Greek Expedition Research Paper

Improved Essays
This expedition seemed doomed because they started with three different strategies, and three different generals. The Athenians named three generals to lead the expedition. They named Alcibiades, Nicias and Lamchus as their leaders. Nicias, who had tried to convince the people of Attica not to go to Sicily, suggested that they sail towards Sicily and force a settlement between Segesta and Selinus; then after that return home. Lamachus, suggested that they could attack their real enemy, Syracuse as this would catch them off guard, and would encourage the rest of Sicily to be on the Athenian side.
Alcibiades was the expedition’s leader of the war party, and was perhaps the most influential and the strongest general that argued that they

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    A main figure acting as an external force against all sides involved in the Wars, is Alcibiades. He influenced multiple people and was highly appreciated in numerous nations, giving him a wide berth for manipulation of important figures to cater to his own plans. Involved in the Peloponnesian conflict since the battle involving Potidaea, Alcibiades’ ideas were respected among influential persons; given the fact that he had been brought up by esteemed member of society, Socrates (Krentz, 2003). Showing his political strength in Athenian court, Alcibiades overruled current acting general Nicias’ logical judgements on proposed expeditions such as Sicily (where he outlined the fact that it would be a work of great difficulty), for his own personal gain…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nicias and the Importance of Persuasive Leadership How did Nicias fail to convince the Athenian assembly that the Sicilian Expedition was a strategic error? His arguments, while valid and logical, are not sufficient to win over the assembly to undo their vote of war. Not only does Thucydides have incomplete information about these events, but Thucydides’ prior knowledge of Nicias’s failure colors the way he reconstructs Nicias’s ineffective arguments against war. Nicias attempts to dissuade the assembly from a war it has already approved by discussing the lack of a compelling reason to aid the Egesteans, the challenge of conquering and ruling Sicily, and the fragile truce with Sparta. Because Nicias’s appeals are ultimately unsuccessful, Thucydides uses this failure as an example of ineffective leadership in the Athenian state.…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pickett's Charge

    • 1052 Words
    • 4 Pages

    One of the most skilled generals of the time showed weakness in decisions from poor preparation for the battle, lack of loyalty in his supporting leadership, poor grounds for launching assaults, and underestimation of his opponent. Coupled with the strong leadership exhibited by the Northern general, the outcome was certain. This battle alone shows that effective leadership is important, but the absence of leadership or the lack of proper judgement is equally as dramatic in its…

    • 1052 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Very old Greek warriors became the premier warriors of their classical world. Through intense internal war fighting, they perfected heavy infantry strategies, and when they were united, they were able to defeat a (sudden, unwanted entry into a place) by Persia, the super-power of their day. The heavily outnumbered Greek warriors, called hoplites, used superior strategies, training and arms to defeat two huge (sudden, unwanted entries into places). However, the Greeks returned to their constant war fighting once their common enemy was defeated. Philip of Hellenized Macedonia, king of what the Greeks thought about/believed a (dangerous, wild person) kingdom to their north, learned and even improved the Greek's group of (possibly armed) people…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    CONSCLUSION A skillful warrior can achieve his own invulnerability, but he can never bring about the enemy’s vulnerability. (Sun Tzu) This campaign exposed numerous operational, tactical and strategic mistakes that the Athenians made; which ultimately lead to them losing this war. One of the main reasons the Athenians failed, was because they did not have the right resources nor executed the right strategy; this was mainly due to lack of planning and a lack of willingness to adjust.…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Nicias was the Athenian general. Being cautious and diffident with respect to his people, he was well received. He was very religious, had a great work ethic but no courage. He attempted to bolster his reputation through his wealth instead.…

    • 149 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One of his biggest rivals in the beginning of his public career was Aristides, who is said to have “always aimed at securing the utmost advantage for the state,” unlike Themistocles whose only concern was his own furtherance (Plutarch 79). After gaining enough influence, Themistocles had Aristides ostracized and also bribed Epicydes into declining the leadership of the Athenian forces, actions that create an image of a man driven by uncontrollable competitiveness and not by concern for the good of his people. With these two opponents out of the way, Themistocles was free to exercise his own schemes during the Persian wars. While Themistocles’ supervision did result in victory for the Greeks, it also enflamed his arrogance. After the war, Themistocles “carried his ambition to its furthest limit,” which created growing opposition towards himself (Plutarch 94).…

    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There were three competing proposals presented by the three generals (Nicias, Lamachus, and Alcibiades) of how the Athenians should proceed. Similar to the ends construct, competing ideas are a risk in the sense that they detract from the detail and focus of one agreed upon idea. As seen above, Nicias spoke out against any campaign on Sicily since he was concerned that they would “leave many enemies behind [Athens]” This risk might have been more fully considered if not for the competing plans of Lamachus and Alcibiades. Lamachus proposes sailing straight for Syracuse to attack.…

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Odyssey Research Paper

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Odyssey of Life Essay Project The Odyssey written by Homer has been perhaps the most famous epic poem ever told. Though we do not face monsters and supernatural forces, our lives are an adventure of their own. Big or small, everyone faces obstacles of their own in everyday life; some of these obstacles parallel to those in the Odyssey. I, too have encountered and will continue to encounter obstacles during my next ten years, just like Odysseus did on my quest to becoming a veterinarian.…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Delian League Essay

    • 1557 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Many were dissatisfied with Pausaunias, the Leader of the Greek Forces at the end of the Persian War, for wearing Persian dress and eating Persian food (Thucydides, 1.94 -95). Considering the Greeks’ desire for “revenge against the Persians”, it seems reasonable that League members would be more content with a non-Spartan leader. The members of the Delian League were also likely to be content with the Athenians as leaders, as “the Athenians were leaders of allies who were at first autonomous and they reached their decision in general congress” (Thucydides, 1.97) and tributes for all allies was fixed at 460 talents (Thucydides, 1.96). The negative aspects of the Delian League became more obvious overtime.…

    • 1557 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I think this shows an interesting contrast between Adrestus and Menelaus. Adrestus was willing to be dishonorable and pay his way to safety, and was pleading with Menelaus, who may have been the worst person to plead with. The dishonorment of Menelaus was the cause of the war, and Menelaus was the King of Sparta, a nation of warriors who would rather fight to the death rather than surrender or beg like Adrestus. (73 words).…

    • 1726 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The forms of government in Ancient Thebes and Ancient Athens were antithetical, with Thebes having an absolute dictatorship and Athens having a pure, direct democracy. Nevertheless, both of these forms of government ultimately failed, as Sophocles demonstrates in his play, Antigone, and Thucydides demonstrates in his book, History of the Peloponnesian War. Together, these two works teach modern society that neither a pure democracy nor a pure dictatorship can be a successful political system due to inherent fatal flaws in each system. In the Athenian democracy, where every male citizen over 18 years of age received an equal vote in making decisions, the system failed since powerful speakers easily persuaded the Athenian assembly into rashly…

    • 1786 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Battle of Aegospotami occurred in 405 BC and was the battle that ended the Peloponnesian War. The Battle of the Arginusae Islands had happened a year before and had been a major Athenian victory. After the battle, six of the eight Athenian generals had been executed and the others had gone into exile. Conon, Adeimantus, and Philocles replaced them. The Spartans also required a new leader because their previous commander had been killed in the Battle of the Arginusae Islands.…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Greek Life

    • 1613 Words
    • 7 Pages

    What do 85 percent of Fortune 500 executives, the first female astronaut, and the first female senator all have in common? All of these people were members of a Greek organization during their time in college. As the fall semester at American University enters the home stretch with finals looming and new schedules being created, students are preparing for a new start when the spring semester rolls around. Unlike most colleges and universities, American University enforces a rule that only allows first year students to join Greek Life in the Spring semester. Once students return to American and begin their spring semester, many will have to weigh the option of joining Greek Life.…

    • 1613 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Homer focuses on leadership in his epic, The Iliad. The Iliad includes great leaders such as Achilles, Odysseus, and Diomedes. Agamemnon stands out amongst these leaders. Agamemnon stands out not for his excellence, but rather for his poor leadership qualities. The first eight books prove that Agamemnon is a mediocre leader at best.…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays