17.2 The Dream Expedition

<p>In the last chapter we met Alcibiades at the party celebrating Agathon&rsquo;s victory at the Lenaea, which happened around February of 416 (see ch. 16.7*). Around the same time a politician named&nbsp;<strong>Hyperbolus</strong>&nbsp;called for a vote of ostracism. The two leading figures this vote threatened were&nbsp;<strong>Nicias</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Alcibiades</strong>. Currently the Athenian factions were deadlocked. The doves, led by Nicias, and the hawks, led by Alcibiades, were almost evenly balanced in power, and the city could not pursue any consistent foreign policy. A decisive vote would exile one of the leaders and break the deadlock.</p> <p>Alcibiades met with Nicias to forestall the threat. They would join together to present a united front against Hyperbolus. When the vote was held, Hyperbolus was shocked to find that he was the victim of his own initiative: he would be exiled from Athens for ten years.&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/the-first-philosophers/17-2-the-dream-expedition-7237a65e2cb6"><strong>Click Here</strong></a></p>