Randles, Steven
(2023)
The Athenian Expedition to Sicily - The Reasons for its Failure.
PhD thesis, University of Liverpool.
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Abstract
This study considers anew the reasons for the failure of the Athenian Expedition to Sicily in 415. It begins with the premise that the venture could and should have been a success and examines why this did not turn out to be the case. The study is effectively split into two halves. The first half examines aspects within Athenian society and democracy which impacted adversely upon the Expedition. An examination is made of groupings within society, based on age, class and wealth. A study of tensions between these groups is undertaken and an assessment is made as to whether these tensions formed fault lines with Athenian society which contributed to the failure of the Expedition. The Athenian democratic institutions are also examined and an assessment made on whether the day-to-day functioning of the democracy hindered the Expedition. Underpinning the first half of the study is a detailed examination of temporal measurement in Attica and how the Athenian calendar functioned. This study enables a more exact assessment of the time-line of the build-up to the expedition to be made, thus facilitating an examination of which groups within Athens held positions of power and influence at key moments just prior to the Expedition. A case study of the Mutilations of the Herms and the Profanations of the Mysteries then serves to highlight the tensions in Athenian society just prior to the Expedition. The second half of the study examines the military and tactical failures during the Expedition itself. Nicias’ failure as a strategos is examined in detail, as is the impact of cavalry warfare on the Expedition. My study reinforces the point that the Athenian Expedition to Sicily should have been a success. Athens’ catastrophic defeat was due to a series of serious tactical errors on the ground, compounded both by unreasonable interference from the democratic Assembly and by the impact of factions within Athens working to bring about the downfall of the Expedition to serve their own ends.
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) |
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Histories, Languages and Cultures |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 29 Jan 2024 15:54 |
| Last Modified: | 29 Jan 2024 15:54 |
| DOI: | 10.17638/03176631 |
| Supervisors: |
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| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3176631 |
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