Today's Passage
This passage describes the diplomatic aftermath of the Peace of Nicias (421 BCE), which temporarily ended hostilities between Athens and Sparta.
Crawley Translation (1910)
The Mantineans and their allies were the first to come over through fear of the Lacedaemonians. Having taken advantage of the war against Athens to reduce a large part of Arcadia into subjection, they thought that Lacedaemon would not leave them undisturbed in their conquests, now that she had leisure to interfere, and consequently gladly turned to a powerful city like Argos, the historical enemy of the Lacedaemonians, and a sister democracy. Upon the defection of Mantinea, the rest of Peloponnese at once began to agitate the propriety of following her example, conceiving that the Mantineans not have changed sides without good reason; besides which they were angry with Lacedaemon among other reasons for having inserted in the treaty with Athens that it should be consistent with their oaths for both parties, Lacedaemonians and Athenians, to add to or take away from it according to their discretion. It was this clause that was the real origin of the panic in Peloponnese, by exciting suspicions of a Lacedaemonian and Athenian combination against their liberties: any alteration should properly have been made conditional upon the consent of the whole body of the allies. With these apprehensions there was a very general desire in each state to place itself in alliance with Argos.
Modern Translation
The Mantineans and their allies were the first to switch sides, driven by fear of the Spartans. During the war with Athens, they had exploited the opportunity to subjugate much of Arcadia, but now they realized that Sparta, with peace restored and time on its hands, would not tolerate their territorial gains. They therefore eagerly aligned themselves with Argos—a powerful city-state that was both Sparta's traditional enemy and a fellow democracy. Once Mantinea defected, the rest of the Peloponnese immediately began debating whether to follow suit, reasoning that the Mantineans must have had compelling grounds for their decision. Additionally, they were furious with Sparta for various reasons, particularly for including in the treaty with Athens a provision allowing both parties to modify the agreement at their mutual discretion. This clause was the true source of alarm throughout the Peloponnese, as it raised fears of a Spartan-Athenian conspiracy against their independence. Any modifications should have required the unanimous consent of all allied states. Given these anxieties, there was widespread eagerness among the city-states to secure an alliance with Argos.
Historical Context
This passage describes the diplomatic aftermath of the Peace of Nicias (421 BCE), which temporarily ended hostilities between Athens and Sparta. The peace settlement created unexpected instability as Sparta's allies, particularly Mantinea, feared Spartan retaliation for their wartime territorial expansions. The bilateral revision clause in the treaty between Athens and Sparta alarmed other Peloponnesian states, who saw it as evidence of a potential duopoly threatening their autonomy. Argos, traditionally hostile to Sparta and possessing democratic institutions, emerged as an alternative power center. This diplomatic realignment marked the beginning of a complex period of shifting alliances that would eventually lead to renewed warfare. The passage illustrates how peace settlements could paradoxically create new sources of conflict in the Greek world.
Annotations & References
Peace of Nicias
The fifty-year peace treaty signed in 421 BCE between Athens and Sparta, named after the Athenian general who negotiated it. The treaty aimed to restore the status quo ante bellum but failed to address underlying tensions and territorial disputes among allies.
Learn more →Mantinea
An important Arcadian city-state in the central Peloponnese. Mantinea pursued an expansionist policy during the Archidamian War, taking advantage of Spartan preoccupation with Athens to dominate neighboring territories in Arcadia.
Learn more →Argos
A major Peloponnesian city-state that remained neutral during the Archidamian War. As Sparta's traditional rival and a democracy, Argos became an attractive alternative ally for states dissatisfied with Spartan hegemony after 421 BCE.
Learn more →Greek Alliance Systems
The complex web of bilateral and multilateral treaties that governed relations between Greek city-states. These alliances were often hierarchical, with smaller states bound to follow the leadership of major powers like Athens or Sparta.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (Book 12.75-76)
Diodorus provides a condensed account of the diplomatic maneuvering following the Peace of Nicias, including the formation of the Argive alliance and Mantinean concerns about Spartan retaliation.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Alcibiades (14-15)
Plutarch describes how Alcibiades exploited these diplomatic tensions to undermine the Peace of Nicias and engineer an alliance between Athens and Argos.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (Book 5.2.1-7)
Though describing later events, Xenophon details similar Spartan actions against Mantinea in 385 BCE, showing the persistent pattern of Spartan-Mantinean conflict over Arcadian hegemony.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does this passage illustrate the instability inherent in Greek interstate relations, even during supposed peace?
- What does the Peloponnesian reaction to the bilateral revision clause reveal about Greek concepts of collective security and autonomy?
- Why might Thucydides emphasize fear as the primary motivation for Mantinea's defection? How does this connect to his broader themes?
- How do democratic constitutions factor into alliance formation in this passage? What role does regime type play in Greek diplomacy?