Today's Passage
This passage describes the fragile state of the Peace of Nicias (421 BCE) during its first summer.
Crawley Translation (1910)
The same summer the Dians took Thyssus, a town on Acte by Athos in alliance with Athens. During the whole of this summer intercourse between the Athenians and Peloponnesians continued, although each party began to suspect the other directly after the treaty, because of the places specified in it not being restored. Lacedaemon, to whose lot it had fallen to begin by restoring Amphipolis and the other towns, had not done so. She had equally failed to get the treaty accepted by her Thracian allies, or by the Boeotians or the Corinthians; although she was continually promising to unite with Athens in compelling their compliance, if it were longer refused. She also kept fixing a time at which those who still refused to come in were to be declared enemies to both parties, but took care not to bind herself by any written agreement. Meanwhile the Athenians, seeing none of these professions performed in fact, began to suspect the honesty of her intentions, and consequently not only refused to comply with her demands for Pylos, but also repented having given up the prisoners from the island, and kept tight hold of the other places, until Lacedaemon’s part of the treaty should be fulfilled. Lacedaemon, on the other hand, said she had done what she could, having given up the Athenian prisoners of war in her possession, evacuated Thrace, and performed everything else in her power. Amphipolis it was out of her ability to restore; but she would endeavour to bring the Boeotians and Corinthians into the treaty, to recover Panactum, and send home all the Athenian prisoners of war in Boeotia. Meanwhile she required that Pylos should be restored, or at all events that the Messenians and Helots should be withdrawn, as her troops had been from Thrace, and the place garrisoned, if necessary, by the Athenians themselves. After a number of different conferences held during the summer, she succeeded in persuading Athens to withdraw from Pylos the Messenians and the rest of the Helots and deserters from Laconia, who were accordingly settled by her at Cranii in Cephallenia. Thus during this summer there was peace and intercourse between the two peoples.
Modern Translation
That same summer, the people of Dion captured Thyssus, a town on the Acte peninsula near Mount Athos that was allied with Athens. Throughout this entire summer, diplomatic relations between Athens and the Peloponnesian states continued, though both sides grew increasingly suspicious of each other immediately following the peace treaty, since the territories specified in the agreement were not being returned as promised. Sparta, which was supposed to initiate the process by returning Amphipolis and other cities, had failed to do so. She had also been unable to persuade her Thracian allies, the Boeotians, or the Corinthians to accept the treaty, despite repeatedly promising Athens that she would join forces to compel their compliance if they continued to refuse. Sparta kept setting deadlines by which those still refusing to join would be declared enemies of both powers, but carefully avoided committing to anything in writing. Meanwhile, the Athenians, observing that none of these promises were being fulfilled, began to doubt Sparta's sincerity. Consequently, they not only refused to return Pylos as Sparta demanded, but also regretted having released the prisoners from Sphacteria and maintained their grip on other territories until Sparta fulfilled her obligations under the treaty. Sparta, for her part, claimed she had done everything within her power: she had released the Athenian prisoners in her custody, withdrawn from Thrace, and completed all other feasible obligations. She argued that restoring Amphipolis was beyond her capability, though she would attempt to bring the Boeotians and Corinthians into the treaty, recover Panactum, and repatriate all Athenian prisoners held in Boeotia. In return, she insisted that Pylos be restored, or at minimum that the Messenians and Helots be withdrawn, just as her forces had withdrawn from Thrace, allowing Athens to garrison the place themselves if necessary. After numerous conferences throughout the summer, Sparta finally convinced Athens to remove the Messenians and other Helots and Spartan deserters from Pylos, who were then resettled at Cranii in Cephallenia. Thus, during this summer, peace and diplomatic exchange continued between the two powers.
Historical Context
This passage describes the fragile state of the Peace of Nicias (421 BCE) during its first summer. Despite the formal treaty, both Athens and Sparta struggled to implement its terms, creating mutual suspicion and diplomatic tension. The key issue was Sparta's inability to return Amphipolis to Athens as promised, largely because Sparta couldn't control its own allies who rejected the peace. Athens responded by refusing to return Pylos, the strategic coastal fortress it had captured in 425 BCE. The passage reveals the fundamental weakness of the peace: while both powers desired to end hostilities, neither could fully deliver on their commitments due to the complex web of alliances and the limits of their actual control over allied states. This diplomatic impasse would eventually contribute to the resumption of full-scale warfare.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
The Peace of Nicias
The Peace of Nicias (421 BCE) was a treaty intended to end the first phase of the Peloponnesian War. Named after the Athenian general who negotiated it, the peace was meant to last fifty years but broke down within a few years due to non-compliance with its terms, as this passage illustrates.
Learn more →Amphipolis
A strategically vital city in Thrace, Amphipolis controlled access to timber and gold mines. Its loss to Brasidas in 424 BCE was a major blow to Athens, and its non-return despite the peace treaty remained a constant source of Athenian grievance against Sparta.
Learn more →Pylos and Sphacteria
The Athenian victory at Pylos (425 BCE) and capture of Spartan hoplites on Sphacteria was a turning point in the war. Athens established a permanent base at Pylos that threatened Spartan territory and provided refuge for escaped helots, making it a crucial bargaining chip.
Learn more →Helots
The helots were Sparta's enslaved population who worked the land and supported the Spartan military system. Their potential for revolt was Sparta's greatest internal vulnerability, making the Athenian garrison at Pylos, which attracted helot deserters, particularly threatening to Spartan stability.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Plutarch: Life of Nicias (9-10)
Plutarch provides biographical context for Nicias's role in negotiating the peace and describes the political pressures in Athens that made maintaining the treaty difficult.
Read passage →Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.75-76)
Diodorus offers a condensed account of the Peace of Nicias and its immediate aftermath, providing an alternative perspective on why the treaty failed to hold.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (1.1.1-5)
Though Xenophon begins his narrative later, he references the breakdown of the Peace of Nicias as context for the resumption of hostilities that he chronicles.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does this passage illustrate the difficulties of enforcing international agreements when the signatories lack complete control over their allies?
- What does the repeated emphasis on 'suspicion' reveal about the role of trust in diplomatic relations and peace treaties?
- Why might Sparta have avoided putting certain promises in writing? What does this suggest about the relationship between written and unwritten agreements in Greek diplomacy?
- How does the issue of the helot deserters at Pylos demonstrate the intersection of internal politics and international relations in ancient Greece?