The Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition (A New History of the Peloponnesian War)

Why did the Peace of Nicias fail to reconcile Athens and Sparta? In the third volume of his landmark four-volume history of the Peloponnesian War, Donald Kagan examines the years between the signing of the peace treaty and the destruction of the Athenian expedition to Sicily in 413 B.C. The principal figure in the narrative is the Athenian politician and general Nicias, whose policies shaped the treaty and whose military strategies played a major role in the attack against Sicily. | "This is a solid piece of scholarship, a readable, consistent, and understandable account of a difficult period in Greek history, and rife with astute and provocative observations on Thucydides." ― The Historian Why did the Peace of Nicias fail to reconcile Athens and Sparta? Donald Kagan examines the years between the signing of the peace treaty and the destruction of the Athenian expedition to Sicily in 413 B.C. The principal figure in the narrative is the Athenian politician and general Nicias, whose policies shaped the treaty and whose military strategies played a major role in the attack against Sicily. Preface Contents Maps Abbreviations and Short Titles Part One. The Unraveling of the Peace 1. A Troubled Peace 2. The Separate League 3 . The Alliance of Athens and Argos 4 . The Challenge of the Separate League 5 . The Battle of Mantinea 6. After Mantinea: Politics and Policy at Sparta and Athens Part Two. The Sicilian Expedition 7. The Decision to Attack Sicily 8. Sacrilege and Departure 9 . Athenian Strategy and the Summer Campaign of 415 10. The First Attack on Syracuse 11. The Siege of Syracuse 12. Athens on the Defensive 13. Defeat on Land and Sea 14. Retreat and Destruction Conclusions Bibliography General Index Index of Modern Authors Index of Ancient Authors and Inscriptions

Why did the Peace of Nicias fail to reconcile Athens and Sparta? In the third volume of his landmark four-volume history of the Peloponnesian War, Donald Kagan examines the years between the signing of the peace treaty and the destruction of the Athenian expedition to Sicily in 413 B.C. The principal figure in the narrative is the Athenian politician and general Nicias, whose policies shaped the treaty and whose military strategies played a major role in the attack against Sicily.