In 415BC, the Athenian Empire, during a lull in the Peloponnesian War against the Spartans, voted to embark on a massive campaign to capture Syracuse. So began the Sicilian Expedition, which soon became a proxy war between Sparta and Athens, as the Spartans despatched just one man, the great general Gylippus, to assist the Syracusans. The war had been underway since 431 BC and would last until 404BC and end in total defeat for Athens with the loss of its empire.

Joining today is Paul A. Rahe, a highly distinguished ancient historian the first in a two part discussion with him. Coming up next on Wednesday he discusses contemporary events, and how his understanding of the Peloponnesian war seeks to help policy makers in the United States as its supremacy is challenged by China.

Paul A. Rahe Links

Sparta's Sicilian Proxy War

Sparta's Third Attic War: The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta, 413-404 BC

Book on Alcibiades discussed: Nemesis: Alcibiades and the Fall of Athens, by David Stuttard

Aspects of History Links

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