Today's Passage
This passage describes events in 422 BCE, during the tenth year of the Peloponnesian War.
Crawley Translation (1910)
Tenth Year of the War—Death of Cleon and Brasidas—Peace of Nicias
The next summer the truce for a year ended, after lasting until the Pythian games. During the armistice the Athenians expelled the Delians from Delos, concluding that they must have been polluted by some old offence at the time of their consecration, and that this had been the omission in the previous purification of the island, which, as I have related, had been thought to have been duly accomplished by the removal of the graves of the dead. The Delians had Atramyttium in Asia given them by Pharnaces, and settled there as they removed from Delos.
Modern Translation
The following summer, after the year-long truce had expired (it had lasted through the Pythian games), the Athenians expelled the inhabitants of Delos from their island. They decided that the Delians must have been ritually impure from some ancient transgression when they were first consecrated, and that this contamination had been overlooked during the earlier purification of the island—which, as I previously described, was believed to have been properly completed when the tombs of the dead were removed. The displaced Delians received Atramyttium in Asia from Pharnaces and established themselves there after their removal from Delos.
Historical Context
This passage describes events in 422 BCE, during the tenth year of the Peloponnesian War. The year-long truce between Athens and Sparta has just ended, coinciding with the Pythian games at Delphi. Athens, still controlling the sacred island of Delos (birthplace of Apollo), expels the native population on religious grounds. This action reflects Athens' continued assertion of religious authority over the Delian League, even as its imperial power was being challenged. The expulsion demonstrates how religious justifications could mask political motivations—Athens likely wanted tighter control over this strategically and symbolically important island. Pharnaces, a Persian satrap, provides refuge to the Delians, highlighting the complex web of Greek-Persian relations during the war.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Delian League and Religious Authority
Delos was the original meeting place of the Delian League, Athens' maritime alliance. By controlling the island and its religious festivals, Athens maintained both spiritual and political authority over its allies. The purification and expulsion of inhabitants shows how religious concerns intertwined with imperial control.
Learn more →Pythian Games
One of the four Panhellenic games, held at Delphi every four years in honor of Apollo. Sacred truces typically accompanied these festivals, temporarily halting warfare among Greek states. The timing of the truce's end with these games underscores the religious calendar's influence on military operations.
Learn more →Religious Pollution (Miasma)
Ancient Greeks believed that certain acts or conditions created ritual pollution that could contaminate individuals or entire communities. This pollution required purification rituals to restore religious purity. Athens uses this concept to justify the politically motivated expulsion of the Delians.
Learn more →Persian Satraps and Greek Affairs
Pharnaces was likely the satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia. Persian satraps frequently involved themselves in Greek affairs during the Peloponnesian War, offering support to various Greek factions. This assistance to the Delians shows Persia's ongoing interest in weakening Athenian power.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.73)
Diodorus also mentions the expulsion of the Delians, providing additional details about their resettlement and the Athenian motivations behind this action during the Peloponnesian War.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Nicias (3.5-6)
Plutarch discusses Nicias's role in religious matters and purifications, including the earlier purification of Delos, providing context for understanding Athenian religious policies.
Read passage →Herodotus: Histories (1.64)
Herodotus describes Peisistratus's earlier purification of Delos, establishing the precedent for religious purification of the island that Athens later invoked.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does the Athenian expulsion of the Delians illustrate the intersection of religious authority and political power in ancient Greece?
- What does this episode reveal about the nature of Athenian imperialism and its justifications?
- Why might Thucydides have included this seemingly minor episode in his history? What larger patterns of behavior does it illustrate?
- How does the Persian satrap's involvement in providing refuge reflect the broader geopolitical dynamics of the Peloponnesian War?