410s BC

This decade witnessed the continuing decline of the

By place

Greece

• Despite the Peace of Nicias still being in effect, Sparta's King Agis II gathers a strong army at Philus and descends upon Argos by marching at night from the north. His allied Boeotian forces fail him, but he is able to conclude a treaty with Argos.

By topic

Drama

• Euripides' play Andromache is performed.
• Electra is performed. The play takes its theme from The Libation Bearers by Aeschylus
  .

By place

Greece

• King Agis II of Sparta escapes being fined 10,000 drachmae and having his house razed for his failure to press his advantage by promising more successful outcomes in the future.
• The
  Laches
  , is killed in the battle.
• Impressed with the Spartan victory, the inhabitants of Argos change their government from democracy to oligarchy and end their support for Athens in favour of an alliance with Sparta. Many of Argos' allies do the same. Athens becomes increasingly isolated.
• Alcibiades urges the Athenians to conquer Syracuse, subdue Sicily and Carthage and thus gain added forces that will enable them to finish the war against Sparta. His bold offensive plan wins the support of the Athenians.

417 BC

By place

Greece

• Following the loss by Athens and its allies in the Battle of Mantinea, a political "tug of war" takes place in Athens. Alcibiades joins forces with Nicias against Hyperbolus, the successor of the demagogue politician Cleon as champion of the common people. Hyperbolus tries to bring about the ostracism of either Nicias or Alcibiades, but the two men combine their influence and induce the Athenian people to expel Hyperbolus instead.

416 BC

By place

Greece

• With the encouragement of Alcibiades, the Athenians take the island of Melos (which has remained neutral during the Peloponnesian War). Its inhabitants are treated with great cruelty by the Athenians, with all the men capable of bearing arms being killed, while the women and children are made slaves.
• In
  Selinus (which is supported by the powerful Sicilian city of Syracuse). The people of Syracuse are ethnically Dorian (as are the Spartans
  ), while the Athenians, and their allies in Sicily, are Ionian. The Athenians feel obliged to assist their ally and therefore prepare an armada to attack Sicily.

• The tragedian Agathon wins first prize at the Lenaia.

415 BC

By place

Greece

• Hermae" shortly before the departure of Athens' military expedition to Sicily. These mutilations cause a general panic, and Andocides is induced to turn informer. Andocides' testimony is accepted, and those whom he implicates, including Alcibiades
  , are condemned to death. Andocides is sent into exile.
• The Athenian expedition to Sicily sets sail under Nicias, Lamachus and Alcibiades. After his departure with the armada, Alcibiades is accused of profanity and is recalled to Athens to stand trial.
• After learning that he has been condemned to death in absentia, Alcibiades defects to Sparta and Nicias is placed in charge of the Sicilian expedition. The Athenian forces land at Dascon near Syracuse but with little result. Hermocrates heads the Syracusan defence.
• Alcibiades openly joins with the Spartans and persuades them to send Gylippus to assist Syracuse and to fortify Decelea in Attica. He also encourages Ionia to revolt against Athens. As a result, a Spartan fleet soon arrives to reinforce their allies in Syracuse and a stalemate ensues.
• Construction of the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens is completed. Construction had begun in 449 BC.

By topic

Drama

• Melos
  .

414 BC

By place

Greece

• Athens responds to appeals from its general, Nicias, by sending out 73 vessels to Sicily under the command of Demosthenes to assist Nicias and his forces with the siege of Syracuse.
• The Athenian army moves to capture Syracuse while the larger fleet of Athenian ships blocks the approach to the city from the sea. After some initial success, the Athenian troops become disorganised in the chaotic night operation and are thoroughly routed by Gylippus, the Spartan commander. The Athenian commander Lamachus is killed. Nicias, although ill, is left in sole charge of the siege of Syracuse.^[1]

By topic

Drama

• Aristophanes' play The Birds is performed.

413 BC

By place

Greece

• After suffering a defeat in which the Athenian commander Lamachus is killed, Demosthenes suggests that they immediately give up the siege of Syracuse and return to Athens, where they are needed to defend against a Spartan invasion of Attica. Nicias refuses, but the Syracusans and Spartans under Hermocrates are able to trap the Athenians in the harbour and the Athenians sustain heavy losses in the Battle of Syracuse. Demosthenes is ambushed by the Syracusans and is forced to surrender. Nicias is soon captured as well, and both are executed, with most of the surviving Athenian soldiers sent to work in the Sicilian quarries. Ten proboulos (including Sophocles) are elected to help run Athens.
• Pharnabazus, advance almost to the gates of Athens. King Agis II leads the Spartan force that occupies Decelea
  in Attica.
• Perdiccas II
  . Archelaus seizes the throne after murdering his uncle, his cousin, and his half brother, the legitimate heir.

• Euripides' play Electra is performed.

412 BC

By place

Persian Empire

• The
  Pharnabazus, are ordered to collect overdue tribute
  .
• The
  Peloponnesian
  fleet.

• oligarchic
  party in Athens, as Sparta's allied cities break away in a series of revolts.
• The Athenians vote to use their last reserves to build a new fleet.
• Clazomenae revolts against Athens.^[3]
  After a brief resistance, however, it again acknowledges the Athenian supremacy.
• An epidemic of an unknown disease hits Northern Greece.

Rome

• The epidemic hits the Roman Republic and causes a food shortage.

411 BC

By place

Greece

• Council of Four Hundred" is set up.^[4] The total defeat of the Athenian expedition to Sicily
  and the consequent revolts of many of the subject-allies has weakened Athenian finances severely; the acknowledged purpose of the revolutionary movement is to revise the constitution to better run Athens' finances. However, its rule is high-handed and the Council of Four Hundred is only able to maintain itself for four months.
• When a mutiny breaks out amongst the troops who are fortifying Piraeus (the harbour for Athens), the Council sends Theramenes to quell it. Instead, he puts himself at the head of the mutineers. After Phrynichus, the leader of the extremists, is assassinated, an ensuing meeting of the Athenian Assembly deposes the Council and restores the traditional constitution, but restricts some of the privileges of citizenship to a body called the Five Thousand. The Assembly resumes its old form in being a committee of all citizens.
• The Athenian navy under
  Hellespont at Cynossema
  is then defeated by an Athenian fleet commanded by Thrasybulus and Alcibiades.
• Antiphon defends himself in a speech Thucydides describes as the greatest ever made by a man on trial for his life. Nevertheless, Antiphon is unable to persuade his accusers and he is executed for treason.

By topic

Literature

• Euripides' play Iphigenia in Tauris is performed.
• Aristophanes' plays Lysistrata and Women Celebrating the Thesmophoria are performed.^[5]

410 BC

By place

Greece

• Commanding 20 ships, the
  Battle of Cyzicus, Athens regains control over the vital grain route from the Black Sea
  .
• Alcibiades installs a garrison at Chrysopolis under Theramenes to exact a tithe from all shipping that comes from the Black Sea. This revenue enables the Athenians to put an end to the regime of the Five Thousand and restore their traditional institutions in full. Democracy is restored in Athens. The new demagogue Cleophon dismisses peace overtures made by Sparta.
• An Oligarchic revolt in Corcyra is unsuccessful.

Cyprus

• Evagoras re-establishes his family's claim as kings of Salamis which has been under Phoenician control for a number of years.

By subject

Art

• A relief decoration from the parapet (now destroyed), Nike (Victory) adjusting her sandal is constructed in the Temple of Athena Nike on the Acropolis in Athens and is ready in 407 BC. It is now preserved at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
• The grave stele of Hegeso is made and is finished about ten years later (approximate date). It is now preserved at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

Significant people

• Euphemus of Athens, Archon of Athens. In office 417-416 BC
• Euripides of Athens, playwright
• Socrates of Athens, philosopher
• Sophocles of Athens, playwright
• Thucydides of Athens, historian and author of the History of the Peloponnesian War
• Hannibal Mago, King of Carthage, r. 440–406 BC
• Weilieh, Zhou dynasty king of China, r. 425–402 BC
• Tharrhypas, King of Epirus, r. 430–390 BC
• Perdiccas II, King of Macedon, r. 454–413 BC
• Archelaus I, King of Macedon, r. 413–399 BC
• Nanda Dynasty in Magadha (in Ancient India), r. c. 420–362 BC
• Kosho, legendary Emperor of Japan, r. 475–393 BC
• Amanineteyerike, King of Kush r. 431–405 BC
• Darius II, King of the Achaemenid Persian Empire r. 423–404 BC
• Amyrtaeus of Egypt, Anti-Achaemenid rebel and future Pharaoh of Egypt
• Joiada of Judah, High-Priest of Israel, held position 433–410 BC
• Johanan of Judah, High-priest of Israel, held position 410–371 BC
• Malachi of Judah, prophet (according to Bible)
• Tissaphernes of Persia, Satrap of Lydia and Caria
• Abdemon, King of Salamis, r. 420–410 BC
• Evagoras, King of Salamis, r. 410–374 BC
• co-kings
  of Sparta.
• Seuthes I, King of Thrace, r. 424–410 BC
• Amadocus I, King of Thrace, r. 410–390 BC

Contemporaries of future importance

• Artaxerxes of Persia
  , Achaemenid prince and future King of Persia
• Cyrus the Younger of Persia, Achaemenid prince and satrap
• Plato of Athens, student of Socrates and future philosopher
• Xenophon of Athens, soldier and future writer of Anabasis

Births

418 BC

• Epaminondas of Thebes, Theban general and statesman (d. 362 BC)^[6]
• Iphicrates, Athenian general (approximate date) (d. c. 353 BC)^[7]

412 BC

• Diogenes of Sinope

411 BC

• Timoleon, Greek statesman and general (approximate date) (d. 337 BC)

Deaths

418 BC

• Laches, Athenian aristocrat and general (b. c. 475 BC)^[8]

• Lamachus, Athenian general

413 BC

• Demosthenes, Athenian general
• Nicias, Athenian soldier and statesman (b. 470 BC)
• Macedonian
  king

411 BC

• Antiphon, Athenian politician and orator (b. 480 BC)^[9]
• Phrynichus, Athenian general (assassinated)^[10]

410 BC

• Hippocrates of Chios, Greek mathematician and astronomer (approximate date)

References