The Sicilian Expedition was an Athenian military expedition to Sicily, which took place from 415–413 BC during the Peloponnesian War between the Athenian empire, or the Delian League, on one side and Sparta, Syracuse and Corinth on the other. The expedition ended in a devastating defeat for the Athenian forces, severely impacting Athens.
The expedition was hampered from the outset by uncertainty in its purpose and command structure—political manoeuvring in Athens swelled a lightweight force of twenty ships into a massive armada, and the expedition's primary proponent, Alcibiades, was recalled from command to stand trial before the fleet even reached Sicily. Still, the Athenians achieved early successes. Syracuse, the most powerful state in Sicily, responded exceptionally slowly to the Athenian threat and, as a result, was almost completely invested before the arrival of back up in the form of Spartan general, Gylippus, who galvanized its inhabitants into action. From that point forward, however, as the Athenians ceded the initiative to their newly energized opponents, the tide of the conflict shifted. A massive reinforcing armada from Athens briefly gave the Athenians the upper hand once more, but a disastrous failed assault on a strategic high point and several crippling naval defeats damaged the Athenian soldiers' ability to continue fighting and also their morale. The Athenians attempted a last-ditch evacuation from Syracuse. The evacuation failed, and nearly the entire expedition were captured or were destroyed in Sicily.
Source: Wikipedia.org
Copyright: Creative Commons 3.0
| | Public | Catalan • Dutch • French • German • Italian • Spanish
Siracusa, Italy
Discover the most beautiful and popular trails in the area, carefully bundled into appropriate selections.
Source: codas2
Copyright: Creative Commons 3.0
Discover the most beautiful and popular attractions in the area, carefully bundled in appropriate selections.
With RouteYou, it's easy to create your own customised maps. Simply plot your route, add waypoints or nodes, add places of interest and places to eat and drink, and then easily share it with your family and friends.
Route planner<iframe src="https://plugin.routeyou.com/poiviewer/free/?language=en&params.poi.id=1611793" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Try this feature for free with a RouteYou Plus trial subscription.
If you already have such an account, then log in now.
© 2006-2024 RouteYou - www.routeyou.com