Today's Passage
This passage occurs during the unstable period following the Peace of Nicias (421 BCE), when the fifty-year peace between Athens and Sparta quickly began unraveling.
Crawley Translation (1910)
In the meantime the Lacedaemonians perceiving the agitation going on in Peloponnese, and that Corinth was the author of it and was herself about to enter into alliance with the Argives, sent ambassadors thither in the hope of preventing what was in contemplation. They accused her of having brought it all about, and told her that she could not desert Lacedaemon and become the ally of Argos, without adding violation of her oaths to the crime which she had already committed in not accepting the treaty with Athens, when it had been expressly agreed that the decision of the majority of the allies should be binding, unless the gods or heroes stood in the way. Corinth in her answer, delivered before those of her allies who had like her refused to accept the treaty, and whom she had previously invited to attend, refrained from openly stating the injuries she complained of, such as the non-recovery of Sollium or Anactorium from the Athenians, or any other point in which she thought she had been prejudiced, but took shelter under the pretext that she could not give up her Thracian allies, to whom her separate individual security had been given, when they first rebelled with Potidæa, as well as upon subsequent occasions. She denied, therefore, that she committed any violation of her oaths to the allies in not entering into the treaty with Athens; having sworn upon the faith of the gods to her Thracian friends, she could not honestly give them up. Besides, the expression was, “unless the gods or heroes stand in the way.” Now here, as it appeared to her, the gods stood in the way. This was what she said on the subject of her former oaths. As to the Argive alliance, she would confer with her friends and do whatever was right. The Lacedaemonian envoys returning home, some Argive ambassadors who happened to be in Corinth pressed her to conclude the alliance without further delay, but were told to attend at the next congress to be held at Corinth.
Modern Translation
Meanwhile, the Spartans became aware of the upheaval spreading through the Peloponnese. Recognizing that Corinth was orchestrating these developments and preparing to ally herself with Argos, they dispatched ambassadors, hoping to prevent this outcome. They charged Corinth with instigating the entire situation and warned that abandoning Sparta for an alliance with Argos would compound her existing transgression—her refusal to accept the peace treaty with Athens—with a violation of sacred oaths. After all, it had been explicitly agreed that the majority decision of the allies would be binding, provided no divine impediment existed. Corinth responded before an assembly of allies who, like herself, had rejected the treaty and whom she had summoned for this purpose. Rather than openly articulating her grievances—such as Athens' failure to return Sollium or Anactorium, or other perceived injustices—she invoked a religious justification. She claimed she could not abandon her Thracian allies, to whom she had given individual guarantees under oath when they first revolted alongside Potidaea, and on subsequent occasions. Therefore, she argued, refusing the Athenian treaty violated no oath to the Peloponnesian League; having sworn by the gods to support her Thracian allies, she could not honorably forsake them. Moreover, the original agreement specified 'unless the gods or heroes stand in the way.' In this case, she maintained, divine obligation clearly presented such an obstacle. This concluded her defense regarding previous oaths. Concerning the proposed Argive alliance, she would consult with allies and act appropriately. After the Spartan envoys departed, Argive ambassadors present in Corinth urged immediate conclusion of their alliance, but were instructed to return for the upcoming Corinthian congress.
Historical Context
This passage occurs during the unstable period following the Peace of Nicias (421 BCE), when the fifty-year peace between Athens and Sparta quickly began unraveling. Corinth, a powerful Spartan ally, refused to accept the peace treaty because it failed to restore territories lost during the Archidamian War. The city now contemplates switching sides to join Argos, which is forming an alternative alliance system in the Peloponnese. Sparta desperately attempts diplomatic intervention to prevent this defection, which would significantly weaken their hegemony. Corinth's sophisticated response reveals the complex interplay of religious obligation, political maneuvering, and legal interpretation that characterized Greek interstate relations. This diplomatic crisis exemplifies how the Peace of Nicias failed to resolve underlying tensions and instead created new instabilities that would eventually reignite full-scale war.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
The Peace of Nicias
The Peace of Nicias (421 BCE) was meant to end the Archidamian War with a fifty-year truce between Athens and Sparta. However, key allies like Corinth and Boeotia refused to sign, creating immediate instability. The treaty's failure to address territorial grievances and its exclusion of important parties made it inherently unstable.
Learn more →Greek Religious Oaths
Oaths sworn before the gods were fundamental to Greek diplomacy and law. Breaking such oaths invited divine punishment and social disgrace. The 'escape clause' mentioning gods or heroes provided legitimate grounds for non-compliance if religious obligations conflicted with political agreements.
Learn more →Corinthian-Athenian Conflict
Corinth's hostility toward Athens stemmed from commercial rivalry and specific grievances like the Corcyraean affair and Potidaea's revolt. The loss of Sollium and Anactorium during the war intensified Corinthian resentment, making them the most intransigent opponent of peace with Athens among Sparta's allies.
Learn more →Argive Hegemony Attempts
Argos, traditionally neutral during the Archidamian War, seized the opportunity created by the unstable peace to challenge Spartan hegemony in the Peloponnese. By attracting disaffected Spartan allies, Argos briefly threatened to overturn the established power structure before ultimately failing.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Plutarch: Life of Nicias (10.1-4)
Plutarch describes the aftermath of the Peace of Nicias and how various allies' refusal to accept it immediately undermined the treaty, corroborating Thucydides' account of Corinthian resistance.
Read passage →Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.75-76)
Diodorus provides a compressed account of the diplomatic maneuvering following the Peace of Nicias, including Corinth's grievances and the formation of the Argive alliance.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (5.2.1-3)
Though describing later events, Xenophon illustrates similar patterns of allies invoking religious obligations to justify breaking from hegemonic agreements, showing the continuity of these diplomatic strategies.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does Corinth's use of religious obligations as diplomatic justification reflect broader patterns in Greek international relations? Can you think of modern parallels?
- Why might Thucydides include Corinth's private grievances (Sollium, Anactorium) while showing her public reliance on religious arguments? What does this suggest about the relationship between real motivations and stated justifications in diplomacy?
- Evaluate Corinth's interpretation of the 'gods or heroes' clause. Is this a good-faith religious argument or cynical manipulation of treaty language?
- How does this passage illustrate the inherent instability of the Peace of Nicias? What does it suggest about the requirements for sustainable peace agreements?