Today's Passage
This passage occurs during the diplomatic preliminaries to the Peloponnesian War (431 BCE), as Athens and Sparta exchange ultimatums.
Crawley Translation (1910)
This, then was the curse that the Lacedaemonians ordered them to drive out. They were actuated primarily, as they pretended, by a care for the honour of the gods; but they also know that Pericles, son of Xanthippus, was connected with the curse on his mother’s side, and they thought that his banishment would materially advance their designs on Athens. Not that they really hoped to succeed in procuring this; they rather thought to create a prejudice against him in the eyes of his countrymen from the feeling that the war would be partly caused by his misfortune. For being the most powerful man of his time, and the leading Athenian statesman, he opposed the Lacedaemonians in everything, and would have no concessions, but ever urged the Athenians on to war.
The Athenians retorted by ordering the Lacedaemonians to drive out the curse of Taenarus. The Lacedaemonians had once raised up some Helot suppliants from the temple of Poseidon at Taenarus, led them away and slain them; for which they believe the great earthquake at Sparta to have been a retribution. The Athenians also ordered them to drive out the curse of the goddess of the Brazen House; the history of which is as follows. After Pausanias the Lacedaemonian had been recalled by the Spartans from his command in the Hellespont (this is his first recall), and had been tried by them and acquitted, not being again sent out in a public capacity, he took a galley of Hermione on his own responsibility, without the authority of the Lacedaemonians, and arrived as a private person in the Hellespont. He came ostensibly for the Hellenic war, really to carry on his intrigues with the King, which he had begun before his recall, being ambitious of reigning over Hellas. The circumstance which first enabled him to lay the King under an obligation, and to make a beginning of the whole design, was this. Some connections and kinsmen of the King had been taken in Byzantium, on its capture from the Medes, when he was first there, after the return from Cyprus. These captives he sent off to the King without the knowledge of the rest of the allies, the account being that they had escaped from him. He managed this with the help of Gongylus, an Eretrian, whom he had placed in charge of Byzantium and the prisoners. He also gave Gongylus a letter for the King, the contents of which were as follows, as was afterwards discovered: “Pausanias, the general of Sparta, anxious to do you a favour, sends you these his prisoners of war. I propose also, with your approval, to marry your daughter, and to make Sparta and the rest of Hellas subject to you. I may say that I think I am able to do this, with your co-operation. Accordingly if any of this please you, send a safe man to the sea through whom we may in future conduct our correspondence.”
Modern Translation
This, then, was the curse that the Spartans demanded the Athenians expel from their city. They claimed to be motivated primarily by concern for the gods' honor, but they were well aware that Pericles, son of Xanthippus, was connected to this curse through his mother's lineage. They calculated that forcing his exile would significantly advance their strategic objectives against Athens. Not that they genuinely expected to achieve this outcome; rather, they aimed to undermine his standing among his fellow citizens by fostering the perception that the war was partially triggered by his family's religious pollution. As the most influential figure of his era and Athens' preeminent statesman, Pericles consistently opposed Spartan interests at every turn, refusing all compromise and persistently advocating for war.
The Athenians countered by demanding that the Spartans expel the curse of Taenarus. The Spartans had once lured Helot suppliants from Poseidon's temple at Taenarus, led them away, and murdered them—an act they believed had brought divine retribution in the form of Sparta's devastating earthquake. The Athenians further demanded they expel the curse of Athena of the Bronze House, whose history unfolds as follows. After the Spartans recalled Pausanias from his command in the Hellespont (this being his initial recall) and tried him—though he was acquitted—they refused to send him out again in any official capacity. Taking matters into his own hands, he commandeered a trireme from Hermione without Spartan authorization and sailed to the Hellespont as a private citizen. While ostensibly supporting the Greek cause, his true purpose was to advance his negotiations with the Persian King, schemes he had initiated before his recall, driven by ambitions to rule all Greece. The incident that first placed the King in his debt and launched his grand design occurred thus: When Byzantium fell to Greek forces during his first command there, after returning from Cyprus, several of the King's relatives and associates were captured. These prisoners Pausanias secretly dispatched to the King without informing the other allies, fabricating a story that they had escaped custody. He orchestrated this deception with Gongylus of Eretria, whom he had appointed governor of Byzantium and guardian of the prisoners. To Gongylus he also entrusted a letter for the King, whose contents—later discovered—read: 'Pausanias, Sparta's general, wishing to earn your favor, sends you these prisoners of war. I propose, should it please you, to marry your daughter and to bring Sparta and all Greece under your dominion. I believe myself capable of accomplishing this with your cooperation. If this proposal interests you, send a trusted agent to the coast through whom we may maintain our correspondence.'
Historical Context
This passage occurs during the diplomatic preliminaries to the Peloponnesian War (431 BCE), as Athens and Sparta exchange ultimatums. The Spartans demand Athens expel the 'Cylonian curse'—a religious pollution from a failed coup attempt generations earlier. Pericles' family was implicated through his mother's Alcmaeonid lineage. Athens responds by demanding Sparta address two of their own religious violations: the murder of Helot suppliants at Taenarus and the sacrilege involving Pausanias at the Bronze House of Athena. Thucydides then provides backstory on Pausanias, the victor of Plataea who later engaged in treasonous negotiations with Persia. This diplomatic sparring reveals how both powers weaponized religious tradition for political advantage, attempting to weaken opposing leadership while maintaining moral high ground. The exchange demonstrates the complex interplay of religion, politics, and propaganda that characterized Greek interstate relations.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
The Cylonian Curse
The curse originated from the Alcmaeonid family's role in killing supporters of Cylon who sought sanctuary at Athena's altar during a failed coup attempt around 630 BCE. This religious pollution (miasma) was believed to be hereditary, affecting descendants like Pericles through his mother Agariste.
Learn more →Pausanias and Persian Relations
Pausanias, the Spartan regent who commanded at Plataea (479 BCE), became increasingly autocratic and pro-Persian after the victory. His secret negotiations with Xerxes, including offers to betray Greece, led to multiple recalls and ultimately his death when walled up in Athena's temple.
Learn more →Helot Suppliants at Taenarus
Taenarus (modern Cape Matapan) housed an important temple of Poseidon where suppliants could claim sanctuary. The Spartan violation of this sacred protection by killing Helot refugees was believed to have caused the devastating earthquake of 464 BCE that sparked a major Helot revolt.
Learn more →Religious Pollution (Miasma)
In Greek religion, certain acts created a spiritual pollution that could affect individuals, families, and entire communities across generations. This pollution required ritual purification or exile of the polluted parties. Both Athens and Sparta exploited these beliefs for political purposes.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Plutarch: Life of Pericles (33.1-2)
Plutarch describes the same Spartan demand regarding the Cylonian curse and confirms Pericles' connection through the Alcmaeonids, noting how enemies used this against him throughout his career.
Read passage →Herodotus: Histories (5.71)
Herodotus provides the original account of the Cylonian affair and the Alcmaeonid curse, explaining how Megacles and his party violated sanctuary to kill Cylon's supporters.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Themistocles (23)
Describes Pausanias' behavior after Plataea, his adoption of Persian customs, and correspondence with the Persian king, corroborating Thucydides' account of his treasonous ambitions.
Read passage →Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (11.44-46)
Provides additional details about Pausanias' negotiations with Persia and his recall by Sparta, including the letter to Xerxes and the proposal to marry his daughter.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does the manipulation of religious traditions for political ends in this passage compare to similar practices in modern international relations?
- What does Pausanias' letter reveal about the nature of personal ambition versus patriotic duty in ancient Greek politics?
- Why might Thucydides include these preliminary diplomatic exchanges in such detail when summarizing the war's causes?
- How effective was the strategy of weaponizing ancestral curses as a form of psychological warfare between city-states?