dominate the assembly, exploited discontent by making alliances with Peloponnesian
states in dispute with Sparta, who reasserted her dominance at the battle of Mantinea
in 418. Athens subjugated the island of Melos, one of the few states not subject to her
in the Aegean, putting to death all men of military age and selling the women and
children into slavery. In 415 envoys from Egesta in Sicily came to Athens requiring
aid in a Sicilian war. According to Thucydides (2, 65) Pericles had advised the
Athenians not to extend their empire during their conflict with Sparta. The general
Nicias, who had negotiated the peace in 421, was against intervention but Alcibiades’
enthusiastic support won the day and the Athenians mounted a huge expedition,
doubtless with the aim of extending the empire. Alcibiades was recalled to Athens to
answer charges of sacrilegious behaviour, whereupon he fled to Sparta and pro-
ceeded to help the enemy. The fleet, despite being heavily reinforced, was defeated
and destroyed, and the troops were taken prisoner after a two-year campaign in 413.
This was the decisive event of the war, which weakened Athenian power, with the
loss of a huge fleet and perhaps over 40,000 Athenian men and their allies. It was a
blow from which Athens never recovered.
At the suggestion of Alcibiades, the Spartans had by now established a per-
manent base at Decelea in Attica, restricting Athenian movement by land. Taking
advantage of Athenian weakness, a number of states in her empire revolted, while
Sparta began to equip herself with a new fleet for war in the Aegean. Athens now
made the mistake of involving Persia in the war by supporting the revolt of Amorge
in Caria against Persian rule. As a result, Persia gave financial support to Sparta, for
a Spartan victory would result in increased Persian influence in an Asia Minor
deprived of Athenian protection. Sparta and Persia made a treaty in which the
Spartans acknowledged the Persian king’s right to sovereignty over the Asiatic Greeks
in return for Persian support. Persian gold was a decisive factor in the eventual
Spartan victory. Athens, in the meantime, was running out of funds and her supplies
of grain from the Bosporus were threatened by the new Peloponnesian fleet.
Alcibiades, now in Persia, made contact with the Athenian fleet at Samos, promising
to arrange for Persia to change sides if the Athenian leaders in return overthrew the
democratic constitution. An oligarchic revolution took place in 411 establishing
government by a body of 400. The oligarchs did not succeed in bringing peace with
Sparta and the constitution was modified to a more moderate oligarchy, giving rights
to the 5,000 most wealthy citizens. In the following year, 410, radical democracy was
restored.
Alcibiades had now been recalled and with a new fleet he successfully secured
the grain supplies, restoring Athenian power in much of the Aegean. At the battle of
Arginusae in 406 the Athenians defeated the Spartan fleet, but lost many ships and
men in a subsequent storm. All the victorious generals were tried and the eight
that returned to Athens were executed. An offer of peace was also spurned. The
HISTORY 69