Laches (person)
Encyclopedia
Laches (c. 475 BC – 418 BC) was an Athenian
aristocrat (son of Melanopos) and general
during the Peloponnesian War
. His date of birth is unknown, but Plato asserts, not implausibly, that he was distinctly older than Socrates
, who was born around 470 BC.
In 427 BCE, Laches and Charoeades were sent to Sicily
with a fleet of 20 ships in order to support Athenian allies against Syracuse
. When Charoeades died in 426 BCE, Laches took over the supreme command of the fleet and forced the cities of Mylae
and Messana to yield. However, due to the annual reappointment of generals, at the beginning of 425 BCE he was replaced by Pythodoros as supreme commander. The first Athenian expedition to Sicily ended badly. Upon Laches' return to Athens he was prosecuted by Cleon
, but was acquitted of any wrong-doing. His trial was satirized by Aristophanes
in his play The Wasps
, which is actually the main source for its historicity.
In 423 BCE, Laches successfully moved for an armistice with Sparta in the Athenian Assembly
. However, it only lasted a year. But after Cleon died in 422 BCE, Laches, together with Nicias, was able to negotiate a slightly longer peace, the Peace of Nicias
. In 418 BCE the peace broke down because of Athens’s support for Spartan rebels. Laches was again appointed general and was killed in the Athenian’s disastrous defeat at the Battle of Mantinea
.
The Platonic dialogue Laches
features Laches as a stereotypical conservative general.
' speech against Timocrates ( Demosthenes 24) and in his letters. There was also another Laches, son of Demochares, who was Demosthenes' cousin and brother-in-law, but he was of another deme
and family. There was also a captain at the battle of Coronea (394 BC); and an Athenian commander who fought (and lost to) Epaminondas
in 364 BC.
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
aristocrat (son of Melanopos) and general
Strategos
Strategos, plural strategoi, is used in Greek to mean "general". In the Hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor...
during the Peloponnesian War
Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War, 431 to 404 BC, was an ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases...
. His date of birth is unknown, but Plato asserts, not implausibly, that he was distinctly older than Socrates
Socrates
Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ...
, who was born around 470 BC.
In 427 BCE, Laches and Charoeades were sent to Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
with a fleet of 20 ships in order to support Athenian allies against Syracuse
Syracuse, Italy
Syracuse is a historic city in Sicily, the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace of the preeminent mathematician and engineer Archimedes. This 2,700-year-old city played a key role in...
. When Charoeades died in 426 BCE, Laches took over the supreme command of the fleet and forced the cities of Mylae
Milazzo
Milazzo is a town and comune in the province of Messina, Sicily, Italy.The city is situated between two bays, one of Milazzo and the east to the west of Patti, in a strategic place in the north-eastern Sicily.Located 43 km from the provincial capital, is part of the metropolitan area of the Strait...
and Messana to yield. However, due to the annual reappointment of generals, at the beginning of 425 BCE he was replaced by Pythodoros as supreme commander. The first Athenian expedition to Sicily ended badly. Upon Laches' return to Athens he was prosecuted by Cleon
Cleon
Cleon was an Athenian statesman and a Strategos during the Peloponnesian War. He was the first prominent representative of the commercial class in Athenian politics, although he was an aristocrat himself...
, but was acquitted of any wrong-doing. His trial was satirized by Aristophanes
Aristophanes
Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
in his play The Wasps
The Wasps
The Wasps is the fourth in chronological order of the eleven surviving plays by Aristophanes, the master of an ancient genre of drama called 'Old Comedy'. It was produced at the Lenaia festival in 422 BC, a time when Athens was enjoying a brief respite from The Peloponnesian War following a one...
, which is actually the main source for its historicity.
In 423 BCE, Laches successfully moved for an armistice with Sparta in the Athenian Assembly
Ecclesia (ancient Athens)
The ecclesia or ekklesia was the principal assembly of the democracy of ancient Athens during its "Golden Age" . It was the popular assembly, opened to all male citizens over the age of 30 with 2 years of military service by Solon in 594 BC meaning that all classes of citizens in Athens were able...
. However, it only lasted a year. But after Cleon died in 422 BCE, Laches, together with Nicias, was able to negotiate a slightly longer peace, the Peace of Nicias
Peace of Nicias
The Peace of Nicias was a peace treaty signed between the Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta in the March of 421 BC, ending the first half of the Peloponnesian War....
. In 418 BCE the peace broke down because of Athens’s support for Spartan rebels. Laches was again appointed general and was killed in the Athenian’s disastrous defeat at the Battle of Mantinea
Battle of Mantinea (418 BC)
The Battle of Mantinea of 418 BC was a significant engagement in the Peloponnesian War. Sparta and its allies defeated an army led by Argos and Athens.-Prelude to the battle:...
.
The Platonic dialogue Laches
Laches (dialogue)
The Laches is a Socratic dialogue written by Plato. Participants in the discourse present competing definitions of the concept of courage.-Characters:*Socrates*Lysimachus - Son of the Athenian general and statesman, Aristides....
features Laches as a stereotypical conservative general.
Others
Laches was a quite common name at Athens; the archon of 400/399 BC, the year of Socrates' execution, was another Laches. Kirchner's Prosopographia Attica lists eighteen men of the name of Laches, including the general's son, grandson, and great-grandson, who appear in DemosthenesDemosthenes
Demosthenes was a prominent Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide an insight into the politics and culture of ancient Greece during the 4th century BC. Demosthenes learned rhetoric by...
' speech against Timocrates ( Demosthenes 24) and in his letters. There was also another Laches, son of Demochares, who was Demosthenes' cousin and brother-in-law, but he was of another deme
Deme
In Ancient Greece, a deme or demos was a subdivision of Attica, the region of Greece surrounding Athens. Demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside seem to have existed in the 6th century BC and earlier, but did not acquire particular significance until the reforms of Cleisthenes in...
and family. There was also a captain at the battle of Coronea (394 BC); and an Athenian commander who fought (and lost to) Epaminondas
Epaminondas
Epaminondas , or Epameinondas, was a Theban general and statesman of the 4th century BC who transformed the Ancient Greek city-state of Thebes, leading it out of Spartan subjugation into a preeminent position in Greek politics...
in 364 BC.