Today's Passage
This passage describes the aftermath of the stunning Athenian victory at Sphacteria (425 BCE), where 292 Spartan hoplites, including 120 elite Spartiates, surrendered rather than fight to the death.
Crawley Translation (1910)
Nothing that happened in the war surprised the Hellenes so much as this. It was the opinion that no force or famine could make the Lacedaemonians give up their arms, but that they would fight on as they could, and die with them in their hands: indeed people could scarcely believe that those who had surrendered were of the same stuff as the fallen; and an Athenian ally, who some time after insultingly asked one of the prisoners from the island if those that had fallen were men of honour, received for answer that the atraktos—that is, the arrow—would be worth a great deal if it could tell men of honour from the rest; in allusion to the fact that the killed were those whom the stones and the arrows happened to hit.
Upon the arrival of the men the Athenians determined to keep them in prison until the peace, and if the Peloponnesians invaded their country in the interval, to bring them out and put them to death. Meanwhile the defence of Pylos was not forgotten; the Messenians from Naupactus sent to their old country, to which Pylos formerly belonged, some of the likeliest of their number, and began a series of incursions into Laconia, which their common dialect rendered most destructive. The Lacedaemonians, hitherto without experience of incursions or a warfare of the kind, finding the Helots deserting, and fearing the march of revolution in their country, began to be seriously uneasy, and in spite of their unwillingness to betray this to the Athenians began to send envoys to Athens, and tried to recover Pylos and the prisoners. The Athenians, however, kept grasping at more, and dismissed envoy after envoy without their having effected anything. Such was the history of the affair of Pylos.
Seventh and Eighth Years of the War—End of Corcyraean Revolution— Peace of Gela—Capture of Nisaea
Modern Translation
No event in the war astonished the Greeks more than this. The prevailing belief was that nothing—neither superior force nor starvation—could compel Spartans to surrender their weapons; rather, they would continue fighting however they could and die with arms in hand. People found it nearly impossible to believe that those who had surrendered were made of the same mettle as those who had fallen. When an Athenian ally later mockingly asked one of the island prisoners whether those who had died were the honorable ones, he received this reply: 'The spindle—meaning the arrow—would be quite valuable if it could distinguish honorable men from the rest.' This was a reference to the fact that those killed were simply whoever the stones and arrows happened to strike.
Once the prisoners arrived, the Athenians decided to hold them in custody until peace was achieved, with the intention of executing them if the Peloponnesians invaded Athenian territory beforehand. They did not neglect the defense of Pylos; the Messenians from Naupactus dispatched their most capable men to their ancestral homeland (to which Pylos had once belonged) and launched a series of raids into Laconia. These proved especially devastating because they shared the local dialect. The Spartans, previously inexperienced with such incursions and guerrilla-style warfare, discovered that Helots were deserting and feared revolutionary upheaval in their territory. They became deeply anxious and, despite their reluctance to reveal their desperation to Athens, began sending embassy after embassy, attempting to negotiate the return of both Pylos and their prisoners. The Athenians, however, continued to demand more concessions and repeatedly sent the envoys away empty-handed. Such was the conclusion of the Pylos affair.
Historical Context
This passage describes the aftermath of the stunning Athenian victory at Sphacteria (425 BCE), where 292 Spartan hoplites, including 120 elite Spartiates, surrendered rather than fight to the death. This unprecedented event shattered the myth of Spartan invincibility and gave Athens valuable hostages. The Athenians established a permanent base at Pylos in Messenia, from which exiled Messenians could raid Spartan territory and potentially incite helot revolts. The Spartans, facing both external raids and internal instability, desperately sought to negotiate the return of their prisoners and the strategic position at Pylos, but Athens, emboldened by success, refused reasonable terms. This marks a turning point where Athenian overconfidence begins to emerge.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Spartan Military Ethos
The Spartan military code emphasized death before surrender. The shock at Sphacteria stemmed from Spartans violating this fundamental principle, undermining their reputation for invincibility that had been cultivated since Thermopylae. This surrender revealed Sparta's manpower crisis and vulnerability.
Learn more →Helot System
Sparta's economy depended on enslaved Messenians (helots) who vastly outnumbered Spartan citizens. The establishment of a Messenian base at Pylos threatened to trigger helot uprisings, Sparta's greatest fear. The shared dialect mentioned made infiltration and subversion particularly effective.
Learn more →Athenian Imperialism
Athens' refusal to negotiate reasonable terms exemplifies their growing hubris during this period. Holding Spartan prisoners as hostages while maintaining Pylos gave Athens unprecedented leverage, but their greed for more concessions would eventually contribute to their downfall.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Plutarch: Life of Nicias (7.3-4)
Plutarch describes the Athenian debate over the Spartan prisoners, with Cleon advocating harsh treatment while Nicias urged moderation, illustrating the political divisions this victory created.
Read passage →Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.61-63)
Diodorus provides additional details about the Messenian raids from Pylos and their psychological impact on Sparta, emphasizing how effectively they exploited local knowledge and helot sympathies.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (1.2.18)
Xenophon later describes how the Sphacteria prisoners remained a bargaining chip for years, demonstrating the long-term strategic value of this unexpected victory for Athens.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does the Spartan surrender at Sphacteria challenge traditional Greek concepts of honor and military virtue? What does the prisoner's response about arrows suggest about the role of chance versus merit in warfare?
- Why was Athens unwilling to negotiate despite achieving such a significant victory? What does this reveal about the dynamics of power and ambition in interstate relations?
- How did the establishment of a base at Pylos exploit Sparta's greatest internal weakness? What parallels exist in modern asymmetric warfare?
- What does this passage suggest about the reliability of reputation and mythology in international relations? How did the shattering of Spartan invincibility change the strategic landscape?