SUMMARY BOOK TWO

BOOK ONE 1 formal beginning of the war

1 – 23.3 introduction 2 – 32 first summer (431)

1 Preface: Peloponnesian War greater than any
previous war
2 – 19 ‘Archaeology’: growth of Greek power, to
justify that claim
2 – 6 Thebes’ attempt to seize Plataea
7 – 17 Final preparations and resources
18 – 23 The Peloponnesian invasion of Attica

20 Difficulty of getting history right 24 – 32 Athenian counter-measures

21 Previous wars not as great as Peloponnesian 33 – 46 first winter (431/0)

War
33 A Corinthian campaign in the north-west
22 How Thucydides has written his history
34 – 46 The public funeral in Athens
23.1 – 3 Greatness of Peloponnesian War
lix
23.4 – 146 causes of the peloponnesian war
47 – 68 second summer (430)
23.4 – 6 Grievances and disputes, real reason
47 – 54 The plague in Athens
24 – 55 Corcyra (435 – 433)
55 – 8 The summer’s campaigns (i)
56 – 66 Potidaea (433 – 432)
59 – 65 Pericles under attack
67 – 88 First meeting in Sparta (432)
66 – 8 The summer’s campaigns (ii)
88 Repeats real reason more important than
69 – 70 second winter (430/29)
grievances
69 Athenian campaigns
89 – 118 ‘Pentecontaetia’: growth of Athenian
power, to justify 70 Capitulation of Potidaea
that judgement 71 – 92 third summer (429)
118 Repeats real reason more important than 71 – 8 The siege of Plataea (i)
grievances
79 An Athenian campaign in the north-east
119 – 25 Congress of Peloponnesian League in
Sparta (432) 80 – 2 A Spartan campaign in the north-west

126 – 38 Digression on past episodes raised in 83 – 92 Naval battles in the Gulf of Corinth
propaganda:
93 – 103 third winter (429/8)
Cylon, Pausanias, Themistocles
93 – 4 The Peloponnesian fleet
139 – 46 Athenian response to Spartan pressure
(432) 95 – 101 A campaign by Sitalces the Odrysian

102 – 3 Phormio in Acarnania

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BOOK THREE 92 – 3 Spartan colony at Heracleia in Trachis

1 – 18 fourth summer (428) 94 – 8 Campaigns in north-western Greece (i)

1 Peloponnesian invasion of Attica 99 Athens and the west (iv)

2 – 6 Revolt of Mytilene (i) 100 – 2 Campaigns in north-western Greece (ii)

7 Asopius in the north-west 103 – 16 sixth winter (426/5)

8 – 18 Revolt of Mytilene (ii) 103 Athens and the west (v)

19 – 25 fourth winter (428/7) 104 Athens’ purification of Delos

19 Athenian financial difficulties 105 – 14 Campaigns in north-western Greece

(iii)
20 – 4 The siege of Plataea (ii): escape of
Plataeans 115 – 16 Athens and the west (vi)

25 Revolt of Mytilene (iii) BOOK FOUR

26 – 86 fifth summer (427) 1 – 49 seventh summer (425)

26 Peloponnesian invasion of Attica 1 Athens and the west (vii)

27 – 50 Revolt of Mytilene (iv) 2 – 6 Pylos (i)

51 Minoa 7 An episode in the north-east

52 – 68 The siege of Plataea (iii): fall of Plataea 8 – 23 Pylos (ii)

69 – 85 Civil war in Corcyra (i) 24 – 5 Athens and the west (viii)

86 Athens and the west (i) 26 – 41 Pylos (iii)

summary and analysis 42 – 5 An Athenian campaign in the Corinthiad

lx 46 – 48.5 Civil war in Corcyra (ii)

87 – 8 fifth winter (427/6) 48.6 Athens and the west (ix)

87 Plague in Athens; earthquakes 49 A campaign in north-western Greece

88 Athens and the west (ii) 50 – 1 seventh winter (425/4)

89 – 102 sixth summer (426) 50 Negotiations with Persia

89 Peloponnesian invasion of Attica; 51 Athenian suspicion of Chios

earthquakes
52 – 88 eighth summer (424)
90 Athens and the west (iii)
52 Eclipse and earthquake; activity of
91 Melos and Boeotia Mytilenaean exiles

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53 – 7 An Athenian campaign against Cythera 6 – 12 Brasidas in the north-east (viii)
and Laconia
13 – 24 tenth winter (422/1)
58 – 65 Athens and the west (x)
13 Brasidas in the north-east (postscript)
66 – 74 Athens and Megara (i)
14 – 24 The Peace of Nicias
summary and analysis
25 – 35 eleventh summer (421)
lxi
25 – 6 Thucydides’ second preface
75 The Athenians in the north-east
27 – 32 Formation of Argive alliance
76 – 7 Athens and Boeotia (i)
33 – 35.1 Summer campaigns
78 – 88 Brasidas in the north-east (i)
35.2 – 8 Non-fulfilment of treaty
89 – 116 eighth winter (424/3)
36 – 9 eleventh winter (421/0)
89 – 101.4 Athens and Boeotia (ii)
Spartan intrigues with Boeotia
101.5 The death of Sitalces
summary and analysis
102 – 8 Brasidas in the north-east (ii)
lxii
109.1 Athens and Megara (ii)
40–50 twelfth summer (420)
109.1 – 116 Brasidas in the north-east (iii)
40 – 8 Various intrigues
117 – 33 ninth summer (423)
49 – 50 Sparta banned from Olympic games
117 – 19 The year’s truce
51 twelfth winter (420/19)
120 – 32 Brasidas in the north-east (iv)
Heracleia in Trachis
133.1 – 3 Boeotia; Argos
52 – 5 thirteenth summer (419)
133.4 Brasidas in the north-east (v)
Mostly Argos
134 – 5 ninth winter (423/2)
56 thirteenth winter (419/18)
134 Mantinea and Tegea
Argos
135 Brasidas in the north-east (vi)
57 – 75 fourteenth summer (418)
BOOK FIVE
57 – 60 Spartan attack on Argos
1 – 12 tenth summer (422)
61 – 3 Argive attack on Orchomenus and Tegea
1 Delos
64 – 75.3 Battle of Mantinea
2 – 3 Brasidas in the north-east (vii)
75.4 – 6 Epidaurian attack on Argos
4 – 5 Athens and the west (xi)
76 – 81 fourteenth winter (418/17)

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Peace in Peloponnese flight of Alcibiades

82 fifteenth summer (417) 62 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (v)

Mostly Argos 63 – 93 seventeenth winter (415/14)

83 fifteenth winter (417/16) 63 – 71 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (vi): the

Athenians’ first
Mostly Argos
attempt on Syracuse
84 – 115 sixteenth summer (416)
72 – 88.6 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (vii): winter
Mostly Athenian attack on Melos preparations
116 sixteenth winter (416/15) (beginning) 88.7 – 93 Alcibiades in Sparta
Argos; Melos 94 – 105 eighteenth summer (414) (beginning)
BOOK SIX 94 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (viii): Athenian
campaigns
1 – 7 sixteenth winter (416/15) (conclusion)
95 Mainland Greece
1 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (i): planning
96 – 103 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (ix): siege of
2 – 5 Early history of Sicily
Syracuse begun
6 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (ii): planning
104 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (x): Gylippus in
7 Various campaigns Italy

8 – 62 seventeenth summer (415) 105 Mainland Greece

8 – 26 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (iii): BOOK SEVEN

preparations
1 – 9 eighteenth summer (414) (conclusion)
27 – 9 Religious scandals in Athens (i)
1 – 8 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (xi): Gylippus’
summary and analysis arrival in

lxiii Syracuse

30 – 52 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (iv): voyage 9 Amphipolis

to Sicily,
10 – 18 eighteenth winter (414/13)
Syracusan reaction
10 – 17.2 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (xii): Nicias’
53.1 – 2 Religious scandals in Athens (ii): recall letter to Athens
of Alcibiades
17.3 – 18 Preparations of Peloponnesians
53.3 – 59 Harmodius and Aristogeiton (514)
19 – 87 nineteenth summer (413) (beginning)
60 – 1 Religious scandals in Athens (iii): verdicts
19 – 20 Mainland Greece, including Deceleia
in Athens,

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21 – 5 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (xiii): 2 – 6 nineteenth winter (413/12)
Plemmyrium, Great
Preparations for war in Greece
Harbour
7 – 28 twentieth summer (412)
26 Demosthenes’ voyage to Sicily (i)
Chios leads revolt of Ionia
27 – 30 Mainland Greece: Deceleia, Mycalessus
(18 First Spartan – Persian treaty)
31 Demosthenes’ voyage to Sicily (ii)
29 – 60 twentieth winter (412/11)
32 – 3 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (xiv)
29 – 44 Campaigns in the Aegean
34 Battle in Gulf of Corinth
(37 Second Spartan – Persian treaty)
35 Demosthenes’ voyage to Sicily (iii)
45 – 56 Intrigues of Alcibiades
summary and analysis
57 – 9 Third Spartan – Persian treaty
lxiv
60 Oropus captured from Athens by Boeotians
36 – 41 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (xv): battle in
Great Harbour 61 – 109 twenty-first summer (411) (unfinished)

42 – 6 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (xvi): arrival of 61 – 63.2 Campaigns in the Aegean

Demosthenes, night battle 63.3 – 71 Revolution of the Four Hundred in

Athens
47 – 50 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (xvii):
Athenian withdrawal 72 – 7 Return to democracy by Athenians at
Samos
delayed
78 – 80 Peloponnesian fleet to Hellespont
51 – 72 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (xviii): last
battles in Great 81 – 2 Alcibiades joins Athenian fleet at Samos

Harbour 83 – 5 Mindarus succeeds Astyochus as Spartan

admiral
73 – 4 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (xix): Athenian
withdrawal 86 Alcibiades restrains Athenian democrats at
Samos
delayed
87 – 8 Tissaphernes goes to Aspendus
75 – 87 Athens’ Sicilian expedition (xx):
Athenian withdrawal 89 – 98 Four Hundred replaced by Five
Thousand in Athens
and defeat
99 – 109 Campaigns in the Aegean and
BOOK EIGHT Hellespont

1 nineteenth summer (413) (conclusion)

Athens’ reaction to defeat in Sicily