Today's Passage
This passage occurs during the uneasy Peace of Nicias (421-413 BCE), when indirect conflicts replaced open warfare between Athens and Sparta.
Crawley Translation (1910)
The same summer Alcibiades, son of Clinias, now one of the generals at Athens, in concert with the Argives and the allies, went into Peloponnese with a few Athenian heavy infantry and archers and some of the allies in those parts whom he took up as he passed, and with this army marched here and there through Peloponnese, and settled various matters connected with the alliance, and among other things induced the Patrians to carry their walls down to the sea, intending himself also to build a fort near the Achaean Rhium. However, the Corinthians and Sicyonians, and all others who would have suffered by its being built, came up and hindered him.
The same summer war broke out between the Epidaurians and Argives. The pretext was that the Epidaurians did not send an offering for their pasture-land to Apollo Pythaeus, as they were bound to do, the Argives having the chief management of the temple; but, apart from this pretext, Alcibiades and the Argives were determined, if possible, to gain possession of Epidaurus, and thus to ensure the neutrality of Corinth and give the Athenians a shorter passage for their reinforcements from Aegina than if they had to sail round Scyllaeum. The Argives accordingly prepared to invade Epidaurus by themselves, to exact the offering.
About the same time the Lacedaemonians marched out with all their people to Leuctra upon their frontier, opposite to Mount Lycaeum, under the command of Agis, son of Archidamus, without any one knowing their destination, not even the cities that sent the contingents. The sacrifices, however, for crossing the frontier not proving propitious, the Lacedaemonians returned home themselves, and sent word to the allies to be ready to march after the month ensuing, which happened to be the month of Carneus, a holy time for the Dorians. Upon the retreat of the Lacedaemonians the Argives marched out on the last day but three of the month before Carneus, and keeping this as the day during the whole time that they were out, invaded and plundered Epidaurus. The Epidaurians summoned their allies to their aid, some of whom pleaded the month as an excuse; others came as far as the frontier of Epidaurus and there remained inactive.
Modern Translation
That same summer, Alcibiades son of Clinias, who had recently become one of Athens' generals, coordinated with the Argives and their allies to launch a campaign into the Peloponnese. He took with him a modest force of Athenian heavy infantry and archers, gathering additional allied troops along his route. With this combined army, he marched throughout the Peloponnese, addressing various matters pertaining to the alliance. Among his accomplishments, he persuaded the people of Patrae to extend their fortifications down to the sea. He also planned to construct a fort near the Achaean Rhium, but the Corinthians, Sicyonians, and others who stood to lose from such a fortification mobilized to prevent him.
During this same period, hostilities erupted between Epidaurus and Argos. The official grievance centered on Epidaurus' failure to deliver the required tribute for their pasture lands to Apollo Pythaeus—a temple primarily administered by the Argives. Beyond this religious pretext, however, Alcibiades and the Argives had strategic motives: they aimed to capture Epidaurus to neutralize Corinth and establish a shorter route for Athenian reinforcements from Aegina, avoiding the longer voyage around Cape Scyllaeum. The Argives therefore prepared to invade Epidaurus independently to demand the overdue offering.
Meanwhile, the Spartans mobilized their entire army and marched to Leuctra on their frontier facing Mount Lycaeum. King Agis, son of Archidamus, commanded the expedition, though he kept their ultimate objective secret even from the allied cities contributing troops. When the border-crossing sacrifices proved unfavorable, the Spartans withdrew and instructed their allies to prepare for a campaign after the coming month—which coincided with Carneia, a sacred festival for Dorian Greeks. As the Spartans retreated, the Argives seized the opportunity, marching out three days before month's end. By maintaining this date throughout their campaign, they invaded and ravaged Epidaurian territory. The Epidaurians called upon their allies for assistance; some cited the holy month as justification for inaction, while others advanced only to the Epidaurian frontier before halting.
Historical Context
This passage occurs during the uneasy Peace of Nicias (421-413 BCE), when indirect conflicts replaced open warfare between Athens and Sparta. Alcibiades, the ambitious young Athenian politician-general, actively undermines the peace by strengthening Athens' alliance with Argos and other Peloponnesian cities. The religious dispute over Apollo Pythaeus serves as a convenient pretext for Argive expansion against Epidaurus, a Spartan ally. The strategic importance of Epidaurus lay in its location: controlling it would isolate Corinth and provide Athens with a crucial naval base near the Saronic Gulf. The Spartan response under King Agis shows their concern but also their limitations—religious scruples and the sacred month of Carneia constrain their military options, allowing Argos to act with impunity.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Alcibiades' Political Strategy
Alcibiades (c. 450-404 BCE) emerged as Athens' most controversial leader, advocating aggressive expansion against Spartan interests. His Peloponnesian campaign represents his early efforts to build a personal power base through military success and diplomatic manipulation, characteristic of his ambitious and self-serving approach to politics.
Learn more →Sacred Months and Greek Warfare
Religious festivals like Carneia imposed sacred truces on Greek warfare. The Dorian festival of Carneia, celebrated in late summer, prohibited military campaigns. Such religious constraints significantly influenced military timing and strategy, as shown by Sparta's withdrawal and Argos' exploitation of the sacred period.
Learn more →Strategic Geography of Epidaurus
Epidaurus controlled vital sea routes in the Saronic Gulf. Its capture would allow Athens to bypass the long route around Cape Scyllaeum (modern Cape Skyllaion) when sending reinforcements from Aegina, while simultaneously threatening Corinth's eastern communications with other Peloponnesian cities.
Learn more →Apollo Pythaeus Sanctuary
This regional sanctuary required tribute from surrounding communities for grazing rights on sacred lands. Argive control of the temple's administration provided both religious authority and a legal pretext for intervention when payments were withheld, demonstrating how religious and political power intertwined in Greek interstate relations.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Plutarch: Life of Alcibiades (15.1-3)
Describes Alcibiades' manipulation of the Peace of Nicias and his role in forming the Argive alliance, providing personal details about his motivations and character that complement Thucydides' political narrative.
Read passage →Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.78-79)
Offers a condensed account of the Argive-Epidaurian conflict and Alcibiades' Peloponnesian activities, sometimes providing details absent from Thucydides about the religious aspects of the dispute.
Read passage →Pausanias: Description of Greece (2.29.1)
Describes the temple of Apollo Pythaeus and the sacred lands around Epidaurus, providing geographical and religious context for understanding the tribute dispute mentioned by Thucydides.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does the religious pretext for the Argive attack on Epidaurus reflect the relationship between religion and politics in classical Greek interstate relations?
- What does Alcibiades' ability to operate independently with allied forces reveal about the nature of Athenian imperial power during the Peace of Nicias?
- How do the different responses to the sacred month of Carneia illustrate the tension between religious obligations and strategic opportunities in Greek warfare?
- In what ways does this passage demonstrate the fragility of the Peace of Nicias and the inevitability of renewed conflict?