Today's Passage
This passage occurs during the fragile Peace of Nicias (421-413 BCE), when tensions between Athens and Sparta were escalating despite their treaty.
Crawley Translation (1910)
The envoys returned accordingly. In the meantime, while the Argives were engaged in these negotiations, the Lacedaemonian ambassadors—Andromedes, Phaedimus, and Antimenidas—who were to receive the prisoners from the Boeotians and restore them and Panactum to the Athenians, found that the Boeotians had themselves razed Panactum, upon the plea that oaths had been anciently exchanged between their people and the Athenians, after a dispute on the subject to the effect that neither should inhabit the place, but that they should graze it in common. As for the Athenian prisoners of war in the hands of the Boeotians, these were delivered over to Andromedes and his colleagues, and by them conveyed to Athens and given back. The envoys at the same time announced the razing of Panactum, which to them seemed as good as its restitution, as it would no longer lodge an enemy of Athens. This announcement was received with great indignation by the Athenians, who thought that the Lacedaemonians had played them false, both in the matter of the demolition of Panactum, which ought to have been restored to them standing, and in having, as they now heard, made a separate alliance with the Boeotians, in spite of their previous promise to join Athens in compelling the adhesion of those who refused to accede to the treaty. The Athenians also considered the other points in which Lacedaemon had failed in her compact, and thinking that they had been overreached, gave an angry answer to the ambassadors and sent them away.
The breach between the Lacedaemonians and Athenians having gone thus far, the party at Athens, also, who wished to cancel the treaty, immediately put themselves in motion. Foremost amongst these was Alcibiades, son of Clinias, a man yet young in years for any other Hellenic city, but distinguished by the splendour of his ancestry. Alcibiades thought the Argive alliance really preferable, not that personal pique had not also a great deal to do with his opposition; he being offended with the Lacedaemonians for having negotiated the treaty through Nicias and Laches, and having overlooked him on account of his youth, and also for not having shown him the respect due to the ancient connection of his family with them as their proxeni, which, renounced by his grandfather, he had lately himself thought to renew by his attentions to their prisoners taken in the island. Being thus, as he thought, slighted on all hands, he had in the first instance spoken against the treaty, saying that the Lacedaemonians were not to be trusted, but that they only treated, in order to be enabled by this means to crush Argos, and afterwards to attack Athens alone; and now, immediately upon the above occurring, he sent privately to the Argives, telling them to come as quickly as possible to Athens, accompanied by the Mantineans and Eleans, with proposals of alliance; as the moment was propitious and he himself would do all he could to help them.
Modern Translation
The envoys returned as planned. Meanwhile, during these Argive negotiations, the Spartan ambassadors—Andromedes, Phaedimus, and Antimenidas—who were supposed to receive the prisoners from the Boeotians and return both them and Panactum to the Athenians, discovered that the Boeotians had already demolished Panactum themselves. The Boeotians justified this by citing ancient oaths exchanged between themselves and the Athenians following an earlier dispute, which stipulated that neither party should occupy the site but should use it as common grazing land. The Boeotians did hand over the Athenian prisoners of war to Andromedes and his colleagues, who transported them to Athens and returned them. The envoys simultaneously reported Panactum's destruction, which they considered equivalent to restoration since it could no longer shelter Athens's enemies. The Athenians received this news with tremendous anger, believing the Spartans had deceived them—both by demolishing Panactum, which should have been returned intact, and by forming a separate alliance with the Boeotians, as they now learned, despite previously promising to help Athens force non-signatories to accept the treaty. The Athenians also reflected on other ways Sparta had violated their agreement, and feeling thoroughly betrayed, they gave the ambassadors a hostile response and dismissed them.
With Spartan-Athenian relations having deteriorated to this point, the faction in Athens that wanted to nullify the treaty immediately sprang into action. Leading this group was Alcibiades, son of Clinias, still young by the standards of other Greek cities but distinguished by his illustrious lineage. Alcibiades genuinely preferred the Argive alliance, though personal resentment significantly motivated his opposition. He felt insulted that the Spartans had negotiated the treaty through Nicias and Laches, ignoring him due to his youth, and had failed to show proper respect for his family's ancient role as their proxenos—a position his grandfather had renounced but which he himself had recently attempted to restore through his care for their prisoners captured on the island. Feeling slighted in every way, he had initially opposed the treaty, arguing that the Spartans couldn't be trusted and were only negotiating to isolate and crush Argos before attacking Athens alone. Now, immediately after these events, he secretly contacted the Argives, urging them to come to Athens as quickly as possible with the Mantineans and Eleans to propose an alliance, since the timing was favorable and he would do everything in his power to assist them.
Historical Context
This passage occurs during the fragile Peace of Nicias (421-413 BCE), when tensions between Athens and Sparta were escalating despite their treaty. The Boeotians, Spartan allies, have demolished the fortress of Panactum rather than returning it to Athens as the peace treaty required. This violation, combined with Sparta's separate dealings with Boeotia, convinces many Athenians that Sparta is negotiating in bad faith. The young aristocrat Alcibiades seizes this opportunity to advance his political career and personal agenda by promoting an alliance with Argos, Sparta's traditional enemy in the Peloponnese. This moment marks a crucial turning point where personal ambition, interstate diplomacy, and treaty violations converge to undermine the peace and set the stage for renewed warfare.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
The Peace of Nicias
The Peace of Nicias (421 BCE) was meant to end hostilities between Athens and Sparta for fifty years. However, neither side fully honored its terms, and allied states often refused to comply. The treaty's failure demonstrates the difficulty of maintaining peace in a multipolar system where allies pursue independent policies.
Learn more →Proxenos
A proxenos was a citizen who served as a representative and protector of another city-state's interests in his own city. This hereditary position created formal diplomatic channels between poleis. Alcibiades's family had traditionally served as Sparta's proxenoi in Athens, making his exclusion from negotiations particularly insulting.
Learn more →Alcibiades
Alcibiades (c. 450-404 BCE) was an ambitious Athenian politician and general whose charisma and opportunism profoundly influenced the Peloponnesian War. His shifting allegiances between Athens, Sparta, and Persia exemplify the role of personal ambition in Greek interstate politics. His youth and aristocratic background shaped both his opportunities and resentments.
Learn more →Panactum
Panactum was a frontier fortress between Attica and Boeotia, strategically important for controlling access routes. Its status became a test case for the Peace of Nicias's implementation. The Boeotian decision to raze rather than return it technically fulfilled the letter while violating the spirit of the agreement.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Plutarch: Life of Alcibiades (14-15)
Plutarch provides personal details about Alcibiades's motivations and character during this period, emphasizing his ambition and resentment at being overlooked due to his youth, complementing Thucydides's political analysis.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Nicias (10)
Describes the rivalry between Nicias and Alcibiades, showing how personal competition between Athenian leaders undermined diplomatic consistency and contributed to the peace treaty's failure.
Read passage →Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.75-76)
Offers an alternative account of the diplomatic maneuvering during this period, though with less detail than Thucydides about the specific grievances and personal motivations involved.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does this passage illustrate the difficulty of maintaining peace agreements when multiple parties have different interpretations of treaty obligations?
- What role does personal ambition play in international relations, based on Alcibiades's actions? Can modern parallels be drawn?
- How does the Boeotian justification for razing Panactum demonstrate the difference between following the letter versus the spirit of an agreement?
- What does this passage reveal about the importance of respect and recognition in diplomatic negotiations, particularly regarding Alcibiades's wounded pride?