Today's Passage
This passage describes the volatile political situation in the Peloponnese around 418-417 BCE, following the Battle of Mantinea.
Crawley Translation (1910)
After the defection of Argos from the league, the Mantineans, though they held out at first, in the end finding themselves powerless without the Argives, themselves too came to terms with Lacedaemon, and gave up their sovereignty over the towns. The Lacedaemonians and Argives, each a thousand strong, now took the field together, and the former first went by themselves to Sicyon and made the government there more oligarchical than before, and then both, uniting, put down the democracy at Argos and set up an oligarchy favourable to Lacedaemon. These events occurred at the close of the winter, just before spring; and the fourteenth year of the war ended. The next summer the people of Dium, in Athos, revolted from the Athenians to the Chalcidians, and the Lacedaemonians settled affairs in Achaea in a way more agreeable to the interests of their country. Meanwhile the popular party at Argos little by little gathered new consistency and courage, and waited for the moment of the Gymnopaedic festival at Lacedaemon, and then fell upon the oligarchs. After a fight in the city, victory declared for the commons, who slew some of their opponents and banished others. The Lacedaemonians for a long while let the messages of their friends at Argos remain without effect. At last they put off the Gymnopaediae and marched to their succour, but learning at Tegea the defeat of the oligarchs, refused to go any further in spite of the entreaties of those who had escaped, and returned home and kept the festival. Later on, envoys arrived with messages from the Argives in the town and from the exiles, when the allies were also at Sparta; and after much had been said on both sides, the Lacedaemonians decided that the party in the town had done wrong, and resolved to march against Argos, but kept delaying and putting off the matter. Meanwhile the commons at Argos, in fear of the Lacedaemonians, began again to court the Athenian alliance, which they were convinced would be of the greatest service to them; and accordingly proceeded to build long walls to the sea, in order that in case of a blockade by land; with the help of the Athenians they might have the advantage of importing what they wanted by sea. Some of the cities in Peloponnese were also privy to the building of these walls; and the Argives with all their people, women and slaves not excepted, addressed themselves to the work, while carpenters and masons came to them from Athens.
Modern Translation
Following Argos' withdrawal from their alliance, the Mantineans initially attempted to maintain their position. However, recognizing their weakness without Argive support, they eventually negotiated terms with Sparta and relinquished control over their subject cities. Subsequently, both Sparta and Argos deployed forces of one thousand men each. The Spartans first marched alone to Sicyon, where they restructured the government to be more oligarchic than previously. Then, joining forces with the Argives, they overthrew the democratic government in Argos itself, establishing an oligarchy aligned with Spartan interests. These developments occurred as winter concluded, just before spring began, marking the end of the war's fourteenth year. The following summer witnessed Dium in Athos defecting from Athens to join the Chalcidians, while Sparta reorganized Achaea's affairs to better serve their national interests. During this period, Argos' democratic faction gradually regained strength and confidence. They strategically waited until Sparta's Gymnopaedic festival before launching their attack on the oligarchs. Urban warfare ensued, resulting in victory for the democrats, who executed some oligarchic leaders and exiled others. Despite urgent appeals from their supporters in Argos, the Spartans delayed their response for considerable time. Eventually abandoning their festival, they marched to assist, but upon reaching Tegea and learning of the oligarchs' defeat, they refused to advance further despite desperate pleas from the exiles, instead returning home to resume their celebrations. Subsequently, representatives from both the Argive government and the exiles arrived in Sparta, where the allies had also assembled. After extensive deliberations, the Spartans concluded that the democratic faction in Argos had acted wrongly and resolved to march against the city, though they continued postponing action. Meanwhile, the Argive democrats, fearing Spartan intervention, renewed their pursuit of Athenian alliance, believing it essential for their security. Consequently, they began constructing long walls extending to the sea, ensuring that if besieged by land, they could, with Athenian naval support, import necessary supplies by sea. Several Peloponnesian cities secretly supported this fortification project. The entire Argive population—including women and slaves—participated in the construction, while Athens provided skilled carpenters and stonemasons.
Historical Context
This passage describes the volatile political situation in the Peloponnese around 418-417 BCE, following the Battle of Mantinea. After Sparta's victory, the anti-Spartan coalition collapsed, leading to oligarchic revolutions in several cities. The focus shifts to Argos, where Sparta installed an oligarchy that was quickly overthrown by democratic forces. The Argive democrats then sought Athenian protection by building long walls to the sea, mimicking Athens' own defensive strategy. This represents a critical moment when Sparta's hegemony in the Peloponnese faced renewed challenges, and Athens attempted to regain influence through supporting democratic factions. The construction of long walls particularly signifies Argos' strategic shift toward naval power and Athenian alliance.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Gymnopaedic Festival
An important Spartan religious festival held annually in summer, featuring naked dances by boys and men. The democrats' timing of their coup during this festival was strategic, as many Spartan citizens would be occupied with religious duties, preventing immediate military response.
Learn more →Long Walls
Fortification walls connecting a city to its port, most famously used by Athens to link the city with Piraeus. These walls allowed cities to withstand land sieges by maintaining sea access for supplies, effectively turning inland cities into islands dependent on naval power.
Learn more →Oligarchy vs Democracy
The conflict between oligarchic (rule by few) and democratic (rule by many) constitutions was central to Greek politics. Sparta typically supported oligarchies aligned with their interests, while Athens promoted democracies, making constitutional change a key tool of hegemonic control.
Learn more →Peloponnesian League
Sparta's alliance system in the Peloponnese, which required member states to follow Spartan foreign policy. The events described show how Sparta maintained control through constitutional interventions and the threat of military force when allied governments became unreliable.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Xenophon: Hellenica (Book 5.2.1-7)
Xenophon describes similar Spartan interventions in allied cities' constitutions, particularly the establishment of oligarchies backed by Spartan garrisons, showing this was standard Spartan policy.
Read passage →Aristotle: Politics (Book 5.1303a-1303b)
Aristotle analyzes how external powers like Sparta and Athens promoted constitutional changes in other cities to match their own systems, using Argos as an example of democratic-oligarchic conflicts.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Alcibiades (Chapter 15)
Plutarch mentions Alcibiades' role in promoting the Argive alliance with Athens and the construction of the long walls, providing additional context for Athenian involvement in Argive affairs.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does the timing of the democratic coup during the Gymnopaedic festival reflect the role of religious obligations in Greek military strategy?
- What does the participation of women and slaves in building Argos' long walls suggest about civic mobilization in times of crisis?
- How does Sparta's delayed response to their allies' appeals reveal tensions between religious duties and military obligations?
- Why might some Peloponnesian cities have secretly supported Argos' fortification project despite the risk of Spartan retaliation?