End Of The Athenian Hegemony

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02 Nov 2017

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Instituto de Estudos Políticos

A derrota e a destruição das forças atenienses em Siracusa era inevitável

Laura Prevosti

Geopolítica e Geoestratégia

Número de Estudante: 139112659

Número de Palavras: 1573

Introduction

The Peloponnesian War marks the end of the Athenian hegemony on the Aegean sea; this defeat was perfected in three decades of defeats through which the Attica lost its monumental hubris.

The Peace of Nicias between Athens and Sparta in 421 BC marks a suspension of the war, but it won’t last for a long time.

In 420 BC Alcibiades is elected strategist, and he will cancel all the diplomatic efforts made by Nicias in the previous years and begins a new negative phase of relations with Sparta.

Alcibiades plays a leading role, he is a brave leader, ruthless in changing the face when the envy of fellow citizens became dangerous.

The Athenian expedition to Syracuse was a masterpiece of political myopia and unbridled ambition. During the war with Sparta, in fact, Athens doesn’t get much help from the Greek colonies of Magna Grecia, largely Doric and therefore hostile to "her". However, while Syracuse actively sided with Sparta, the other sicilian cities were more neutral.

Strategy

In 416 BC, a war broke out between the poleis of Selinus and Egesta; the first one was Syracuse's ally while the second one was an ally of Athens.

Although the cities of Syracuse and Athens were not in a situation of conflict, the emissaries sent from Segesta to Athens reported that the city of Syracuse, once defeated Segesta, could have formed an alliance with Sparta, to finally defeat Athens. [1] A preemptive attack to prevent such an event would have been, therefore, absolutely necessary from Segesta’s point of view.

Alcibiades was a supporter of the expedition, but his support to the expedition was not only linked to a patriotic interest but to increase the political consensus that would have paved the way for a personal future political career. As a matter of fact, Alcibiades was smart and he focused especially on his own personal interests [2] .

Nicias was more cautious, and manifested his adversity against the expedition. He considered the plan too tricky, due to the expansion of the wide theater of war which would have brought the conflict to a distant land and with the support of a few cities.

In addition, the supplies for the huge army were a matter of no small account as such a powerful contingent could have been used in wars closer to the motherland, especially after Persia openly begun to finance Sparta. [3] 

In the end there was Lamachus, the most warlike, whose opinion was clearly in favor of the expedition.

In the assembly, therefore, it was discussed in detail the possibility of the expedition.

Nicias spoke about the danger due to the distance from home and the risk of not being able to support a new war front. Alcibiades argued, however, the opportunity to bend Syracuse and even conquer the whole of Sicily.

After a long debate, the assembly was clearly in favor of the war, so that Nicias suggested to send an independent contingent, in order not to risk in the future to have to send more aid [4] .

In Sicily the military operations proved far more difficult than expected. Syracuse was a powerful and well-defended city, determined to resist at all costs; Alcibiades, whose cunning and ruthlessness could have made some difference on the battlefield, was removed from the office at the last moment; this was due to a scandal erupted on the day of the departure: the earlier night, all of the Hermae were decapitated by an unknown in Athens, and it was feared that the expedition would have departed with the bad luck of the gods. [5] In this agitate political climate, it was feared at first that it was a conspiracy to overthrow the aristocratic democracy; then someone accused Alcibiades of atheism, but he strongly denied it all. Alcibiades would have been able to leave anyway [6] , but his political enemies kept on mounting the charges against him. [7] 

While in Sicily for the campaign, Alcibiades was ordered to return home to exculpate himself from a serious accusation of sacrilege. [8] To avoid the risk of a death sentence back home, the Athenian strategist decided to abandon the battlefield and, instead of going back to Athens he took refuge in Sparta passing on the enemy’s side. [9] 

Athens, who after all had never been convinced of the validity of a strategic war in Sicily, was forced to fight, having as its enemy the same Alcibiades that wanted so badly this intervention against Syracuse.

If I would had been in the Athenian’s congress I would have not hesitated one second to withdraw the troops; unfortunately Athens persevered in its error by choosing Nicias as the successor of Alcibiades; Nicias was a man who led the shipment with a lot of superstition and which had a unique distinction of premonitions and wishes . [10] 

The immediate consequence was that a curious siege by sea began to the heavily fortified Syracuse. When the Spartan troops led by Gylippus came to support the Sicilian city [11] , Athens found itself surrounded and Nicias was forced to ask for help in Athens. [12] The reinforcements arrive in Sicily in 413 BC under the command of Demosthenes. [13] 

Athens, however, was not in a position to equip a new army and, for the first time, they resorted to some mercenary troops.

However, the big Athenians’ power fails to win over Syracuse. Taking note of defeat, the two Athenian strategists Nicias and Demosthenes (Lamarco already died while fighting) decide to retreat toward the mother country. The retreat, however, is too slow and the Spartans blocked the river and Syracuse racked up to 7000 Athenian prisoners to be used in quarries. [14] 

The tale of the Athenian expedition to Sicily, which is told by Thucydides, keeps a slow rhythm that seems to keep on repeating, more likely as a tragic text.

The story is in fact marked in three distinguishable parts, almost three dramas; each one has a specific theme, and they are all aimed at a single final catastrophic situation.

In the first part, after the introductory prologue, the story opens with a display of what appears to be the the pretext for the expedition: the contention between Selinus and Egesta and the return of the exiles to Lentini (6-8); the focus is on the Athenians assembly, where we can hear the passionately alternating voices of the various parties, especially through the speeches of Nicias and Alcibiades; this huge discussion ends with the decision of sailing to Sicily. In this first part there’s even the indecipherable "deal" Of the mysteries of the violated Hermes.

The second "drama" is no longer focused on a character, but it’s more focused on a theme: in the now inevitable clash between Athenians and Syracusans, there’s a wide succession of many events that feature between the walls of Syracuse.

The third "drama", which is the most poignant and catastrophic episode, focuses on the character of Nicias, an uncertain and superstitious soul.

Conclusion

Thucydides expresses a final judgment on the expedition to Sicily:

"This was the greates Hellenice achievement of any in this war, or, in my opinion, in the Hellenic history; at once most glorious to the victors, and most calamitous to the conquered". [15] 

The Athenians’ defeat in Sicily turns into a real political disaster for the prestige of Athens.

The majority of the cities belonging to the Delian League, ran out of it.

In Athens, the oligarchical party takes over the democracy, which suffers really hard.

"They were beaten at all points and altogheter; all that they suffered was great; they were destroyed…everything was destroyed, and a few out of many returned home." [16] 

The victory of the Syracusans was also due to the equipment that they had supplied their ships of. [17] 

With its defeat, Athens burns his best chance, losing a powerful fleet and about 20000 men among the Athenians and allies.

Many are then the reasons for which the expedition did not go for the best.

Among them, are fundamental the uncertainty of the Athenian board of either going or not to rescue Egesta;

The inconsistency of views between the three Athenian leaders;

The loneliness that accompanies the fleet in the journey from Athens to Rhegium and then from Catana to Rhegium: the Athenians are rejected everywhere or at least they are very limited to landing with their ships; The wide majority of the sicilian cities is either neutral or hostile;

As well as Alcibiades’ recall in court, should have opened up the eyes of the Athenian commanders;

Least, but not last, the Athenians chose to go to war in Sicily, a country really far away from their homeland. The Syracusans had to defend their own land, so that the soldiers were even more motivated to fight than the Athenians.



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