103: Defeat of the Athenian Navy

About this episode

The episode discusses the Athenian Navy's defeat in Sicily and the strategic decisions made by Nicias and the Athenian Assembly.

Athens is the greatest naval power in Greece, yet in Sicily it starts to feel helpless. We pick up the story at the moment Nicias sends a careful, politically protective message home and the Athenian Assembly hears what it wants to hear: send more ships, send more men, and force victory. That decision to double down shapes everything that follows, because it gives Syracuse and Gylippus time to do what Athens assumes no one can do, learn fast enough to beat the Athenian navy. We walk through ...

People in this episode

Host: Mark Selleck

Topics covered

• Athenian Navy
• Sicilian Expedition
• Naval Warfare
• Ancient Greece
• Military Strategy

Keywords

• Athenian Navy
• Sicily
• Nicias
• Syracuse
• Gylippus
• naval power
• military decisions

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Athens, Sicily, Syracuse

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