Today's Passage
This passage occurs during the uneasy Peace of Nicias (421-413 BCE), when the formal treaty between Athens and Sparta was undermined by their respective allies' refusal to accept its terms.
Crawley Translation (1910)
About the same time in this summer Athens succeeded in reducing Scione, put the adult males to death, and, making slaves of the women and children, gave the land for the Plataeans to live in. She also brought back the Delians to Delos, moved by her misfortunes in the field and by the commands of the god at Delphi. Meanwhile the Phocians and Locrians commenced hostilities. The Corinthians and Argives, being now in alliance, went to Tegea to bring about its defection from Lacedaemon, seeing that, if so considerable a state could be persuaded to join, all Peloponnese would be with them. But when the Tegeans said that they would do nothing against Lacedaemon, the hitherto zealous Corinthians relaxed their activity, and began to fear that none of the rest would now come over. Still they went to the Boeotians and tried to persuade them to alliance and a common action generally with Argos and themselves, and also begged them to go with them to Athens and obtain for them a ten days’ truce similar to that made between the Athenians and Boeotians not long after the fifty years’ treaty, and, in the event of the Athenians refusing, to throw up the armistice, and not make any truce in future without Corinth. These were the requests of the Corinthians. The Boeotians stopped them on the subject of the Argive alliance, but went with them to Athens, where however they failed to obtain the ten days’ truce; the Athenian answer being that the Corinthians had truce already, as being allies of Lacedaemon. Nevertheless the Boeotians did not throw up their ten days’ truce, in spite of the prayers and reproaches of the Corinthians for their breach of faith; and these last had to content themselves with a de facto armistice with Athens.
The same summer the Lacedaemonians marched into Arcadia with their whole levy under Pleistoanax, son of Pausanias, king of Lacedaemon, against the Parrhasians, who were subjects of Mantinea, and a faction of whom had invited their aid. They also meant to demolish, if possible, the fort of Cypsela which the Mantineans had built and garrisoned in the Parrhasian territory, to annoy the district of Sciritis in Laconia. The Lacedaemonians accordingly laid waste the Parrhasian country, and the Mantineans, placing their town in the hands of an Argive garrison, addressed themselves to the defence of their confederacy, but being unable to save Cypsela or the Parrhasian towns went back to Mantinea. Meanwhile the Lacedaemonians made the Parrhasians independent, razed the fortress, and returned home.
Modern Translation
Around this same period of the summer, Athens finally succeeded in conquering Scione. They executed all the adult male citizens, enslaved the women and children, and handed over the territory to the Plataeans for settlement. The Athenians also restored the Delians to their island of Delos, prompted both by their recent military setbacks and by oracular instructions from Apollo at Delphi. During this time, hostilities erupted between the Phocians and Locrians. The Corinthians and Argives, having recently formed an alliance, traveled to Tegea hoping to persuade that city to abandon its alliance with Sparta. They calculated that if such an important state could be won over, the rest of the Peloponnese would follow their lead. However, when the Tegeans declared they would take no action against Sparta, the previously enthusiastic Corinthians lost much of their momentum and began to worry that no other states would join their cause. Despite this setback, they approached the Boeotians, attempting to persuade them to form an alliance with Argos and coordinate their policies. They also requested that the Boeotians accompany them to Athens to negotiate a ten-day truce similar to the one recently concluded between Athens and Boeotia following the fifty-year peace treaty. If Athens refused, they asked the Boeotians to renounce their own armistice and refrain from making any future agreements without Corinthian participation. The Boeotians declined to discuss the proposed Argive alliance but did accompany the Corinthians to Athens. There, however, they failed to secure the requested ten-day truce. The Athenians responded that Corinth already enjoyed a truce as allies of Sparta. Despite Corinthian protests and accusations of betrayal, the Boeotians refused to abandon their ten-day truce with Athens. The Corinthians had to settle for what amounted to an unofficial cessation of hostilities with Athens.
That same summer, the Spartans mobilized their entire army under King Pleistoanax, son of Pausanias, and marched into Arcadia against the Parrhasians, who were subjects of Mantinea. A pro-Spartan faction among the Parrhasians had requested this intervention. The Spartans also intended to destroy, if possible, the fortress at Cypsela that the Mantineans had constructed and garrisoned in Parrhasian territory to harass the Spartan district of Sciritis. The Spartan army proceeded to devastate the Parrhasian countryside. The Mantineans, after placing an Argive garrison in their city, attempted to defend their allied territory but proved unable to protect either Cypsela or the Parrhasian towns. They were forced to withdraw to Mantinea. The Spartans then declared the Parrhasians independent, demolished the fortress, and returned home.
Historical Context
This passage occurs during the uneasy Peace of Nicias (421-413 BCE), when the formal treaty between Athens and Sparta was undermined by their respective allies' refusal to accept its terms. The brutal fate of Scione reflects Athens' harsh treatment of rebellious subjects during the war. The complex diplomatic maneuvering between Corinth, Argos, and various Peloponnesian states illustrates the shifting alliances that characterized this period. Corinth, angered by Sparta's peace with Athens, sought to build an anti-Spartan coalition. Meanwhile, Sparta's campaign against the Parrhasians demonstrates their determination to maintain hegemony in the Peloponnese despite the peace treaty. These events reveal how the nominal peace was actually a period of intense diplomatic competition and localized conflicts that would eventually lead to renewed full-scale war.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Fate of Scione
The execution of all adult males and enslavement of women and children at Scione exemplifies the brutal conventions of Greek warfare. This harsh treatment was partly retribution for Scione's revolt during the war and served as a warning to other potential rebels. The resettlement by Plataeans adds irony, as Plataea had suffered similar destruction by Sparta.
Learn more →Delian Exile and Return
The Athenians had expelled the Delians from their sacred island in 422 BCE, suspecting them of impurity and disloyalty. Their restoration, prompted by military defeats and Delphic oracle, shows how religious concerns could influence policy. This episode highlights the intersection of pragmatic politics and religious obligation in Greek decision-making.
Learn more →Corinthian Diplomacy
Corinth's diplomatic efforts reveal the fragility of the Peace of Nicias. As Sparta's most powerful ally, Corinth felt betrayed by the peace treaty which failed to address their grievances. Their attempts to build an anti-Spartan coalition demonstrate how allied discontent could undermine great power agreements.
Learn more →Parrhasian Independence
The Spartan intervention in Parrhasia illustrates Sparta's methods of maintaining control in the Peloponnese. By declaring the Parrhasians independent from Mantinea, Sparta weakened a potential rival while appearing to champion autonomy. This tactic of fragmenting enemy power through 'liberation' was a common strategy.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.76)
Diodorus provides a parallel account of the fate of Scione, confirming the massacre and enslavement while offering additional details about the siege's duration and the Plataean resettlement.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Nicias (6.4)
Plutarch mentions the restoration of the Delians to their island, connecting it to Nicias' piety and the influence of oracles on Athenian policy during this period of military setbacks.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (1.1.18)
While describing later events, Xenophon references the pattern of brutal treatment of conquered cities established during this period, providing context for understanding Greek warfare conventions.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does the treatment of Scione reflect the transformation of Greek warfare during the Peloponnesian War? Consider both moral and strategic dimensions.
- What does the Corinthian diplomatic mission reveal about the limitations of peace treaties between great powers when allies' interests aren't addressed?
- How does religious authority (the Delphic oracle) interact with political and military considerations in Athenian decision-making?
- Compare Spartan and Athenian methods of imperial control as demonstrated in this passage. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach?