Embark on a voyage through the tempestuous waters of ancient Sicilian politics, where our narrative charts the ascendancy of Syracuse amidst a maelstrom of democracies emerging from tyrannical ruins. Unearth the seismic shifts in Athenian foreign policy that set a fleet towards Sicily's shores, seeking to weave a web of influence that could ensnare the Peloponnesian war machine.
Witness the Athenian fleet, under the command of Laches and Charoeades, as it threads through the Mediterranean, capturing cities and igniting the fuse of local uprisings with the promise of freedom from Syracuse's grip. The labyrinthine complexities of war and diplomacy play out across the Sicilian stage, where each move is a calculated risk in the pursuit of dominance. The Athenian quest for Sicilian allegiance unfolds with a narrative vigour, painting a vivid portrait of ancient warfare and the ever-present shadow of defeat.
Succumb to the enthralling tale of Athens' audacious Sicilian expedition, from the strategic insight behind their push into the western world to the unforeseen ramifications of their actions. The episode intricately weaves together the triumphs and tribulations of Athenian commanders, the resilience of cities, and the undercurrents of political change that ripple through time. Join us for a compelling recount of an era where the fates of empires hung by a thread, and the echoes of ancient strategies still resonate in the annals of history.
Embark on a voyage through the tempestuous waters of ancient Sicilian politics, where our narrative charts the ascendancy of Syracuse amidst a maelstrom of democracies emerging from tyrannical ruins. Unearth the seismic shifts in Athenian foreign policy that set a fleet towards Sicily's shores, seeking to weave a web of influence that could ensnare the Peloponnesian war machine.
Witness the Athenian fleet, under the command of Laches and Charoeades, as it threads through the Mediterranean, capturing cities and igniting the fuse of local uprisings with the promise of freedom from Syracuse's grip. The labyrinthine complexities of war and diplomacy play out across the Sicilian stage, where each move is a calculated risk in the pursuit of dominance. The Athenian quest for Sicilian allegiance unfolds with a narrative vigour, painting a vivid portrait of ancient warfare and the ever-present shadow of defeat.
Succumb to the enthralling tale of Athens' audacious Sicilian expedition, from the strategic insight behind their push into the western world to the unforeseen ramifications of their actions. The episode intricately weaves together the triumphs and tribulations of Athenian commanders, the resilience of cities, and the undercurrents of political change that ripple through time. Join us for a compelling recount of an era where the fates of empires hung by a thread, and the echoes of ancient strategies still resonate in the annals of history.
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Speaker 1:The allies of Leotini now sent to Athens, appealing to their ancient alliance and to the Ionian origin. The request of the Athenians would send them a fleet, since they were being blockaded by the Syracusans on land and from sea, Thesedides. Hello, I'm Arcella and welcome back to Casting Through Ancient Greece. Episode 83, athens Sales West. Last episode we took a little break from the narrative to go back and look at developments that were taking place in Sicily. Last time we looked in on Sicily was back nearly 40 episodes ago, where we brought the history of the island up to the Greco-Persian War period. So before heading back to Sicily in our narrative, I felt it was helpful to go back and look at what had been unfolding, to give some context to what we will be seeing happen during Athens' first Sicilian expedition. Here we had seen, in the wake of the defeat of Carthage at Haimira, which supposedly took place the same day as Salamis, the victorious Greek cities had taken up tyrannies. The pattern that emerged here was like what took place on the Greek mainland the different tyrants would look to try and gain influence over the cities, which saw various regional conflicts develop. However, we also saw, with the second and third generation of tyrants coming to power, the people found themselves under more and more repressive rule. This seems to be a common pattern, as much of the reason the tyrannies were first introduced had now passed and the later generations looked to hold onto their positions for power's sake. The democracies on Sicily would now start to replace these tyrannies. Over time, the various cities' tyrannies falling one by one, often with help from other newly democratic cities. With the reshuffling of governments and the different conflicts that came about, syracuse, now under a democratic system, had come to a position where it had held most influence on the island, and this would be the situation we will find ourselves heading into as we continue the narrative for this episode.
Speaker 1:When we left the narrative last time, we had seen that the small polis of Plataea had attempted to break their siege. Many were able to escape to Athens, but those that had remained behind would surrender the city once provisions ran out. The fate of Plataea was not a pleasant one, with all the men put to death and the women sold into slavery. The city of Plataea was then razed to the ground, and the site was then handed over to Thebes, who had been trying to gain control of the polis for many years now. We also saw that civil war broke out on the island of Kossaira, which had been the site of disputes during the lead up to the Peloponnesian war. A group that had been prisoners in Corinth from this period were released back to the island but had been convinced to try and change Kossaira's policy. On their return, they would attempt to try and get the island to revert to their traditional policy of neutrality, with the attention to then try and move towards a pro-Peloponnesian stance. Citizens would become involved, as losing the island to the Peloponnesian side would be strategically disastrous. Remembering here, kossaira had the third largest navy and if it were to join the Peloponnesian fleet, it would be a match for Athens. On the sea, however, with Athenian help and after some particularly horrendous acts, the democrats would retain control on the island. For now, though, the civil war where we left it was not yet resolved.
Speaker 1:Our episode today will be heading into 427, where Athens would launch its first expedition into Sicily. They would launch a much more well known one over 10 years later, in 415 BC, which we'll see us spending a number of episodes around. However, this would be their first foray into the island and would set policies and expectations for the future campaign. I think what we will do today is spend all episode on this first expedition rather than covering the events that took place over the year. So this will see us cover what was taking place on Sicily and the decisions being made in Athens from 427 to 424 BC. I'll be mentioning other important events in passing as we cover the Sicilian narrative, but rest assured we will be covering these areas in more detail in the episodes that will follow. So let's get started and first look at the changed political landscape in Athens that would make this first expedition possible.
Speaker 1:When we looked at the Athenians involvement in the Civil War on Kassara, there appeared to be a change in policy taking place in Athens. This wasn't specifically told to us by Thysidides, but his recounting of events gives us some clues that something was changing. When the Athenians first arrived, they were under the command of Nicostratus, who seemed to take measures to try and bring a peaceful settlement between the two sides. Instead of allowing the Democrats, who added the advantage, to continue their violence, he would suggest a compromise with Thysidides, saying he at once endeavoured to bring about a settlement and persuaded the two parties to agree together to bring to trial 10 of the Ringleaders who were no longer in the city, while the rest were to live in peace, making terms with each other and entering into an alliance with the Athenians. This appeared to have calmed tensions, but it wouldn't last long. The Ringleaders had escaped and further developments would see that the hatred and distrust was now boiling to the surface.
Speaker 1:With the Peloponnesian fleet arriving to assist the Olegarchs, nicostratus would once again take a passive approach to prevent becoming too committed to the dispute. Cassara would head out on the water to oppose the Peloponnesian ships, but Athens, who had tried to advise caution and have the Cassareans follow their lead, were ignored. This saw Athens forced to come out on the water and provide a spoiling action after the fleet of the Democrats was defeated, to allow them to get back to safety. The violence then worsened. Battles and raids continued between the two sides. However, a much larger Athenian fleet that had been sent out from Athens now arrived and would see that the Peloponnesian fleet slip away under the cover of darkness. With the Athenian fleet's arrival would also come a new general Euromedon, sent from Athens, with it appearing a new board of generals had been voted in. With his arrival would come a very different approach from Athens on the island. Not that we get direct examples, but many have argued that he would actively encourage the Democrats' violence towards the Olegarchs and all those they saw being enemies of the democracy. This would effectively see Athens look to stamp out the Peloponnesian influence in Cassara through whatever means.
Speaker 1:Now Cleon, who we were introduced to a few episodes ago, appears to have gained some increased influence in Athens' political landscape. Cleon had been in opposition to Pericles' measured approach during the early years of the Peloponnesian War. Pericles had made a point of convincing the Athenians during the time of war they needed to focus on what they controlled and to strengthen, to hold their empire, rather than actively looking to expand the empire. This, he argued, if they ignored, would see Athens become weaker as it would stretch its resources beyond what it could handle. However, with Cleon now appearing to gain more support and installing generals who were aligned to him, such as Eurymedon, it seems this advice was now being forgotten and Athens was looking to involve themselves in regions that were far away from the main centre of gravity of the war. We briefly saw.
Speaker 1:It appears Athens had been becoming involved in the regional dispute in Sicily back in the 450s. However, this was before the Peloponnesian War had broken out. This alliance would be formed with Sugesta on the west coast, and we know that by the time of the Peloponnesian War, athens still had their alliance with them. It would be an appeal from Sugesta that would help initiate the Sicilian expedition of 415 BC. However, up to this stage, it would appear, athens' help was in resources and even perhaps advisors, though it seems Athens' interest in Sicily for the moment was to gain a foothold for future interests. Now, in 427, athens would look to send an expedition of ships and men, this being in contrast to the advice Pericles had given. While Athens was at war with Sparta, they needed to avoid getting involved in new wars or activities that looked to expand the empire. With Clion now appearing to hold more influence, a more aggressive policy was now in favour, although Pericles' leadership had gotten them through to the war.
Speaker 1:Up until now, many in Athens were unsatisfied with the response. It often felt as though Athens was passive, allowing Sparta to do as they pleased. So when the city of Leotini came requesting Athens' help in Sicily, the assembly would vote to send men and ships. So, given Sicily was far away from the actions of the Peloponnesian War, why would the Athenians agree to this venture? This entities would tell us himself why he thought the Athenians would set their sights on Sicily. So let's look at these points and see if what he puts forward seems reasonable.
Speaker 1:So the first explanation that we'll look at was the fact that Athenian help was requested in Sicily. As we had seen, syracuse had become the hegemon in Sicily and still looked to expand their interests into yet more areas of the island. The request for help would come when Leontini, north of Syracuse, would become a target of interest and conflict between the two would develop. No reason is given for the start of hostilities, but Leontini had access to fertile plains perfect for the growing of crops. It is thought that perhaps Syracuse was in a similar position that Athens had been during its own expansion, and feeding its growing population was becoming an issue. Another issue to point out is that Leontini was an Ionian city sharing the same ethnic heritage as the Athenians. Just before the start of the Peloponnesian War, athens had come to Sicily to renew their ties with Leontini, along with other Ionian cities in Sicily. This may have well have caused resentment in Syracuse, who saw themselves as a hegemon in Sicily. This Athenian intervention seems as a challenge to their wealth and power on the island. So the economic potential of these lands, along with the Athenian influence in what was seen in Syracuse's domain, may have led to war between Leontini and Syracuse breaking out.
Speaker 1:What's also important to note here like on the Greek mainland, the cities were loyal, for the most part, to their traditional cultural groups. As we said, leontini was an Ionian, while Syracuse was from a Dorian tradition. Much like the Peloponnes, leontini, once war broke out, would sail to Athens and would appeal for the Athenians' assistance. Although there were several Ionian cities in Sicily that would allied themselves with Leontini, they still saw their position as a weak one. When, in Athens, the heralds would use their common Ionian connection with the Athenians to put forward a persuasive argument to send help in the form of a fleet, athens would be sympathetic to this common descent and would vote that a fleet should be sent to help Leontini.
Speaker 1:However, this doesn't exactly give us a reason for Athens deciding to go to Sicily in of itself. There must have been more to the picture. Decidities would also say that, although Athens would agree on the basis of a common ancestry, this was not Athens' real motive. What Thucydides suggests will be the point we turn to. Next, though, what this request for aid would do was provide Athens an opportunity to make a move physically into Sicily, this providing a justified reason for their intervention.
Speaker 1:But let's now turn to our first point that may have been a motivation for this action, and one that Thucydides believes to be Athens' real reason for the expedition. The first part of Thucydides' explanation for the Athenian's involvement would be the aim of hurting the Peloponnesians, he would say. The Athenian sent a fleet, ostensibly because of their kinship with Leontini, though their real aims were to prevent corn being brought into the Peloponnes from the west. So here we see that the first reasoning Thucydides gives was to affect Sparta and their allies' ability to keep their populations fed during the war. This would see the Athenians looking to mount a form of economic war on their enemy.
Speaker 1:As we have seen, athens was not in an advantageous position to mount large direct attacks on Spartans, so they were looking for ways to influence the conflict through indirect means. We had seen this to some extent with the raids that had been conducted around the Peloponnesian coast, these being designed to impact the morale of the Spartan allies, though disrupting part of the Peloponnesians' food supply, would have a far greater effect if it could be achieved, as we have pointed out before regarding Athens and Syracuse. Population within the cities of the Greek world were becoming larger. For these populations to be supported, increased food production would need to be achieved, though eventually the few fertile plains would no longer be able to keep pace with these growing populations. Wars would break out over these plains that we have seen pop up over time through the series, but even then, with control over these areas, the larger regions would need to start importing grain and other food staples to meet demand. Athens, as we have seen, relied on the trade routes into the Black Sea for this, while it appears the Peloponnesians' main source of imported grain was from Sicily.
Speaker 1:If the food supply was disrupted, it would severely affect the Peloponnesians' ability to wage their campaigns year after year. Not only this, but it would make their own regional crops and food production higher valued military targets, as they would bring a city to its knees if destroyed. These were far more accessible to the Athenians, who had shown they could reach these on rating expeditions, although this shows that the Athenians were looking to hurt the Spartans beyond a direct military engagement. It also came with its own risk for the Athenians by landing on Sicily. This would not immediately disrupt the supply to the Peloponnes To affect this supply, the Athenians would have to militarily defeat Syracuse, who were aligned with Sparta and held the majority of the influence in Sicily.
Speaker 1:This would see Athens needing to direct a good proportion of their fleet and manpower into the venture, this seeing them being far away from any threats that would develop on and around the Greek mainland. This had taken place before and is what had led Pericles advising against expanding the Athenian operations outside of the Empire. Plus, military operations seldom go as planned and it could end up like another situation like what took place at Potidia, with the Athenians needing to commit more resources to continue their operations, which in turn would weaken them militarily at home. Though, as we will now turn to, we will see that, according to Thucydides, this was only one reason for the expedition, and perhaps it had been judged that the risks involved were worth the reward, should it be successful.
Speaker 1:The second part of Thysiotides' reason for Athens' expedition was to make a preliminary survey to see whether it would be possible for them to gain control of Sicily. So here we see the idea of expanding Athenian influence well beyond the Greek mainland. We had brought up this idea when looking at earlier Athenian alliances on the island. However, these previously were more diplomatic in nature. This time around, athens was looking to put boots on the ground or, more fitting for the time, sandals on the ground. However, this motivation was a clear cut violation of the policy Athens had been following under Pericles. This perhaps gives further evidence that the political landscape in Athens had now shifted since Pericles' death.
Speaker 1:Further reinforcing this idea is that we hear no great debate taking place over the matter, suggesting there was little opposition to the idea. If this was a true motivation of Athens, it would not only disrupt the export of food into the Peloponnese, but it would also boost the Athenian's own source. This would provide them with extra food security. With major trade routes running not only east to the Black Sea but west into Sicily, not to mention the potential markets further west, it's not hard to see the allure of this idea, as it would see Athens grow to a height yet seen. However, like we have said before, this was a high risk, high reward situation. If Athens got it wrong, it may be hard to recover and potentially see their current empire in a far weakened state, while also costing them the war. How serious of a motivation for the expedition this was is debatable. It seems probable that gaining influence in Sicily was a factor, but how far these ambitions went is unknown.
Speaker 1:But before we move on, I want to cover one other point that is not brought up by Thyscities. That could also have been a possible motivation. This point would tie in directly to the current conflict and revolves around the considerations we have looked at previously when discussing Athens' involvement with Osirah. This would have to do with the military potential Sicily could offer the Peloponnesians. Syracuse, over the decades, had been growing in wealth and influence within Sicily to where it was now the most powerful of all the cities on the island. It had launched many campaigns on its fellow Greeks as well as the native Sicils. Although Syracuse still had to use its resources and manpower in deterring rivals and maintaining its position, it would have reached a point where it would be able to use what it had built for other enterprises. If you remember back to our earlier episodes around Sicily, you will recall that Syracuse had been established by colonists from Corinth.
Speaker 1:With the emergence of Syracuse as a leading power in Sicily, they would be in a position where they could potentially give aid to their mother city, assisting in the conflict against Athens. For Athens, this would have been a threat on a similar scale to what had been encountered with Kassara and the dealings before the breakout of the Peloponnesian War. Athens was very wary of their supremacy at sea being challenged. Syracuse could tip that balance, since it was a major power on the island and also relied on the sea trade routes. So here we have seen some explanations as to why Athens would take the decision to head west to Sicily.
Speaker 1:Realistically, the motivation would not have rested with just one of these points, but all probably played some role in Athens seeing an expedition west as a good idea. If they were successful in establishing influence on the island, they could severely slow the food export heading into the Peloponnes, impacting their ability to continue the war. This would also see Syracuse would now be focused on defending their own lands and if they were to lose influence in the face of the Athenian presence, there would be no position to be able to send aid to be used against Athens in the Peloponnesian War. Also, the lure of influence in another fertile region would have also been attracted to the Athenians. Not only would they harm the Peloponnesians position, but they would improve their own and potentially grow their empire even further. However, they needed a pretext to launch this campaign in the first place. Sailing off for conquest's sake would have attracted more enemies and made it harder to gain allies. The conflict between Syracuse and that of Leontini of a common Ironian heritage would provide this justified reason for coming to Sicily. This then seeing, it would be much easier to establish allies as they had come in defence of another. So towards the end of summer of 427 BC, the Athenians would send out their expedition west to assist Leontini.
Speaker 1:The departure of the fleet was also able to avoid the reemergence of the plague in Athens. The citadis tells us that the plague had never really gone away since first hitting Athens in 430 BC, but after its initial destruction on the population, its effects were far less severe. However, with the cooler months now approaching in 427, it would once again cause suffering on an increased scale. It would appear a new strain or mutation in the virus had developed that was able to avoid the immunity that had been built up this time around. The citadis would say that this outbreak would last less than a year, as opposed to the two years of the initial infection. It would also suggest that the plague, rather than any other factor during the war so far, had been the most damaging to Athens' military power. Overall, it would tell us that Athens would lose at least 4400 hoplites and 300 cavalry to the disease, while countless others would die, so many that no one ever discovered how many deaths there truly were. So let's now leave Athens and the rest of the Greek mainland for now, so we can turn to the events as they unfolded in Sicily.
Speaker 1:The expedition would begin with just 20 ships sent west to land on Sicily under the command of Lashes and Chariotes. The city that they had come in aid of was not a coastal one, but was located inland. This would mean that the Athenian fleet would have to make port elsewhere. They would establish a base of operations at the southern Italian city of Regium, just across the Mycenaean Straits from Sicily, who were also friendly towards Athens. This was some distance from Lentini, which was located further to the southeast of Sicily, not far from Syracuse.
Speaker 1:The first objective for the campaign would be to gain complete control of the Mycenaean Straits. These straits were a major route for trade that flowed into the region as well as further east, while they would also seek to try and make Mycenae, on the northeastern tip of the island, a rallying point for all those Greeks in Sicily that opposed Syracuse. The taking of Mycenae would be essential if Athens hoped for success, as it was on the opposite shore of the Straits and would provide a foothold within Sicily. Along with this, it was far enough away from Syracuse, so Athens would have time to arrange themselves with their Sicilian allies. Obviously, local support was essential for success, while Athens would also need the ships and troops these allies would provide, as they'd only come with twenty of their own. Given the traditional tensions within Sicily, athens would fire many Ionian Greeks and local Sicils would come to join in the campaign against Syracuse.
Speaker 1:Not long after arriving and establishing themselves at Regium, the Athenians would set about attempting to achieve these objectives of controlling the Straits and attracting allies to the cause. The Athenian fleet, joined by some ships from Regium, were split into two and would sail into what appears to have been reconnaissance missions that also had the aim of testing their sentiments of their local populations. It's worth pointing out here that Thysiotides does not specifically mention the aims of the Athenians or gives us a complete picture of what was taking place in the early part of the expedition. However, from what he does tell us, many have suggested what the Athenians were likely doing to achieve the objectives needed for them to establish themselves in Sicily. Lashes would take the squadron he commanded and sail along the southern coast of Sicily, while Thysiotides would sail along the southwestern coast, where it appears he may have been encountered by a fleet from Syracuse, since he was sailing in hostile waters. Thysiotides doesn't specifically detail the engagement, but he does tell us that Thysiotides was killed in the battle with the Syracusans, so it seems likely he would have engaged them when, on his mission that took him through waters controlled by them, thysiotides' death.
Speaker 1:Lashes was now in command of the entire fleet and would continue operations. This next step saw him lead a fleet which had been reinforced with more ships from Regium and direct it against the Leparion Islands north of Sicily. These islands were friendly to Syracuse and would pose a threat to Athens' need to control the waters flowing between Sicily and southern Italy. The fleet would land on the islands and devastate the lands in attempt to have the Leparion surrender, though a combination of their determination to resist, as well as the Athenians not being able to remain for long on the island, would see their initial attempt at subduing the islands' fail, thysiotides tells us, as the attack took place during the dry season, water was scarce on the island, this seeing the invaders not being able to remain for long. We would be told that a renewed effort would take place the following winter, but we are never told of the outcome of this attempt.
Speaker 1:After this frustration, athens would then turn to securing their position at Regium. The city of Locri, just to the north, would be the target, as they were the enemies of Regium where some success was achieved. Thysiotides does not mention this action, but it is within Diadoras' account. It is unclear if this action was to benefit Regium more so, rather than to add to Athens' strategic position in Sicily, though it would have amounted to some level of added security, as it would disrupt any ambitions of the Locrians may have had on Regium while Athens was carrying out their campaign.
Speaker 1:By the summer of 426, athens was in a more secure position to continue with expanding their operations into Sicily. It was now time to gain a foothold on the island for them to be able to direct further operations. Inland Pashas would attack the small coastal city of Malay, which was controlled by Messenia to the east. Messenians seemed to have knowledge of the Athenians' attack and had set an ambush in the city. However, it would not prevent the Athenians capturing Malay and then directing their attention towards Messenia itself. Messenia would end up surrendering to the Athenians on their approach, providing hostages, so Athens could ensure good behaviour from them moving forward.
Speaker 1:Although most of the accounts around this period have to do with the activities around Athens, it would seem that Sicily itself had broken away from its relatively peaceful period, with its entities saying that various operations were also carried out by the various warring parties within Sicily. Athens' arrival seems to have stirred up old rivalries and given pretext for original conflicts to break out. This initial phase of the Athenian expedition had been quite successful. Athens now had a secure base in southern Italy with a reliable ally. Although they had not achieved what they had set out in the islands of the north, it appears the effort there had prevented the harassment of Athenian's control of the waters through the Mycenaean Straits for now. They were then able to further cement control of the waters by defeating Mycenae on the opposite shore. This would also see Athens in a meaningful presence on Sicily. Defections from Syracuse would also be encouraged by this victory, while the enemies of Syracuse would now be able to flock to the Athenian's position, seeing their military strength grow.
Speaker 1:Athens was now in a position to start operations on Sicily itself, where the Sycles, who had been under the control of Syracuse, began revolting. They had been encouraged by Athens' success and were joined forces with them as operations on Sicily increased. Athens took advantage of this added assistance and looked to attack the Sicultown of Aenecia, located inland from the coastal city of Catana. Although a Sicultown, syracuse had control of the Acropolis and the location provided security to Syracuse's lands in southern Sicily. This target would, if Athens could take it, provide a strategic advantage and see if any names in Sicily advanced. If it was taken, this would have most likely seen yet more of the Sicultgroup's revolt and join the Athenians, while the capture of the town would secure Athens' position to the north, while also seeing Syracuse put under pressure from both land and sea. However, athens would not be able to take the town and would be defeated in the attack, forcing them to retreat and, in the process, taking casualties. This defeat was a setback in the Athenian aims. However, paches was not deterred and his army was still able to mount further attacks to continue the pressure on Syracuse. During this time, the Athenians and their allies would also defeat an army from Locrus threatening the position at Regium, while another attack would see forces focused on Hymira on the north coast of the island.
Speaker 1:It's at this time that the Athenian spirits were high around the campaign taking place in Sicily, although there had been some setbacks, athens had taken control of much of the northeastern regions of Sicily, while they had complete control over the waters of the coastline. The Athenian situation also saw that Syracuse was being put under increased pressure. They were just about completely barred from any sort of naval activity and on land the Athenians had made incursions deeper towards Syracuse. Syracuse did recognise the danger they were in and saw that control of Messina was key to the campaign. It allowed sea-borne control around the island and access to the interior of Sicily. They also saw that if Athens was allowed to hold it, they would be able to support additional forces to strengthen their campaign. So with the threat they now faced, syracuse would turn to increasing their shipbuilding program to attempt to take on the Athenians.
Speaker 1:During this time, delegates from the Sicilian allies had sailed to Athens to put forward a case for more ships to be sent to assist the campaign. They appeared to be aware of the Syracusean's activities. The Citadis doesn't detail the arguments that were put forward, but it seems the general sense was a positive view on how the campaign was going. Athens would decide to send out an additional 40 ships where it was thought this would end the campaign in Sicily. While it would also prove to be useful in the fact that it would give some newer crews some much needed experience at sea, it seems Athens had the impression that some additional reinforcements would hurry along the inevitable victory in Sicily. Elections must have also recently taken place in Athens.
Speaker 1:As for when the vanguard of the fleet was sent out, it would be led by the general Pythagoras, who would take over command from Paches. However, the majority of this reinforcing fleet would not make it to Sicilian time to assist in the campaign. As we continue with the episodes, we will cover the developments that would see this fleet used in another capacity. With the ever-evolving situation of the Peloponnesian War, this would be disastrous for the campaign on Sicily. As fortunes would turn there, by the summer of 425, syracuse were in a position to put a fleet to sea and challenge the Athenians' hold on Messina. Ten ships from Syracuse and ten from Locrus would join together and sail north to Messina. However, they would have some additional support, as the inhabitants of Messina were not happy with the Athenians having control over their city. Syracuse seems to have been able to get a message to the people that a fleet was on its way to liberate the city, which would see the inhabitants revolt against the Athenians.
Speaker 1:This would not be the only action in this counterattack on Athens' hold on Sicily, with it seeming much planning had been taking place during the previous winter between Syracuse and Locrus. Locrus, who were located in southern Italy just north of Regium, had a bitter hatred towards their southern neighbours. We had seen over the previous years of the campaign there had been fighting between the two. When Athens arrived in Regium, now for the summer of 425, locrus was poised to launch an all-out attack on Regium. This attack was designed to be in conjunction with the naval attack on Messina. This would see that while Messina was under assault, reinforcements would not be able to be sent from Regium as they would be busy dealing with their own attack that was unfolding. This strategy would be successful, with Locrus devastating the lands outside Regium and tying up the potential help that could be sent to Messina. Once their part of the operation was complete, they withdrew back to Locrus but would continue to man their ships that were now stationed at Messina.
Speaker 1:This action had now put Athens in a very precarious position. They had gone from quickly dominating the regions into Sicily to now their base of operations at risk of being overrun. However, if the fleet that Athens had sent out had arrived, it would have been possible to reverse these defeats and potentially return to the situation before the summer. But unfortunately, news of the reversal on Sicily had not reached Athens before the fleet had set sail. This would see that, given their impression of the Athenian strong standing there currently, there was no haste and as new developments occurred, they would assist elsewhere en route to Sicily.
Speaker 1:Through the summer, syracuse and Locrus would continue the war against Athens and its allies. News had been received that the Athenian fleet sent to reinforce their current one was now tied up in other operations. This gave Syracuse confidence that they were now in a position to challenge the small Athenian fleet. A series of naval engagements would take place in the Straits of Messina and nearby. The objective here was to rest away Athenian control of the sea and attempt to blockade Regium. The fighting that took place at sea would not be decisive, with multiple engagements taking place, but Syracuse would see that Athenian control of Messina would not be maintained, while the domination of the Straits had also been curtailed. Seeing that the Athenian fleet no longer had a suitable port on the Sicilian island, the Athenians would try and continue operations on Sicily, but ultimately, without the arrival of the reinforcing fleet that had been sent from Athens, the expedition in Sicily could not realistically continue. Regium would continue to hold out and Athens was still able to fall back here. Although fighting between the various Sicilian Greek cities would continue, athens would play no part in the fighting for the rest of 425. At the end of the summer, the delayed Athenian fleet would arrive. However, by this time the damage had been done. Much of the advantage that Athens had gained in the early parts of the campaign had been lost, while, it seems, much of the confidence their allies had in them had also been lost.
Speaker 1:By 424, peace on Sicily would end up taking hold with the first moves made by Gala and Camania. However, they had seen, if their peace was to last, the wider conflict in Sicily would need to come to an end. So a general invitation to the other cities to attend Gala to discuss peace would be sent. The rest of the Greek cities would end up sending representatives to discuss terms. The talks would be long, with initial discussions revolving around the various self-interests of the different cities. However, compromise for the sake of peace would end up coming about. A sense of unity was also invoked, talking about trying to look past the Oenian and Dorian differences. This, it was argued, would make the island less vulnerable to outside powers coming in to exert their influence. Obviously, syracuse would probably benefit the most from these ideas, since they were still the most powerful city in Sicily. This would allow them to continue the growth of their influence without the threat of outside powers challenging them, though the cities of Sicily were war weary and would end up agreeing to a general peace with these ideas in mind. Once agreed upon, the terms would also be taken to the Athenians who were still in the region to see if they would also be part of the agreement, depending on the position that they were. With no base of operations on Sicily and its allies no longer willing to fight, the Athenians would also recognise the terms and would end up sailing back to Athens.
Speaker 1:On the arrival back in Athens, the generals of the fleet would be put on trial. Their charge accepting bribes to leave Sicily when they could have conquered the island. This was a common occurrence when generals returned home after an unsuccessful campaign or not achieved the success that was expected. Unfortunately for the generals, they were convicted of the charges, with some being exiled and others fined, though there is no evidence that the bribery suggested by the Athenian assembly took place. If anything, it could have been argued that the generals had achieved the proposed aims in Sicily. The city they had come to the aid of had made peace with Syracuse, no longer needing a military ally, while the terms of the peace made at Gala would see that the Sicilian cities were more interested in their own affairs rather than assisting outside powers. This would see the threat of Syracuse and aid to the Peloponnesians diminished. However, if the Athenians were still willing to convict the generals, it points to Athens' intentions in Sicily as potentially being more than their stated aims. Perhaps Athens' expansionism was still alive and well within the minds of some of its governing figures. This brings a close to the first Athenian expedition in Sicily. However, we will be finding ourselves back here when Athens would return 10 years later for the more well known Athenian Sicilian expedition of 415 BC. Next episode, we will be heading back to the period where the first expedition began, where we will be looking at the various operations and efforts that were launched by both Athens and Sparta on the Greek mainland, while, as we continue, we will turn to the operations that would see the diversion of the Athenian Re-enforcing fleet.
Speaker 1:Thank you all for the support and continuing to support the series. It is greatly appreciated. I would like to give an extra special thank you to all my Patreon Archon members. So big shout out to Neil Bennett, ali Ollman and Nick Cablophakis for choosing to support the series over on Patreon and supporting at the Archon level. If you have also found some value in the series and wish to support the show, you can head to wwwCastingThranchantGreececom and click on the support the series button, where you can find the link to Patreon as well as many other ways to support the show. Be sure to stay connected and updated on what's happening in the series and join me over on Facebook or Instagram at Castings for Ancient Greece or on Twitter at CastingGreece. Once again, thanks for the support and I hope you can join me next episode where we continue the narrative of the series with episode 84 in search of victory.