Eventually, however, the time arrived when Sparta permanently overthrew the tyrannies of Athens and the much older tyrannical regimes throughout Greece—except for those in Sicily. Although Sparta expe...

The city of Epidamnus lies to the right as one enters the Ionian Gulf. The surrounding region is populated by the Taulantians, an Illyrian tribe. This city was established as a colony by Corcyra, with...

These accumulated grievances made Corinth eager to deliver the promised assistance to Epidamnus. They publicly recruited volunteer colonists and assembled a military force consisting of Ambraciots, Le...

When the Corcyraeans learned of these preparations, they sent a delegation to Corinth, accompanied by envoys from Sparta and Sicyon whom they had convinced to join them. They demanded that Corinth wit...

If Corinth claims that it's improper for you to accept her colony as an ally, she should understand that while colonies honor their mother cities when treated well, they become alienated through unjus...

The Corcyraeans, in the speech we've just heard, don't limit themselves to discussing whether they should be admitted to your alliance. They also accuse us of injustice and claim they're victims of an...

Regarding their claim that they wanted the dispute submitted to arbitration first, it's clear that such an offer from those who hold all the advantages cannot be credited with the same sincerity as on...

On their return voyage, the Corinthians captured Anactorium, located at the entrance to the Ambracian Gulf. They seized this territory through deception, as it was jointly held by both Corcyraeans and...

But the siege of Potidaea ended Corinth's inaction; she had citizens trapped inside the city, and moreover, she feared for its fate. She immediately summoned the allies to Sparta and vehemently accuse...

Certainly, Spartans, we don't deserve the extreme hostility we face from the Greeks—not based on the patriotism we showed during the Persian crisis, nor the wisdom of our policies, and certainly not f...

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 s...

The Spartans showed no outward signs of anger toward the Athenians when they heard the news. Their embassy, apparently, had been motivated not by a desire to interfere but rather to offer guidance to ...

During this period, Pausanias, son of Cleombrotus, was dispatched from Sparta to serve as supreme commander of the Greek forces, leading twenty ships from the Peloponnese. The Athenians joined him wit...

The Athenians first besieged and captured Eion on the Strymon River from the Persians, enslaving its inhabitants under the command of Cimon, son of Miltiades. Next, they conquered Scyros, an island in...

During this period, Inaros—son of Psammetichus and a Libyan king ruling the Libyans along Egypt's frontier—established his base of operations at Marea, the city situated above Pharos. He orchestrated ...

Around this time, the Athenians began constructing the Long Walls extending to the sea—one toward Phalerum and another toward Piraeus. Meanwhile, the Phocians launched a campaign against Doris, the an...

During this time, the Athenians and their allies remained in Egypt, experiencing the full range of wartime fortunes. Initially, the Athenians controlled Egypt, prompting the Persian King to dispatch M...

Upon receiving this intelligence, the Athenians immediately dispatched sixty warships to Samos. Of these, sixteen vessels were diverted to Caria to monitor the Phoenician fleet's movements, while othe...

We possess additional strategies for waging this war—most notably, inciting rebellion among their allies, which remains the most effective means of stripping them of the revenues that constitute their...

Your position, therefore, from whatever perspective you examine it, will fully justify your decision to go to war. We recommend this course of action in the interests of all, remembering that shared i...

There is one principle, Athenians, that I maintain consistently throughout all circumstances: we must make no concessions to the Peloponnesians. I understand that the enthusiasm which drives people to...

After these events, the Plataeans dispatched a messenger to Athens, returned the Theban dead under a truce, and reorganized their city to best handle the current crisis. The Athenians, who had receive...

During this period, the Athenian fleet of one hundred ships continued its operations around the Peloponnese. After capturing Sollium, a Corinthian possession, they handed over both the town and its su...

These men died as true Athenians should. You who survive must resolve to face the enemy with equal determination, though you may hope for a more fortunate outcome. Don't be satisfied with merely heari...

That particular year was acknowledged to have been remarkably free from other illnesses; indeed, whatever ailments did occur all transformed into this single disease. Typically, there was no apparent ...

I was fully prepared for your anger toward me, as I understand its causes, and I have convened this assembly to remind you of certain facts and to protest against your unreasonable hostility toward me...

Furthermore, your country has every right to demand your service in maintaining the glory of its position. This glory is a source of pride shared by all of you, and you cannot refuse the responsibilit...

But you must not be swayed by citizens like these, nor should you be angry with me—for if I advocated war, I only did what you yourselves voted to do—even though the enemy has invaded our territory an...

Around this same time, as summer drew to a close, the Ambraciot forces, together with numerous barbarian allies they had recruited, launched a campaign against Amphilochian Argos and the surrounding r...

That same winter, the Potidaeans finally reached the point where they could no longer withstand the siege. The Peloponnesian invasions of Attica had failed to achieve their intended purpose of forcing...

Gathering at Doberus, they prepared to descend from the mountains into Lower Macedonia, which belonged to Perdiccas. The Lyncestians, Elimiots, and other inland tribes, though ethnically Macedonian an...

The Athenians, however, were already suffering from the plague and the war that had recently erupted and was now at its height. They considered it a grave matter to add Lesbos—with its naval power and...

During this time, the ambassadors from Mytilene who had been sent on the first ship were instructed by the Spartans to proceed to Olympia. The purpose was for the other allied states to hear their cas...

If we had all remained independent states, we could have placed greater trust in Athens not attempting to alter the existing order. But with most states now subject to Athens while they continued to t...

These, Spartans and allies, are the grounds and justifications for our rebellion—clear enough to demonstrate to our audience that we have acted fairly, and serious enough to alarm us into seeking some...

On his voyage back along the coast, Paches stopped at various places, including Notium, the harbor of Colophon. The Colophonians had relocated there after Itamenes and his barbarian allies captured th...

To prevent you from being swayed by such arguments, I will demonstrate that no state has ever wronged you as severely as Mytilene. I can understand and forgive those who revolt because they find our r...

Therefore, we must not adopt a misguided policy based on faith in capital punishment's effectiveness, nor should we deny rebels any hope of repentance or opportunity for swift reconciliation. Think ab...

Just think what a terrible mistake you'd be making if you followed Cleon's advice. As things stand now, the common people in every city are on your side. They either refuse to join the oligarchs in re...

The following day was spent in minor skirmishes, with both sides venturing into the countryside to proclaim freedom for the slaves and urge them to join their cause. The majority of slaves responded t...

While revolutionary violence erupted for the first time among the factions in Corcyra, Eurymedon and the Athenian fleet departed. Following their withdrawal, approximately five hundred Corcyraean exil...