Sicilian Expedition
E80798
The Sicilian Expedition was a massive Athenian military campaign against Syracuse in Sicily (415–413 BCE) that ended in catastrophic defeat and marked a major turning point in the Peloponnesian War.
All labels observed (5)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Sicilian Expedition canonical | 19 |
| Sicilian Expedition narrative | 1 |
| Sicilian phase of the Peloponnesian War | 1 |
| Siege of Syracuse | 1 |
| siege of Syracuse | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Athenian military expedition
ⓘ
military campaign ⓘ |
| armySize | thousands of hoplites and light troops ⓘ |
| authorizedBy |
Athenian Assembly (Ekklesia)
ⓘ
surface form:
Athenian Assembly
|
| belligerent |
Delian League
ⓘ
surface form:
Allies of Athens
Arcadians ⓘ
surface form:
Allies of Syracuse
Athens ⓘ Syracuse ⓘ |
| cause |
Athenian ambition to expand influence in Sicily
ⓘ
Athenian desire to aid Egesta against Selinus ⓘ |
| characterizedAs | one of the greatest military disasters in Athenian history ⓘ |
| civilization |
Greek Antiquity
ⓘ
surface form:
Ancient Greece
|
| commander |
Alcibiades
ⓘ
Lamachus ⓘ Nicias ⓘ |
| conflict | Peloponnesian War ⓘ |
| consequence |
encouragement of revolts among Athenian allies
ⓘ
increased Spartan confidence ⓘ severe loss of Athenian ships and men ⓘ weakening of Athenian military power ⓘ |
| counterTactic | Syracusan counter-walls ⓘ |
| describedIn | History of the Peloponnesian War ⓘ |
| endDate | 413 BCE ⓘ |
| era | Classical Greece ⓘ |
| fleetSize | over 130 triremes in initial force ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance | major factor in eventual Athenian defeat in the Peloponnesian War ⓘ |
| involved | ostracized leader Alcibiades recalled to stand trial ⓘ |
| location |
Sicily
ⓘ
Syracuse ⓘ |
| notableEvent |
Athenian failure to capture Syracuse
ⓘ
Athenian naval defeat in the Great Harbor of Syracuse ⓘ arrival of Spartan general Gylippus in Sicily ⓘ retreat and destruction of Athenian land forces ⓘ |
| opposingCommander |
Gylippus
ⓘ
Hermocrates ⓘ |
| outcome |
capture of many Athenian soldiers
ⓘ
destruction of Athenian expeditionary force ⓘ |
| partOf | Peloponnesian War ⓘ |
| politicalContext | Athenian democracy during the Peloponnesian War ⓘ |
| precededBy | Athenian debate over the expedition in the Assembly ⓘ |
| primarySourceAuthor | Thucydides ⓘ |
| result |
catastrophic Athenian defeat
ⓘ
decisive Syracusan victory ⓘ |
| startDate | 415 BCE ⓘ |
| strategy | attempt to besiege Syracuse ⓘ |
| tactic | construction of siege walls around Syracuse ⓘ |
| turningPointIn | Peloponnesian War ⓘ |
Referenced by (23)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Siege of Syracuse
this entity surface form:
Sicilian Expedition narrative
this entity surface form:
siege of Syracuse
this entity surface form:
Sicilian phase of the Peloponnesian War