Today's Passage
This passage describes the opening moves of the first Spartan invasion of Attica in 431 BCE, marking the true beginning of the Peloponnesian War's active hostilities.
Crawley Translation (1910)
Meanwhile the army of the Peloponnesians was advancing. The first town they came to in Attica was Oenoe, where they to enter the country. Sitting down before it, they prepared to assault the wall with engines and otherwise. Oenoe, standing upon the Athenian and Boeotian border, was of course a walled town, and was used as a fortress by the Athenians in time of war. So the Peloponnesians prepared for their assault, and wasted some valuable time before the place. This delay brought the gravest censure upon Archidamus. Even during the levying of the war he had credit for weakness and Athenian sympathies by the half measures he had advocated; and after the army had assembled he had further injured himself in public estimation by his loitering at the Isthmus and the slowness with which the rest of the march had been conducted. But all this was as nothing to the delay at Oenoe. During this interval the Athenians were carrying in their property; and it was the belief of the Peloponnesians that a quick advance would have found everything still out, had it not been for his procrastination. Such was the feeling of the army towards Archidamus during the siege. But he, it is said, expected that the Athenians would shrink from letting their land be wasted, and would make their submission while it was still uninjured; and this was why he waited.
But after he had assaulted Oenoe, and every possible attempt to take it had failed, as no herald came from Athens, he at last broke up his camp and invaded Attica. This was about eighty days after the Theban attempt upon Plataea, just in the middle of summer, when the corn was ripe, and Archidamus, son of Zeuxis, king of Lacedaemon, was in command. Encamping in Eleusis and the Thriasian plain, they began their ravages, and putting to flight some Athenian horse at a place called Rheiti, or the Brooks, they then advanced, keeping Mount Aegaleus on their right, through Cropia, until they reached Acharnae, the largest of the Athenian demes or townships. Sitting down before it, they formed a camp there, and continued their ravages for a long while.
Modern Translation
The Peloponnesian army continued its advance. The first place they reached in Attica was Oenoe, their intended entry point into the territory. They settled in for a siege, preparing to attack the walls with siege engines and other methods. Oenoe, positioned on the border between Athens and Boeotia, was naturally fortified with walls and served as an Athenian military outpost during wartime. The Peloponnesians made their preparations for assault but squandered considerable time at this location. This delay provoked severe criticism of Archidamus. Already during the mobilization phase, he had gained a reputation for being overly cautious and sympathetic to Athens due to his advocacy of moderate policies. After the forces assembled, he further damaged his standing by dawdling at the Isthmus and conducting the march at a frustratingly slow pace. Yet none of this compared to the delay at Oenoe. During this period, the Athenians were busy securing their movable property within the city walls. The Peloponnesian soldiers believed that a swift advance would have caught everything exposed in the countryside, if not for their commander's hesitation. This was the prevailing sentiment toward Archidamus during the siege. However, it was said that he anticipated the Athenians would recoil from seeing their lands devastated and would surrender while their territory remained intact—hence his deliberate delay.
When the assault on Oenoe proved futile despite every attempt, and no Athenian herald arrived to negotiate, Archidamus finally lifted the siege and invaded Attica proper. This occurred approximately eighty days after the Theban attack on Plataea, at the height of summer when the grain stood ripe in the fields. Archidamus, son of Zeuxidamus and king of Sparta, led the invasion. They established their first camp at Eleusis and the Thriasian plain, where they commenced their destruction. After routing some Athenian cavalry near a place called Rheiti (the Brooks), they advanced with Mount Aegaleus on their right flank, marching through Cropia until they reached Acharnae, the most populous of the Athenian districts. There they established a camp and conducted extensive raids over an extended period.
Historical Context
This passage describes the opening moves of the first Spartan invasion of Attica in 431 BCE, marking the true beginning of the Peloponnesian War's active hostilities. King Archidamus II of Sparta leads the Peloponnesian forces into Athenian territory, but his cautious approach draws criticism from his own troops. The strategic significance lies in Athens' defensive strategy: Pericles had convinced the Athenians to abandon their countryside and retreat behind the Long Walls, allowing the enemy to ravage their lands while Athens relied on its naval supremacy and empire for survival. Archidamus's delays, whether from genuine hope of negotiation or military caution, gave the Athenians crucial time to complete their evacuation. This invasion would become an annual event, fundamentally shaping the war's character.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Archidamus II of Sparta
The Spartan king (r. 469-427 BCE) who led the early invasions of Attica. Known for his moderation and diplomatic approach, he had warned against war with Athens. His cautious strategy during the invasion reflected both his personal reluctance for war and perhaps a hope that Athens might negotiate rather than see its territory destroyed.
Learn more →Athenian Defensive Strategy
Pericles' revolutionary strategy involved abandoning the Attic countryside to Spartan devastation while the population sheltered behind Athens' walls. This relied on Athenian naval supremacy to maintain supply lines and conduct retaliatory raids. The strategy challenged traditional Greek notions of defending one's land.
Learn more →Acharnae
The largest deme (district) of Attica, located about 7 miles north of Athens. Famous for its charcoal production and hardy population, it provided significant military manpower to Athens. Its selection as a Spartan camp was strategically chosen to provoke the Athenians into abandoning their defensive strategy.
Learn more →Greek Siege Warfare
Greek siege techniques in the 5th century BCE were relatively primitive, relying on blockade, battering rams, and occasionally siege towers. The failure at Oenoe demonstrates the difficulty of taking fortified positions without advanced siege equipment, explaining why most Greek warfare focused on pitched battles.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Plutarch: Life of Pericles (33.1-4)
Plutarch describes the same invasion from the Athenian perspective, emphasizing the emotional toll on citizens watching their lands burn and Pericles' struggle to maintain morale while adhering to his defensive strategy.
Read passage →Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.42)
Provides a condensed account of Archidamus's invasion, though with less detail about the delays. Emphasizes the destruction of Attic countryside and the Athenian retreat behind walls.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (2.2.19-20)
Though describing events decades later, Xenophon's account of the final Spartan victory includes reflection on how annual invasions like this one ultimately failed to defeat Athens directly.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- Was Archidamus's delay at Oenoe a strategic mistake or a calculated attempt to avoid full-scale war? What does this reveal about Spartan war aims?
- How does Thucydides use the criticism of Archidamus to illustrate tensions between military leadership and popular opinion during wartime?
- What does the timing of the invasion ('when the corn was ripe') suggest about the economic warfare strategies employed in ancient Greek conflicts?
- How might the war have developed differently if Archidamus had moved quickly and caught Athenian property still in the countryside?