Custom essays on Sicilian Expedition and Decelean War

Athensand Spartasigned the Peace of Nicias in 421 BC. It was the point of the ending of the first part of the Peloponnesian War. The agreement was supposed to last for fifty years (Thucydides). Nevertheless both state-cities were not satisfied with the conditions of the treaty and it collapsed.

Spartawas not able to complete all the conditions of the agreement, such as it didn’t return Amphipolis. On the other handAthensalso fefused to give Pylos back. Because of all these conflicts and contradictions the government ofAthenslistened to Alcibiades’ advice and decided to join the alliance of several other democratic state-citiesElis,MantineaandArgos.

In 418, the king of Sparta Agis II assailedArgosandMantinea, so after thatAthenshad to make an uneasy choice: either to help Spartan army or to support its democratic allies.Athensdecided to get ready to stand forMantineaagainst Agis II. The Spartan king won the battle and the importance of this victory was not just in the fact thatSpartaregained its influence in thePeloponnesearea, but also the fight between former allies became the reason which put an end to the Peace of Nicias. It happened just 3 years since it was signed.

In 415AthensandSpartawere still at piece though. The same yearSegesta, one of the Sicilian cities, sent its legate toAthensasking for some support in the war against Selinute. The ambassador has taken with him enough of gold to pay for 60 warships for a month.Athensdid helpSegestawith their fleet, but they were also captivated by all the wealth their allies had and started thinking about the possible conquest of the whole state ofSicily. Alcibiades, Nicias and also Lamachus were the ones to lead the army in spite of the fact that Nicias did not want to do that. On the other hand Alcibiades was for the expedition and when 5 days after he was chosen to be one of the leading generals a debate took place in the assembly. Nicias and some others were against the war giving such reasons asSpartabeing still their enemy and ready to attackAthens. Nicias also said that even ifAthensconqueredSicilyit would be impossible to keep the situation there under control, because even the weaker allies ofAthenswere continuing to stir up the insurrections against them. But most of the other speakers were for the expedition. After that Alcibiades said that the whole situation withSicilylooked likeAthenshaving war againstPersiawhen they also had hostile opponents not far from their own home. Alcibiades reminded that their victory had gained a lot of glory for their motherland and said that the war againstSicilyshould have the same result. He also mentioned that the expedition will keepAthensto keep its army trained and prepared for the future battles withSparta. In his second speech Nicias tried to persuade everybody thatAthenswould need much bigger army for this kind of expedition. He hoped that this would discourage his opponents to start the war, but instead of this they agreed with him and prepared 100 triremes and 5000 hoplites as Nicias suggested (Donald Kagan).

Alcibiades, Nicias, Demonsthenes and Gylippus played some of the most important roles in this historical period. Alcibiades was the one advicedSpartato send their army to helpSyracusein order to preventAthens’ later attack. He also told Spartans about the importance of fortifying Decelea next toAthens. Gylippus was appointed to command the Spartan fleet. Demosthenes landed with other 73 ships, but it was too late and even this didn’t helpAthensand he was defeated too.

In the spring of 413, the king of Sparta Agis II invaded and fortified the occupied city ofDecelea. This act had a great symbolical and strategic value. Speaking about a strategic point of view, the occupation of the city signified that Spartans controlled one of the major roads in wholeAttica. After that he Athenians had no possibility to take the route across the Parnes in order to transport food stocks fromEuboeato their own city (Robert B. Strassler). Also speaking now about the symbolical meaning of the event, the Spartans, who were the part of an ethnic group which was called Dorian, by taking possession of this lieu de mémoire, symbolically exploited the Ionians who were the part of the same ethnic group to which the Athenians belonged too. (Cagnazzi, Silvana).