Today's Passage
This passage occurs during the complex diplomatic and military maneuvering of 418 BCE, following the Peace of Nicias.
Crawley Translation (1910)
After this arrived a thousand Athenian heavy infantry and three hundred horse, under the command of Laches and Nicostratus; whom the Argives, being nevertheless loath to break the truce with the Lacedaemonians, begged to depart, and refused to bring before the people, to whom they had a communication to make, until compelled to do so by the entreaties of the Mantineans and Eleans, who were still at Argos. The Athenians, by the mouth of Alcibiades their ambassador there present, told the Argives and the allies that they had no right to make a truce at all without the consent of their fellow confederates, and now that the Athenians had arrived so opportunely the war ought to be resumed. These arguments proving successful with the allies, they immediately marched upon Orchomenos, all except the Argives, who, although they had consented like the rest, stayed behind at first, but eventually joined the others. They now all sat down and besieged Orchomenos, and made assaults upon it; one of their reasons for desiring to gain this place being that hostages from Arcadia had been lodged there by the Lacedaemonians. The Orchomenians, alarmed at the weakness of their wall and the numbers of the enemy, and at the risk they ran of perishing before relief arrived, capitulated upon condition of joining the league, of giving hostages of their own to the Mantineans, and giving up those lodged with them by the Lacedaemonians. Orchomenos thus secured, the allies now consulted as to which of the remaining places they should attack next. The Eleans were urgent for Lepreum; the Mantineans for Tegea; and the Argives and Athenians giving their support to the Mantineans, the Eleans went home in a rage at their not having voted for Lepreum; while the rest of the allies made ready at Mantinea for going against Tegea, which a party inside had arranged to put into their hands.
Meanwhile the Lacedaemonians, upon their return from Argos after concluding the four months’ truce, vehemently blamed Agis for not having subdued Argos, after an opportunity such as they thought they had never had before; for it was no easy matter to bring so many and so good allies together. But when the news arrived of the capture of Orchomenos, they became more angry than ever, and, departing from all precedent, in the heat of the moment had almost decided to raze his house, and to fine him ten thousand drachmae. Agis however entreated them to do none of these things, promising to atone for his fault by good service in the field, failing which they might then do to him whatever they pleased; and they accordingly abstained from razing his house or fining him as they had threatened to do, and now made a law, hitherto unknown at Lacedaemon, attaching to him ten Spartans as counsellors, without whose consent he should have no power to lead an army out of the city.
Modern Translation
Following these events, a thousand Athenian hoplites and three hundred cavalry arrived under the command of Laches and Nicostratus. The Argives, however, were reluctant to violate their truce with the Spartans and asked the Athenians to leave. They refused to present the Athenians' message to their assembly until the Mantineans and Eleans, who remained in Argos, pressured them to do so. The Athenians, speaking through their ambassador Alcibiades who was present, declared to the Argives and their allies that they had no authority to conclude a truce without consulting their confederates. Now that the Athenians had arrived at such an opportune moment, they argued, hostilities should resume. These arguments convinced the allies, who immediately marched on Orchomenos—all except the Argives, who despite agreeing with the others initially held back, though they eventually joined the campaign. The combined forces laid siege to Orchomenos and launched assaults against it, partly motivated by the fact that the Spartans had placed Arcadian hostages there. The Orchomenians, alarmed by their weak fortifications and the enemy's superior numbers, and fearing they would be destroyed before help could arrive, negotiated terms: they would join the alliance, provide their own hostages to the Mantineans, and surrender the hostages the Spartans had deposited with them. Having secured Orchomenos, the allies debated their next target. The Eleans pressed for an attack on Lepreum, while the Mantineans advocated for Tegea. When the Argives and Athenians sided with the Mantineans, the Eleans departed in anger over the rejection of Lepreum. The remaining allies assembled at Mantinea to prepare their assault on Tegea, where sympathizers had arranged to deliver the city to them.
Meanwhile, when the Spartans returned from Argos after establishing the four-month truce, they harshly criticized Agis for failing to capture Argos when presented with what they considered an unprecedented opportunity—for assembling such numerous and capable allies was no simple task. When news of Orchomenos's fall reached them, their fury intensified. In an unprecedented display of anger, they nearly voted to demolish his house and impose a fine of ten thousand drachmas. Agis pleaded with them to refrain from such measures, promising to redeem himself through distinguished military service; if he failed, they could then punish him as they wished. They relented from destroying his property or levying the fine, but instituted a new law unknown in Spartan history: they assigned ten Spartans as advisors to Agis, and he could not lead an army from the city without their unanimous approval.
Historical Context
This passage occurs during the complex diplomatic and military maneuvering of 418 BCE, following the Peace of Nicias. The fragile peace has broken down into a series of regional conflicts. Argos, traditionally hostile to Sparta, has formed an alliance with Athens, Mantinea, and Elis against Spartan interests in the Peloponnese. The passage shows the alliance's first military success at Orchomenos, but also reveals tensions within the coalition. Alcibiades appears as Athens' representative, advocating for aggressive action. Meanwhile, King Agis of Sparta faces unprecedented criticism for his earlier diplomatic solution with Argos, which his countrymen view as a missed opportunity. The Spartan response—appointing advisors to constrain their king's authority—represents a remarkable constitutional innovation, showing how military setbacks could drive political change even in conservative Sparta.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Spartan Constitution
The appointment of ten advisors to King Agis represents an extraordinary constitutional innovation. Sparta's dual kingship normally gave kings supreme command in the field. This unprecedented restriction shows how military failure could prompt even conservative Sparta to modify its ancient institutions, demonstrating the dynamic nature of Greek constitutional development.
Learn more →Alcibiades
Alcibiades appears here as Athens' ambassador to Argos, advocating for aggressive military action. This reflects his consistently hawkish foreign policy and his role in undermining the Peace of Nicias. His presence at Argos shows his influence in shaping the anti-Spartan coalition that would lead to the Battle of Mantinea.
Learn more →Greek Siege Warfare
The siege of Orchomenos illustrates typical Greek siege tactics. The defenders' quick capitulation due to 'weak walls' was common, as most Greek cities lacked the sophisticated fortifications that could withstand prolonged sieges. The presence of hostages also shows how sieges involved political as well as military considerations.
Learn more →Hostage System
The mention of Arcadian hostages at Orchomenos reveals the Greek practice of taking hostages to ensure political compliance. These were typically aristocrats whose lives guaranteed their cities' loyalty. The transfer of these hostages from Spartan to Mantinean control represents a significant shift in regional power dynamics.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Plutarch: Life of Alcibiades (15.1-2)
Plutarch describes Alcibiades' role in forming the Argive alliance and his aggressive anti-Spartan policy, providing personal details about his motivations that complement Thucydides' political narrative.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (5.2.1-7)
Though describing later events, Xenophon's account of Spartan constitutional crises and the constraints placed on kings provides context for understanding the unprecedented nature of the restrictions placed on Agis.
Read passage →Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.78-79)
Diodorus provides a parallel account of these events, though with less detail. His version emphasizes the role of Alcibiades and provides slightly different information about the siege of Orchomenos.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does the Spartan response to Agis's perceived failure reflect the tension between individual leadership and collective decision-making in Greek political systems?
- What does the disagreement between Elis and Mantinea about the next target reveal about the challenges of maintaining military coalitions in ancient Greece?
- How does Alcibiades' argument about the illegitimacy of the Argive-Spartan truce illustrate the role of legal and procedural arguments in Greek diplomacy?
- What might the quick capitulation of Orchomenos tell us about the psychological and practical factors that influenced siege warfare in classical Greece?