Today's Passage
This passage describes Athenian naval operations in 431 BCE during the first year of the Peloponnesian War.
Crawley Translation (1910)
Meanwhile the Athenians in the hundred ships round Peloponnese, reinforced by a Corcyraean squadron of fifty vessels and some others of the allies in those parts, cruised about the coasts and ravaged the country. Among other places they landed in Laconia and made an assault upon Methone; there being no garrison in the place, and the wall being weak. But it so happened that Brasidas, son of Tellis, a Spartan, was in command of a guard for the defence of the district. Hearing of the attack, he hurried with a hundred heavy infantry to the assistance of the besieged, and dashing through the army of the Athenians, which was scattered over the country and had its attention turned to the wall, threw himself into Methone. He lost a few men in making good his entrance, but saved the place and won the thanks of Sparta by his exploit, being thus the first officer who obtained this notice during the war. The Athenians at once weighed anchor and continued their cruise. Touching at Pheia in Elis, they ravaged the country for two days and defeated a picked force of three hundred men that had come from the vale of Elis and the immediate neighbourhood to the rescue. But a stiff squall came down upon them, and, not liking to face it in a place where there was no harbour, most of them got on board their ships, and doubling Point Ichthys sailed into the port of Pheia. In the meantime the Messenians, and some others who could not get on board, marched over by land and took Pheia. The fleet afterwards sailed round and picked them up and then put to sea; Pheia being evacuated, as the main army of the Eleans had now come up. The Athenians continued their cruise, and ravaged other places on the coast.
About the same time the Athenians sent thirty ships to cruise round Locris and also to guard Euboea; Cleopompus, son of Clinias, being in command. Making descents from the fleet he ravaged certain places on the sea-coast, and captured Thronium and took hostages from it. He also defeated at Alope the Locrians that had assembled to resist him.
During the summer the Athenians also expelled the Aeginetans with their wives and children from Aegina, on the ground of their having been the chief agents in bringing the war upon them. Besides, Aegina lies so near Peloponnese that it seemed safer to send colonists of their own to hold it, and shortly afterwards the settlers were sent out. The banished Aeginetans found an asylum in Thyrea, which was given to them by Lacedaemon, not only on account of her quarrel with Athens, but also because the Aeginetans had laid her under obligations at the time of the earthquake and the revolt of the Helots. The territory of Thyrea is on the frontier of Argolis and Laconia, reaching down to the sea. Those of the Aeginetans who did not settle here were scattered over the rest of Hellas.
Modern Translation
During this period, the Athenian fleet of one hundred ships operating around the Peloponnese was reinforced by fifty Corcyraean vessels and additional allied ships from the region. They sailed along the coastlines, devastating the countryside. Among their targets, they landed in Laconia and attacked Methone, which lacked a garrison and had weak fortifications. However, Brasidas son of Tellis, a Spartan commander responsible for defending the district, happened to be nearby. Upon learning of the assault, he rushed to aid the besieged with one hundred hoplites. Breaking through the dispersed Athenian forces, who were focused on attacking the walls and scattered across the countryside, he successfully entered Methone. Though he lost some soldiers during his breakthrough, he saved the city and became the first officer to receive official recognition from Sparta during this war. The Athenians immediately withdrew and resumed their naval operations. They next landed at Pheia in Elis, where they plundered the region for two days and defeated an elite force of three hundred men who had arrived from the Elean valley and surrounding areas to defend the territory. However, a violent storm arose, and lacking a suitable harbor for shelter, most Athenians boarded their ships and sailed around Cape Ichthys to reach Pheia's port. Meanwhile, the Messenians and others unable to embark marched overland and captured Pheia. The fleet later retrieved them before departing, abandoning Pheia as the main Elean army approached. The Athenians then continued their voyage, raiding additional coastal settlements.
Simultaneously, Athens dispatched thirty ships to patrol around Locris and protect Euboea under Cleopompus son of Clinias. He conducted coastal raids, captured Thronium taking hostages, and defeated Locrian forces assembled at Alope to oppose him.
That summer, the Athenians also expelled all Aeginetans—men, women, and children—from Aegina, blaming them as primary instigators of the war. Moreover, Aegina's proximity to the Peloponnese made it strategically vital to control with Athenian colonists, who were promptly sent to occupy the island. The exiled Aeginetans received sanctuary in Thyrea from the Lacedaemonians, both due to Sparta's hostility toward Athens and because the Aeginetans had previously assisted Sparta during the earthquake and Helot rebellion. Thyrea's territory extends along the Argive-Laconian border to the coast. Those Aeginetans who didn't settle in Thyrea dispersed throughout the rest of Greece.
Historical Context
This passage describes Athenian naval operations in 431 BCE during the first year of the Peloponnesian War. Following Pericles' strategy of avoiding land battles while leveraging naval supremacy, Athens conducts raids around the Peloponnesian coast. The episode highlights Brasidas's first notable military achievement—his daring rescue of Methone would launch his distinguished career. The expulsion of the Aeginetans represents Athens eliminating a strategic threat near their coast while demonstrating imperial ruthlessness. These operations exemplify Athens' initial war strategy: using naval power to harass enemy territory while avoiding decisive engagements, maintaining pressure on Sparta's allies, and securing their own maritime empire through population transfers and strategic colonization.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Brasidas
This Spartan commander would become one of the war's most innovative generals. His bold action at Methone foreshadowed his later campaigns in Thrace, where he would capture Amphipolis and prove that Spartans could adapt to unconventional warfare. His death in 422 BCE removed a major obstacle to peace negotiations.
Learn more →Athenian Naval Strategy
Pericles' strategy relied on Athens' naval superiority and financial resources. By avoiding land battles against superior Spartan hoplites while conducting coastal raids, Athens aimed to exhaust enemy resources and morale. This approach required abandoning Attica to invasion while the population sheltered behind Athens' walls.
Learn more →Aegina
This island polis had long rivaled Athens for maritime dominance. Their expulsion exemplifies Athens' harsh treatment of enemies and the practice of population displacement in Greek warfare. The Aeginetans' earlier aid to Sparta during the Helot revolt (465 BCE) secured them Spartan protection in exile.
Learn more →Greek Colonization
The replacement of Aegina's population with Athenian settlers (cleruchs) was a common imperial practice. These military colonies secured strategic locations while providing land for poorer Athenian citizens. This system strengthened Athens' empire but generated resentment among subjected populations.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Plutarch: Life of Pericles (34.1-2)
Plutarch describes Pericles' naval expeditions around the Peloponnese, emphasizing how these raids demonstrated Athenian power while implementing the defensive strategy of avoiding land battles with Sparta.
Read passage →Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.44)
Diodorus provides a parallel account of the Aeginetan expulsion, noting their long-standing enmity with Athens and confirming Spartan assistance in resettling them at Thyrea.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (2.2.3)
Xenophon later describes the fate of Aeginetan exiles at war's end, when victorious Sparta restored them to their island, providing closure to their story begun here.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does Brasidas's successful intervention at Methone challenge common stereotypes about Spartan military thinking being inflexible and conventional?
- What does the expulsion of the Aeginetans reveal about the relationship between military strategy and morality in ancient Greek warfare?
- How effective was the Athenian strategy of coastal raiding compared to direct confrontation? What were its advantages and limitations?
- What role did weather and geography play in ancient naval operations, as shown by the storm at Pheia?