Today's Passage
This passage describes a series of interconnected military engagements in Sicily during 425 BCE, part of Athens' broader involvement in Sicilian affairs.
Crawley Translation (1910)
Meanwhile the Athenians, having received warning that Camarina was about to be betrayed to the Syracusans by Archias and his party, sailed thither; and the Messinese took this opportunity to attack by sea and land with all their forces their Chalcidian neighbour, Naxos. The first day they forced the Naxians to keep their walls, and laid waste their country; the next they sailed round with their ships, and laid waste their land on the river Akesines, while their land forces menaced the city. Meanwhile the Sicels came down from the high country in great numbers, to aid against the Messinese; and the Naxians, elated at the sight, and animated by a belief that the Leontines and their other Hellenic allies were coming to their support, suddenly sallied out from the town, and attacked and routed the Messinese, killing more than a thousand of them; while the remainder suffered severely in their retreat home, being attacked by the barbarians on the road, and most of them cut off. The ships put in to Messina, and afterwards dispersed for their different homes. The Leontines and their allies, with the Athenians, upon this at once turned their arms against the now weakened Messina, and attacked, the Athenians with their ships on the side of the harbour, and the land forces on that of the town. The Messinese, however, sallying out with Demoteles and some Locrians who had been left to garrison the city after the disaster, suddenly attacked and routed most of the Leontine army, killing a great number; upon seeing which the Athenians landed from their ships, and falling on the Messinese in disorder chased them back into the town, and setting up a trophy retired to Rhegium. After this the Hellenes in Sicily continued to make war on each other by land, without the Athenians.
Modern Translation
During this time, the Athenians received intelligence that Archias and his faction were planning to betray Camarina to the Syracusans, so they sailed there immediately. The Messenians seized this opportunity to launch a coordinated assault by land and sea against their Chalcidian neighbors in Naxos. On the first day, they confined the Naxians within their walls and devastated the surrounding countryside. The following day, their fleet circled around to ravage the territory along the Akesines river while their infantry threatened the city itself. At this critical moment, large numbers of Sicels descended from the mountains to assist against the Messenians. The Naxians, encouraged by this sight and convinced that the Leontines and their other Greek allies were coming to help, suddenly burst forth from the city. They attacked and completely routed the Messenians, killing over a thousand men. The survivors endured terrible losses during their retreat, as the native peoples ambushed them along the roads, cutting down most of the fleeing soldiers. The Messenian ships withdrew to their home port before dispersing to their respective cities. The Leontines and their allies, together with the Athenians, immediately capitalized on Messina's weakened state by launching an assault—the Athenians attacking from the harbor with their fleet while the land forces approached from the town side. However, the Messenians, led by Demoteles and supported by Locrian troops stationed there after the recent disaster, launched a surprise counterattack. They routed the majority of the Leontine army, inflicting heavy casualties. Witnessing this reversal, the Athenians disembarked from their vessels and charged the disordered Messenians, driving them back into the city. After erecting a trophy, they withdrew to Rhegium. Following these events, the Greek cities of Sicily continued their land warfare among themselves, without Athenian involvement.
Historical Context
This passage describes a series of interconnected military engagements in Sicily during 425 BCE, part of Athens' broader involvement in Sicilian affairs. The narrative begins with Athens responding to intelligence about Camarina's potential defection, highlighting the fluid nature of alliances in Sicily. The main action centers on Messina's opportunistic attack on Naxos while Athens was distracted, resulting in an unexpected Naxian victory with Sicel assistance. The subsequent Athenian-Leontine assault on weakened Messina demonstrates the rapid shifts in military fortune typical of this period. These events illustrate the complex web of Greek city-state rivalries in Sicily, indigenous involvement in Greek conflicts, and Athens' limited ability to control events despite naval superiority. The passage concludes with Athens withdrawing to Rhegium, effectively ending their active military involvement in this phase of Sicilian warfare.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Sicels and Greek-Indigenous Relations
The Sicels were the indigenous people of Sicily who often played crucial roles in conflicts between Greek cities. Their intervention from the mountains proved decisive in the Naxian victory, demonstrating how native peoples could tip the balance in Greek warfare and highlighting the complex ethnic dynamics of ancient Sicily.
Learn more →Chalcidian Cities in Sicily
Naxos was founded by Chalcidian Greeks from Euboea and was the first Greek colony in Sicily (734 BCE). The Chalcidian cities often allied against Dorian cities like Syracuse, creating ethnic-based alliance systems that shaped Sicilian politics throughout the classical period.
Learn more →Trophy (Tropaion) in Greek Warfare
The erection of a trophy was a crucial ritual in Greek warfare, marking the turning point of battle where the enemy fled. Made from captured arms and armor, it served both religious and psychological purposes, formally declaring victory and dedicating it to the gods.
Learn more →Athenian Sicilian Expedition Context
This episode occurs during Athens' first major involvement in Sicily (427-424 BCE), preceding the disastrous expedition of 415-413 BCE. Athens sought to prevent Syracuse from dominating Sicily and to secure grain supplies, but struggled to maintain consistent influence due to distance and local complexities.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (Book 12.54)
Diodorus provides an alternative account of Athenian operations in Sicily during this period, offering different details about the alliances and conflicts between Sicilian cities, though his chronology sometimes differs from Thucydides.
Read passage →Pausanias: Description of Greece (Book 10.11.3-4)
Pausanias mentions dedications at Delphi from Messenian victories, possibly including this conflict, providing archaeological evidence for the military activities described by Thucydides in Sicily.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Nicias (Chapter 12)
While focusing on later events, Plutarch discusses Athenian involvement in Sicily and mentions how earlier expeditions like this one created precedents and connections that influenced the later, catastrophic expedition.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does the intervention of the indigenous Sicels change the outcome of the battle? What does this suggest about the role of non-Greek peoples in Greek conflicts?
- Why might the Athenians have withdrawn to Rhegium after their tactical victory at Messina? Consider both strategic and political factors.
- How does this passage illustrate the opportunistic nature of warfare in ancient Sicily, with cities quickly switching between offense and defense?
- What does the rapid reversal of fortune (Messina defeating Naxos, then being defeated, then defeating Leontini) tell us about the nature of ancient warfare and the reliability of alliances?