Today's Passage
This passage describes the breakdown of the Thirty Years' Peace (446/5 BCE) between Athens and Sparta through the Samian Revolt (440-439 BCE).
Crawley Translation (1910)
Not long after their return from Euboea, they made a truce with the Lacedaemonians and their allies for thirty years, giving up the posts which they occupied in Peloponnese—Nisaea, Pegae, Troezen, and Achaia. In the sixth year of the truce, war broke out between the Samians and Milesians about Priene. Worsted in the war, the Milesians came to Athens with loud complaints against the Samians. In this they were joined by certain private persons from Samos itself, who wished to revolutionize the government. Accordingly the Athenians sailed to Samos with forty ships and set up a democracy; took hostages from the Samians, fifty boys and as many men, lodged them in Lemnos, and after leaving a garrison in the island returned home. But some of the Samians had not remained in the island, but had fled to the continent. Making an agreement with the most powerful of those in the city, and an alliance with Pissuthnes, son of Hystaspes, the then satrap of Sardis, they got together a force of seven hundred mercenaries, and under cover of night crossed over to Samos. Their first step was to rise on the commons, most of whom they secured; their next to steal their hostages from Lemnos; after which they revolted, gave up the Athenian garrison left with them and its commanders to Pissuthnes, and instantly prepared for an expedition against Miletus. The Byzantines also revolted with them.
Modern Translation
Shortly after the Athenians returned from Euboea, they concluded a thirty-year peace treaty with Sparta and her allies, surrendering their strongholds in the Peloponnese—Nisaea, Pegae, Troezen, and Achaia. In the sixth year of this peace, conflict erupted between Samos and Miletus over the city of Priene. The Milesians, having been defeated, arrived in Athens with bitter grievances against the Samians. They were supported by certain Samian oligarchs who sought to overthrow their government. The Athenians responded by dispatching forty warships to Samos, where they established a democratic regime. They seized one hundred hostages—fifty boys and fifty men—and detained them on Lemnos, then stationed a garrison on the island before returning to Athens. However, some Samians had escaped to the mainland. These exiles conspired with the most influential oligarchs remaining in the city and formed an alliance with Pissuthnes, son of Hystaspes, who was then the Persian governor at Sardis. They assembled seven hundred mercenaries and crossed to Samos under cover of darkness. First they attacked the democratic faction, subduing most of them; then they rescued their hostages from Lemnos. Having accomplished this, they declared their independence, handed over the Athenian garrison and its officers to Pissuthnes, and immediately began preparations to attack Miletus. The Byzantines joined their revolt.
Historical Context
This passage describes the breakdown of the Thirty Years' Peace (446/5 BCE) between Athens and Sparta through the Samian Revolt (440-439 BCE). The conflict began as a local dispute between two Ionian cities but escalated when Athens intervened to impose democracy on Samos, a key member of the Delian League. The Samian oligarchs' alliance with Persia through the satrap Pissuthnes represents a dangerous precedent—Greek states seeking Persian support against Athens. This revolt tested Athens' ability to maintain its empire and foreshadowed the larger conflicts to come. The participation of Byzantium suggests wider discontent with Athenian rule. This episode demonstrates how Athens' aggressive democratization policies and imperial control mechanisms could provoke serious resistance, even driving Greek states to collaborate with the traditional Persian enemy.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
The Thirty Years' Peace
This treaty (446/5 BCE) ended the First Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. Athens agreed to abandon its land empire in exchange for Spartan recognition of its naval empire. The peace lasted only fifteen years before the outbreak of the great Peloponnesian War in 431 BCE.
Learn more →Athenian Democracy Exportation
Athens frequently imposed democratic governments on allied or subject states as a means of control. These democracies were often unpopular with local elites and required Athenian military support to survive, creating resentment and instability throughout the empire.
Learn more →Persian Satraps
Satraps were provincial governors in the Persian Empire. Pissuthnes controlled the important satrapy of Lydia from Sardis. Persian satraps often pursued independent policies, including interference in Greek affairs, especially during periods of Greek internal conflict.
Learn more →Hostage-Taking in Ancient Warfare
Taking hostages, especially children of the elite, was a common practice to ensure compliance. These hostages served as guarantees of good behavior and could be executed if agreements were violated. Their rescue or execution often precipitated further conflict.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.27-28)
Diodorus provides a parallel account of the Samian revolt, including details about the siege of Samos and Pericles' role in suppressing the rebellion, offering additional context for the military operations.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Pericles (24-28)
Plutarch describes Pericles' personal involvement in the Samian War, including the lengthy siege and the cultural context, noting that this was one of the most difficult conflicts Athens faced before the Peloponnesian War.
Read passage →Herodotus: Histories (3.39-60)
While predating these events, Herodotus describes the earlier history of Samos under Polycrates, explaining the island's strategic importance and independent tradition that made it resistant to Athenian control.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does Athens' policy of imposing democracy on allied states reflect the tension between freedom and empire? Consider both the ideological and practical motivations.
- What does the Samian alliance with Persia reveal about the limits of Greek unity against the 'barbarian' threat? How might this complicate our understanding of Greek identity?
- Analyze the role of internal political divisions (democrats vs. oligarchs) in imperial control. How did Athens exploit these divisions, and what were the consequences?
- Compare Athens' methods of control (hostages, garrisons, imposed governments) with modern forms of international influence. What parallels and differences do you observe?