Today's Passage
This passage describes the Sicilian Expedition of 415 BCE, Athens' massive military venture to conquer Syracuse and potentially all of Sicily.
Crawley Translation (1910)
Indeed this armament that first sailed out was by far the most costly and splendid Hellenic force that had ever been sent out by a single city up to that time. In mere number of ships and heavy infantry that against Epidaurus under Pericles, and the same when going against Potidæa under Hagnon, was not inferior; containing as it did four thousand Athenian heavy infantry, three hundred horse, and one hundred galleys accompanied by fifty Lesbian and Chian vessels and many allies besides. But these were sent upon a short voyage and with a scanty equipment. The present expedition was formed in contemplation of a long term of service by land and sea alike, and was furnished with ships and troops so as to be ready for either as required. The fleet had been elaborately equipped at great cost to the captains and the state; the treasury giving a drachma a day to each seaman, and providing empty ships, sixty men-of-war and forty transports, and manning these with the best crews obtainable; while the captains gave a bounty in addition to the pay from the treasury to the thranitae and crews generally, besides spending lavishly upon figure-heads and equipments, and one and all making the utmost exertions to enable their own ships to excel in beauty and fast sailing. Meanwhile the land forces had been picked from the best muster-rolls, and vied with each other in paying great attention to their arms and personal accoutrements. From this resulted not only a rivalry among themselves in their different departments, but an idea among the rest of the Hellenes that it was more a display of power and resources than an armament against an enemy. For if any one had counted up the public expenditure of the state, and the private outlay of individuals—that is to say, the sums which the state had already spent upon the expedition and was sending out in the hands of the generals, and those which individuals had expended upon their personal outfit, or as captains of galleys had laid out and were still to lay out upon their vessels; and if he had added to this the journey money which each was likely to have provided himself with, independently of the pay from the treasury, for a voyage of such length, and what the soldiers or traders took with them for the purpose of exchange—it would have been found that many talents in all were being taken out of the city. Indeed the expedition became not less famous for its wonderful boldness and for the splendour of its appearance, than for its overwhelming strength as compared with the peoples against whom it was directed, and for the fact that this was the longest passage from home hitherto attempted, and the most ambitious in its objects considering the resources of those who undertook it.
Modern Translation
This was undoubtedly the most expensive and magnificent Greek expeditionary force ever launched by a single city-state up to that point in history. In terms of raw numbers—ships and heavy infantry—the campaigns against Epidaurus led by Pericles and against Potidaea under Hagnon were comparable, fielding four thousand Athenian hoplites, three hundred cavalry, one hundred Athenian warships, plus fifty vessels from Lesbos and Chios, along with numerous other allied forces. However, those were short-range operations with minimal equipment. This current expedition was conceived for extended service both on land and at sea, equipped accordingly to handle whatever circumstances demanded. The fleet had been outfitted at enormous expense, shared between the ship captains and the state treasury. The government paid each sailor a drachma per day and provided empty hulls—sixty warships and forty transport vessels—which were then manned with the finest crews available. The captains supplemented the treasury wages with personal bonuses for the rowers on the uppermost banks and the crews in general, while also spending extravagantly on figureheads and equipment. Each captain strove to make his vessel the most beautiful and fastest in the fleet. Similarly, the ground forces were selected from the finest recruitment lists, and soldiers competed with one another in the quality of their weapons and personal gear. This created not only internal rivalry within each service branch but also gave other Greeks the impression that this was more a demonstration of Athenian power and wealth than a military operation against an enemy. Anyone tallying the total cost—combining public treasury expenditures already spent and funds entrusted to the generals, plus private spending by individuals on personal equipment, captains' investments in their ships (both past and future), travel money that each man likely brought beyond his official pay for such a lengthy voyage, and whatever soldiers or merchants carried for trading purposes—would have calculated that many talents in total were leaving the city. The expedition gained fame not merely for its audacious ambition and spectacular appearance, but for its overwhelming superiority compared to its intended targets, and because it represented the longest overseas deployment yet attempted, with the most ambitious objectives relative to the resources of its organizers.
Historical Context
This passage describes the Sicilian Expedition of 415 BCE, Athens' massive military venture to conquer Syracuse and potentially all of Sicily. Writing with hindsight, Thucydides emphasizes the unprecedented scale and cost of this armament, which departed with great fanfare from Athens. The expedition was championed by Alcibiades and represented the height of Athenian imperial ambition during the Peloponnesian War. Thucydides contrasts this force with earlier, more modest expeditions to highlight both Athenian power at its zenith and the hubris that would lead to catastrophic defeat. The detailed focus on financial expenditure and competitive display foreshadows the drain on Athenian resources and the ultimate disaster that would unfold in Sicily, marking the beginning of Athens' decline.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Athenian Naval Finance
The drachma per day for sailors was standard naval pay in classical Athens. Ship captains (trierarchs) were wealthy citizens who performed this expensive public service (liturgy), often competing to outfit the finest vessels as a form of social prestige.
Learn more →Trireme Construction
The 'thranitae' were the rowers on the uppermost tier of a trireme, considered the most skilled and important. The state provided empty hulls while trierarchs furnished equipment, hired crews, and maintained the vessels.
Learn more →Sicilian Expedition
This 415-413 BCE campaign aimed to conquer Syracuse and expand Athenian power westward. Its failure devastated Athens' military capacity and marked a turning point in the Peloponnesian War, ultimately leading to Athenian defeat.
Learn more →Athenian Imperialism
At its height, Athens controlled over 200 city-states through the Delian League. The Sicilian Expedition represented the apex of Athenian imperial ambition, attempting to extend power beyond the traditional Greek world into the western Mediterranean.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Plutarch: Life of Nicias (12.1-2)
Plutarch describes the same departure scene, emphasizing the religious ceremonies and emotional farewells, providing a more personal perspective on the expedition's launch.
Read passage →Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.83-84)
Diodorus provides specific numbers for the expedition's forces and costs, though his figures sometimes differ from Thucydides, offering comparative data for the scale of the undertaking.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Alcibiades (17.1-3)
Details Alcibiades' role in promoting the expedition and the extravagant display of wealth by Athenian elites, complementing Thucydides' focus on competitive ostentation.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does Thucydides use financial details and competitive display to comment on Athenian society and values at this point in the war?
- What does the contrast between this expedition and earlier campaigns reveal about the evolution of Athenian imperial ambitions?
- How might the emphasis on appearance versus strategic purpose foreshadow the expedition's ultimate failure?
- In what ways does private wealth supplementing public expenditure reflect the relationship between individual and state interests in democratic Athens?