, when he was cut down by the Athenians, and after receiving many wounds fainted away. Falling into the bows, his shield slipped off his arm into the sea, and being thrown ashore was picked up by the Athenians, and afterwards used for the trophy which they set up for this attack. The rest also did their best, but were not able to land, owing to the difficulty of the ground and the unflinching tenacity of the Athenians. It was a strange reversal of the order of things for Athenians to be fighting from the land, and from Laconian land too, against Lacedaemonians coming from the sea; while Lacedaemonians were trying to land from shipboard in their own country, now become hostile, to attack Athenians, although the former were chiefly famous at the time as an inland people and superior by land, the latter as a maritime people with a navy that had no equal.
Modern Translation
Emboldened by Demosthenes' encouragement, the Athenians gained confidence and descended to confront their enemies, taking up positions along the shoreline. The Spartans then launched their assault, attacking the fortification simultaneously by land and sea with forty-three ships commanded by their admiral Thrasymelidas, son of Cratesicles, a Spartan who directed his attack precisely where Demosthenes had anticipated. The Athenians found themselves defending on two fronts—against forces from both land and sea. The enemy rowed forward in small groups, one squadron replacing another (since it was impossible for many ships to approach simultaneously), displaying remarkable enthusiasm and urging one another on as they attempted to break through and capture the fortification.
The most distinguished performance came from Brasidas. As a ship captain who observed other captains and helmsmen hesitating—deterred by the challenging terrain even where landing seemed feasible, fearing damage to their vessels—he shouted that they must not allow the enemy to establish a stronghold in their territory merely to preserve timber. He urged them to wreck their ships if necessary to force a landing, and called upon the allies to repay Sparta's many past favors by boldly running their vessels aground, disembarking by any means possible, and seizing both the position and its defenders.
Not satisfied with merely exhorting others, Brasidas compelled his own helmsman to beach the ship. Stepping onto the gangway in an attempt to disembark, he was struck down by the Athenians and, after sustaining numerous wounds, lost consciousness. As he collapsed into the ship's bow, his shield slipped from his arm into the sea. Washing ashore, it was recovered by the Athenians, who later incorporated it into the trophy commemorating this engagement. Despite their best efforts, the other Spartans could not effect a landing due to the difficult terrain and the Athenians' unwavering resistance.
The situation presented a remarkable reversal of conventional roles: Athenians were fighting from land—Spartan land, no less—against Spartans approaching from the sea, while Spartans attempted to disembark in their own territory, now hostile, to assault Athenians. This was extraordinary given that the Spartans were renowned as a land-based power with superior infantry, while the Athenians were celebrated as a maritime force with an unmatched navy.
Historical Context
This passage describes the Spartan assault on the Athenian fortification at Pylos in 425 BCE, a pivotal moment in the Peloponnesian War. After Demosthenes had fortified Pylos on the Spartan coast, the Spartans launched a desperate counterattack to prevent this strategic foothold. The battle featured Brasidas, who would later become one of Sparta's most successful commanders, demonstrating exceptional courage in leading the naval assault. The irony Thucydides emphasizes—of land-power Sparta attacking from the sea while naval-power Athens defends from land—underscores how this conflict disrupted traditional Greek military paradigms. The capture of Brasidas' shield became a symbolic victory for Athens, foreshadowing the eventual Athenian success at Pylos that would lead to the capture of Spartan hoplites on Sphacteria.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Brasidas
Brasidas was one of Sparta's most innovative and successful commanders during the Peloponnesian War. His willingness to sacrifice ships and lead by example at Pylos demonstrated the unconventional thinking that would later make him successful in Thrace. His capture of Amphipolis in 424 BCE would prove a major blow to Athenian interests.
Learn more →Naval Warfare Tactics
The Spartan tactic of rotating ships in small detachments reflects the difficulty of ancient naval landings. Without proper harbors, ships had to be beached or approach in shallow water, making them vulnerable. The rotation system allowed fresh troops to maintain pressure while avoiding congestion.
Learn more →Battle of Pylos
The fortification of Pylos by Athens in 425 BCE created a permanent threat in Spartan territory. The subsequent battle and blockade of Sphacteria led to the unprecedented surrender of Spartan hoplites, shocking the Greek world and shifting the war's momentum temporarily in Athens' favor.
Learn more →Military Trophies
Greek victors traditionally erected trophies (tropaia) at battle sites using captured enemy equipment. Brasidas' shield becoming part of the Athenian trophy added particular symbolic weight, as it represented a personal defeat of Sparta's most promising commander and emphasized the reversal of traditional roles.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.61-63)
Diodorus provides a parallel account of the Pylos campaign, offering additional details about the fortification and emphasizing the psychological impact on Sparta of having Athenians occupying their territory.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Nicias (7.1-4)
Plutarch describes the aftermath of Pylos and how the capture of Spartan hoplites on Sphacteria changed Athenian war aims, connecting to Cleon's political rise and the rejection of peace terms.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (1.2.18)
Though focusing on later events, Xenophon references how the Pylos garrison continued to trouble Sparta throughout the war, showing the long-term strategic impact of Demosthenes' fortification.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does Thucydides use the role reversal of Athenians on land and Spartans at sea to comment on the nature of power and adaptability in warfare?
- What does Brasidas' willingness to destroy Spartan ships reveal about different concepts of valor and resource management in ancient warfare?
- How might the symbolic capture of Brasidas' shield have affected Spartan and Athenian morale differently?
- In what ways does this passage illustrate Thucydides' interest in the relationship between national character and military innovation?