20.2 Democracy and Imperial Aggression

In the spring of 416 BC, the Athenians sent an expedition consisting of thirty-six ships and 1500 troops against the island of Melos. What was unusual about the expedition was that Melos, as a colony of Sparta, had never been a member of the Delian League and never been part of the Athenian Empire. Melos was not, however, fighting on the side of Sparta, but was a neutral state. The Athenian fleet landed on Melos not to enforce pre-existing obligations but to add another subject to the empire. The hostile action took place while the Athenians and Spartans were still nominally abiding by the Peace of Nicias. The Athenian force sent envoys to the Melian government, who were received by the governing council but not presented to the general assembly. Thucydides the historian reports the negotiations between the Athenian envoys and the Melian leaders as a dialogue. He has no doubt dramatized the conversation, but based the interchange on actual “talking points.” <a href="https://medium.com/the-first-philosophers/20-2-democracy-and-imperial-aggression-802e77d5e64b">Learn More</a>