Today's Passage
This passage comes from the Athenian speech at Sparta in 432 BCE, just before the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War.
Crawley Translation (1910)
“Such, then, was the result of the matter, and it was clearly proved that it was on the fleet of Hellas that her cause depended. Well, to this result we contributed three very useful elements, viz., the largest number of ships, the ablest commander, and the most unhesitating patriotism. Our contingent of ships was little less than two-thirds of the whole four hundred; the commander was Themistocles, through whom chiefly it was that the battle took place in the straits, the acknowledged salvation of our cause. Indeed, this was the reason of your receiving him with honours such as had never been accorded to any foreign visitor. While for daring patriotism we had no competitors. Receiving no reinforcements from behind, seeing everything in front of us already subjugated, we had the spirit, after abandoning our city, after sacrificing our property (instead of deserting the remainder of the league or depriving them of our services by dispersing), to throw ourselves into our ships and meet the danger, without a thought of resenting your neglect to assist us. We assert, therefore, that we conferred on you quite as much as we received. For you had a stake to fight for; the cities which you had left were still filled with your homes, and you had the prospect of enjoying them again; and your coming was prompted quite as much by fear for yourselves as for us; at all events, you never appeared till we had nothing left to lose. But we left behind us a city that was a city no longer, and staked our lives for a city that had an existence only in desperate hope, and so bore our full share in your deliverance and in ours. But if we had copied others, and allowed fears for our territory to make us give in our adhesion to the Mede before you came, or if we had suffered our ruin to break our spirit and prevent us embarking in our ships, your naval inferiority would have made a sea-fight unnecessary, and his objects would have been peaceably attained.
Modern Translation
This, then, was how things turned out, and it became abundantly clear that Greece's fate rested entirely on her naval forces. To this outcome, we Athenians contributed three absolutely crucial factors: the greatest number of ships, the most capable commander, and the most unflinching devotion to the cause. Our fleet comprised nearly two-thirds of the total four hundred vessels. Our commander was Themistocles, whose strategic genius was primarily responsible for fighting the battle in the narrows—a decision universally recognized as our salvation. Indeed, this explains why you honored him as no foreign guest had ever been honored before. As for unwavering patriotism, we stood without equal. With no reinforcements coming from behind us, with everything ahead already conquered by the enemy, we found the courage—after abandoning our city, after sacrificing all our possessions (rather than deserting our allies or rendering ourselves useless by scattering)—to board our ships and face the danger, without holding any grudge against you for failing to help us earlier. We maintain, therefore, that we gave you at least as much as we received. You, after all, were fighting for something tangible: the cities you'd left behind were intact, filled with your homes, and you could hope to enjoy them again. Your arrival was motivated as much by fear for your own safety as concern for ours—certainly, you didn't appear until we had already lost everything. But we left behind a city that had ceased to exist, risking our lives for a city that survived only as a desperate hope, and thus we bore our full share in both your deliverance and our own. Had we followed others' example and let fear for our land drive us to submit to the Persians before your arrival, or had we let despair crush our spirit and prevent us from manning our ships, your naval weakness would have made a sea battle impossible, and the enemy would have achieved his goals without opposition.
Historical Context
This passage comes from the Athenian speech at Sparta in 432 BCE, just before the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. The Athenians are defending their empire against Corinthian accusations by recounting their crucial role at the Battle of Salamis (480 BCE) during the Persian Wars. They emphasize three key contributions: providing most of the Greek fleet, having Themistocles as commander, and showing exceptional courage by abandoning Athens itself to fight at sea. The speech aims to remind the Spartans of Athens' past services to Greece and to justify their current imperial position. This forms part of Thucydides' exploration of how the unity against Persia transformed into Greek civil war.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Battle of Salamis
The naval battle in 480 BCE where the Greek fleet defeated the Persian navy in the straits between Salamis and the mainland. Themistocles' strategy of fighting in narrow waters neutralized Persian numerical superiority and saved Greece from conquest.
Learn more →Themistocles
Athenian politician and general (c. 524-459 BCE) who persuaded Athens to build a large fleet and orchestrated the Greek naval strategy at Salamis. His foresight in developing Athenian naval power laid the foundation for their later empire.
Learn more →Athenian Evacuation
Before Salamis, the Athenians evacuated their city, sending women and children to safety while the men manned the fleet. This extraordinary sacrifice, abandoning their homes to the Persians, demonstrated exceptional commitment to the Greek cause.
Learn more →Greek Naval Warfare
By 480 BCE, trireme warships had become the dominant naval weapon. Athens' investment in 200 triremes before the Persian invasion proved decisive. Naval power would later become the foundation of Athenian imperial dominance in the Aegean.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Herodotus: Histories (Book 8.40-63)
Herodotus provides the primary account of the Athenian evacuation and the Battle of Salamis, including Themistocles' stratagem and the debate among Greek commanders about where to fight.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Themistocles (Chapters 9-17)
Plutarch details Themistocles' role in the evacuation of Athens and his manipulation of both Greeks and Persians to ensure the battle occurred at Salamis, supporting Thucydides' emphasis on his leadership.
Read passage →Aeschylus: The Persians (Lines 230-514)
This tragedy, performed in 472 BCE, provides a contemporary Athenian perspective on Salamis, emphasizing Athenian courage and the divine justice of Greek victory, themes echoed in this speech.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does the Athenian argument about past services justify present power? Is this a valid basis for political authority?
- What does this passage reveal about the transformation of Greek unity against Persia into inter-Greek conflict?
- How might the Spartans have responded to the Athenian claim that Sparta fought from self-interest while Athens showed 'unhesitating patriotism'?
- Does Thucydides present the Athenian argument sympathetically, or can we detect irony in how he reports their claims?