Statesman and military leader
Born: c. 470 b. c.e.; Athens, Greece Died: 413 b. c.e.; Syracuse Also known as: Nikias, son of Nikeratos Category: Military; government and politics
Life Nicias (NIHSH-ee-uhs) of Athens gained prominence in Athens during the Archidamian War as a successful general and rival of the aggressive Cleon of Athens. After Cleon’s death, he ended the war by negotiating the Peace of Nicias with Sparta in 421 b. c.e. Hostilities soon resumed, however, and at home a strong new opponent, Alcibiades of Athens, appeared.
In 415 b. c.e., Nicias, Alcibiades, and another general, Lamachus, were given command of an expedition to Sicily, one that Nicias considered ill-advised. Alcibiades was soon deposed, and Nicias and Lamachus initially achieved little. However, in 414 b. c.e., they besieged Syracuse, the foremost city in Sicily, almost taking it. Within a year, Lamachus’s death, the relief of Syracuse by the Spartan Gylippus, and errors in judgment by the ailing Nicias brought him to the brink of defeat. The arrival of reinforcements under Demosthenes led only to further disasters. Nicias, fearing disgrace, resisted withdrawal, only to be defeated and trapped. He surrendered but was executed by the Syracusans.
Influence Nicias proved unequal to the major political and military crises of his career, contributing greatly to the downfall of Athens in the Peloponnesian War (431-404 b. c.e.). His role in the Sicilian Expedition is remembered, not altogether fairly, as an example of bad generalship.
Further Reading
De Souza, Philip. The Peloponnesian War, 431-404 B. C. New York: Rout-ledge, 2003.
Kagan, Donald. The Peloponnesian War. New York: Viking, 2003.
Powell, Anton. Athens and Sparta. New York: Routledge, 1996. Thucydides. “History of the Peloponnesian War.” In The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War, edited by Robert B. Strassler. New York: Free Press, 1996.
Scott M. Rusch
See also: Alcibiades of Athens; Archidamian War; Athens; Cleon of Athens; Peloponnesian Wars.
World History
