Today's Passage
This passage marks a crucial transition point in Greek history—the shift from Persian War victory to Athenian imperial ambition.
Crawley Translation (1910)
From the end of the Persian to the beginning of the Peloponnesian War—The Progress from Supremacy to Empire
The way in which Athens came to be placed in the circumstances under which her power grew was this. After the Medes had returned from Europe, defeated by sea and land by the Hellenes, and after those of them who had fled with their ships to Mycale had been destroyed, Leotychides, king of the Lacedaemonians, the commander of the Hellenes at Mycale, departed home with the allies from Peloponnese. But the Athenians and the allies from Ionia and Hellespont, who had now revolted from the King, remained and laid siege to Sestos, which was still held by the Medes. After wintering before it, they became masters of the place on its evacuation by the barbarians; and after this they sailed away from Hellespont to their respective cities. Meanwhile the Athenian people, after the departure of the barbarian from their country, at once proceeded to carry over their children and wives, and such property as they had left, from the places where they had deposited them, and prepared to rebuild their city and their walls. For only isolated portions of the circumference had been left standing, and most of the houses were in ruins; though a few remained, in which the Persian grandees had taken up their quarters.
Modern Translation
This is how Athens found itself in the position from which its power would grow. After the Persians retreated from Europe, defeated on both land and sea by the Greeks, and after those who escaped by ship to Mycale were destroyed, Leotychides, the Spartan king commanding the Greek forces at Mycale, returned home with the Peloponnesian allies. However, the Athenians, together with their allies from Ionia and the Hellespont—who had now rebelled against the Persian King—stayed behind to besiege Sestos, which the Persians still occupied. They spent the winter maintaining the siege and finally captured the city when the Persians abandoned it. Afterward, they sailed from the Hellespont back to their respective cities. Meanwhile, once the Persians had left their territory, the Athenian people immediately began bringing back their children, wives, and whatever possessions they had managed to save from the places where they had hidden them. They set about rebuilding their city and its walls. Only scattered sections of the defensive walls remained intact, and most houses lay in ruins, except for a few that had served as quarters for high-ranking Persian officials.
Historical Context
This passage marks a crucial transition point in Greek history—the shift from Persian War victory to Athenian imperial ambition. Following the Battle of Mycale (479 BCE), the Greek alliance begins to fracture along regional lines. While the Spartans and Peloponnesians return home, satisfied with liberating mainland Greece, Athens continues military operations in the Hellespont, capturing the strategic city of Sestos. This divergence foreshadows the future rivalry between Athens and Sparta. Simultaneously, Athens faces the massive task of reconstruction after Persian occupation and destruction. The detail about Persian grandees occupying Athenian houses emphasizes the depth of the humiliation Athens had suffered, making their subsequent rise to power all the more dramatic. This moment represents Athens' first independent military action and the beginning of their transformation from victim to empire.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Battle of Mycale
The Battle of Mycale (479 BCE) was fought on the same day as Plataea, marking the final defeat of Persian forces in the Aegean. The Greek victory here liberated the Ionian cities and shifted the war's momentum decisively. Leotychides commanded the Greek fleet in this crucial engagement.
Learn more →Siege of Sestos
Sestos controlled the European side of the Hellespont (Dardanelles), making it strategically vital for controlling grain shipments from the Black Sea. Athens' decision to continue this siege without Spartan support marked their first independent imperial action and secured a crucial strategic position.
Learn more →Athenian Walls
The reconstruction of Athens' walls became a contentious issue with Sparta, who opposed their rebuilding. Themistocles famously deceived the Spartans while the Athenians rapidly rebuilt their fortifications, recognizing that walls were essential for Athens' independence and future naval strategy.
Learn more →Delian League Origins
This passage shows the beginning of Athens' leadership of the Ionian allies, which would formalize into the Delian League in 478/7 BCE. The voluntary alliance against Persia would gradually transform into the Athenian Empire, a key cause of the Peloponnesian War.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Herodotus: Histories (Book 9.114-121)
Herodotus provides the detailed account of the Siege of Sestos that Thucydides summarizes here, including the story of the Persian governor Artayctes and the Greek determination to punish Persian sacrilege.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Themistocles (Chapters 19-20)
Plutarch describes Themistocles' clever deception of the Spartans while Athens rebuilt its walls, providing the dramatic personal narrative that Thucydides omits in his focus on structural causes.
Read passage →Diodorus Siculus: Bibliotheca Historica (Book 11.37-44)
Diodorus provides additional details about the immediate post-war period, including the division between Athens and Sparta and the beginning of Athenian wall construction, complementing Thucydides' compressed account.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- Why did the Spartans and other Peloponnesians leave after Mycale while Athens stayed? What does this reveal about different Greek conceptions of the war's objectives?
- How does Thucydides' brief mention of Athens' destroyed walls and houses serve his larger narrative about power and necessity?
- What is the significance of Persian grandees having occupied Athenian houses? How might this detail affect Athenian psychology and policy?
- Does Athens' decision to continue fighting at Sestos represent defensive necessity or imperial ambition? Can these motives be separated?