Today's Passage
This passage describes the aftermath of the Battle of Amphipolis (422 BCE), where the brilliant Spartan general Brasidas died while defeating Athenian forces led by Cleon.
Crawley Translation (1910)
After this all the allies attended in arms and buried Brasidas at the public expense in the city, in front of what is now the marketplace, and the Amphipolitans, having enclosed his tomb, ever afterwards sacrifice to him as a hero and have given to him the honour of games and annual offerings. They constituted him the founder of their colony, and pulled down the Hagnonic erections, and obliterated everything that could be interpreted as a memorial of his having founded the place; for they considered that Brasidas had been their preserver, and courting as they did the alliance of Lacedaemon for fear of Athens, in their present hostile relations with the latter they could no longer with the same advantage or satisfaction pay Hagnon his honours. They also gave the Athenians back their dead. About six hundred of the latter had fallen and only seven of the enemy, owing to there having been no regular engagement, but the affair of accident and panic that I have described. After taking up their dead the Athenians sailed off home, while Clearidas and his troops remained to arrange matters at Amphipolis.
About the same time three Lacedaemonians—Ramphias, Autocharidas, and Epicydidas—led a reinforcement of nine hundred heavy infantry to the towns in the direction of Thrace, and arriving at Heraclea in Trachis reformed matters there as seemed good to them. While they delayed there, this battle took place and so the summer ended.
With the beginning of the winter following, Ramphias and his companions penetrated as far as Pierium in Thessaly; but as the Thessalians opposed their further advance, and Brasidas whom they came to reinforce was dead, they turned back home, thinking that the moment had gone by, the Athenians being defeated and gone, and themselves not equal to the execution of Brasidas’s designs. The main cause however of their return was because they knew that when they set out Lacedaemonian opinion was really in favour of peace.
Modern Translation
Following these events, all the allied forces assembled under arms to bury Brasidas at public expense within the city, in front of what is now the agora. The Amphipolitans enclosed his tomb and have ever since offered sacrifices to him as a hero, establishing games and annual rites in his honor. They proclaimed him their colony's founder, demolishing all structures associated with Hagnon and erasing any trace that might suggest Hagnon had founded the city. They believed Brasidas had been their savior, and given their current cultivation of Sparta's alliance out of fear of Athens—with whom they were now openly hostile—they could no longer honor Hagnon with the same benefit or enthusiasm. They returned the Athenian dead to their countrymen. Approximately six hundred Athenians had perished, compared to merely seven of the enemy, since this was not a pitched battle but rather the confused and panicked encounter I previously described. After recovering their dead, the Athenians sailed home, while Clearidas and his forces remained to settle affairs in Amphipolis.
Around this time, three Spartans—Ramphias, Autocharidas, and Epicydidas—led nine hundred hoplites as reinforcements to the Thracian territories. Upon reaching Heraclea in Trachis, they reorganized matters according to their judgment. While they lingered there, the battle occurred, and thus the summer concluded.
As winter began, Ramphias and his colleagues advanced as far as Pierium in Thessaly. However, when the Thessalians blocked their further progress, and since Brasidas—whom they had come to support—was dead, they turned homeward. They judged the opportunity lost, with the Athenians defeated and departed, and themselves insufficient to implement Brasidas's plans. Their primary reason for withdrawal, however, was their knowledge that Spartan sentiment had already favored peace when they had departed.
Historical Context
This passage describes the aftermath of the Battle of Amphipolis (422 BCE), where the brilliant Spartan general Brasidas died while defeating Athenian forces led by Cleon. The Amphipolitans' decision to honor Brasidas as their city's founder while erasing the memory of the original Athenian founder Hagnon represents a dramatic shift in allegiance. This rewriting of civic identity demonstrates how colonies could switch loyalties during the Peloponnesian War. The failed Spartan reinforcement mission under Ramphias reveals growing war-weariness in Sparta, foreshadowing the Peace of Nicias (421 BCE). The passage illustrates how military success could be undermined by changing political sentiments at home.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Hero Cult in Ancient Greece
The transformation of Brasidas into a hero-founder shows how Greek cities created new religious cults for exceptional individuals. Hero cults involved annual sacrifices, games, and offerings at the tomb, integrating the deceased into the city's religious calendar and identity.
Learn more →Colonial Foundation Myths
Greek colonies typically honored their oikistes (founder) with religious rites. Amphipolis's replacement of Hagnon with Brasidas as founder demonstrates how political necessities could override historical fact in shaping civic identity and religious practice.
Learn more →Thessalian Politics
Thessaly's blocking of Spartan reinforcements reflects its complex position between northern and southern Greece. Though nominally allied with Athens, Thessalian cities often pursued independent policies based on local aristocratic interests rather than consistent alliance obligations.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Plutarch: Life of Nicias (9.1-3)
Plutarch describes the death of Brasidas and Cleon at Amphipolis, emphasizing how their deaths removed the main obstacles to peace negotiations between Athens and Sparta.
Read passage →Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.74)
Diodorus provides a parallel account of the Battle of Amphipolis and its aftermath, including Brasidas's heroization and the changing attitudes toward peace in both Athens and Sparta.
Read passage →Polyaenus: Stratagems (1.38.2)
Polyaenus preserves anecdotes about Brasidas's military genius, helping explain why the Amphipolitans chose to honor him as their savior and new founder after his death in battle.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does the Amphipolitans' erasure of Hagnon and elevation of Brasidas reflect the relationship between memory, power, and civic identity in ancient Greece?
- What does the contrast between the 600 Athenian and 7 enemy casualties reveal about the nature of this battle and Thucydides' emphasis on planning versus chance?
- How does the failed Spartan reinforcement mission illustrate the tension between military objectives and political realities in wartime decision-making?
- What does this passage suggest about the role of individual leaders like Brasidas in shaping the course of the Peloponnesian War?