Mytilenian Debate
Encyclopedia
The Mytilenian Debate, according to Thucydides
, occurred in Athens
during the time of the Peloponnesian War
in 427 BCE. Thucydides documented many detailed events that occurred over the course of the Peloponnesian War. The Mytilenian Debate is in book three of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, and reflects the increasing political and ethical confusion in Athens. On the island of Lesbos, four city-states attempted to rebel against Athenian authority, and their ultimate defeat eventually lead to the Mytilenian Debate. The Mytilenian Debate took place after some Athenians began to call in to question their assembly’s original decision to execute and enslave the rebellious Mytilenians.
. In general, oligarchic states feared democracies, because the ruling elite considered the common people to be unworthy of holding power. Prior to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, Mytilene had contemplated ending its alliance with Athens, but Sparta had rejected her appeal for an alliance, which also denied the country of Spartan assistance. Athenian power would have made Spartan support for Mytilene absolutely necessary, to fend off an attack by the rabid democrats of imperial Athens. However, the Peloponnesian War created an opportunistic situation, because now Sparta and Corinth were in a position in which cooperation could be beneficial to their league. According to Thucydides, the Mytilenians sent an envoy to Olympia in 428 BCE. in an attempt to gain assistance from the Peloponnesians. The Mytilenians asked for direct help in Mytilene and called for an invasion of Attica; Athens had recently been devastated by the plague and would have financial difficulties fighting on two fronts, Lesbos and Attica.
At Olympia, the Mytilenians argued that Athens had taken advantage of the Delian League and used it as a mechanism for enslaving and exploiting the Hellenes. Moreover, Athenian actions proved that it is only a matter of time before they set their sights on Mytilene’s prosperous and autonomous island of Lesbos and force it into a prevalent state of oppression. The Mytilenians concluded that they could not wait for a blatant violation on their autonomy to end their alliance with Athens, and they should preemptively break away before Athens forced her will upon them.
Yet, the Mytilenian speech excluded a major factor that motivated the oligarchs towards rebellion. Mytilene wanted a synoikismos, or unification, of Lesbos, which contained four other states, under her leadership. Athenian policy aimed to break up larger units within the confederacy and would not support any enhancements in Mytilene power. Nevertheless, the Peloponnesian League agreed to aid Mytilene.
The Athenians responded to the news by attempting to intercept Peloponnesian aid and sending a fleet, led by Pache, to Lesbos. Upon arrival, Athens delivered an ultimatum, which ordered the Mytilenians to surrender and tear down their fortifications, but they refused and the rebellion ensued. However, the Mytilenians were forced into revolt before they were militarily prepared to confront Athens, because the Proxenoi alerted them of Mytilene's plans. As a result, the Mytilenians quickly lost and had to implement negotiating tactics to stall for time. In order to buy more time for Sparta, they called for a truce and sent representatives to Athens for negotiations. The Mytilenian representatives called for the removal of the Athenian fleet, which the Athenians promptly denied, and fighting continued. All of Lesbos, other than Methymna, took arms against Athens, but Lesbos lost ground upon the arrival of more Athenian troops. Mytilene became surrounded by Athenian fortifications and were isolated by land and sea.
Finally, the Spartan Salaethus arrived and raised morale by reassuring the Mytilenians that the Peloponnesians were going to invade Attica and promised to supply them with a fleet in the spring. As promised, Attica was invaded, but it did little to help the trapped islanders because the fleet never arrived and the food supplies had depleted. The final effort was made when Salaethus supplied the demos with hoplite arms. However, after the lower class was given arms they refused to follow orders and demanded that the oligarchs hand over the remainder of the food or else they would surrender. The oligarchs could not meet the demos’ demand because there was no more food. After realizing the hopelessness of the situation, the oligarchs and the demos jointly initiated negotiations with Athens.
For all intents and purposes, Athens’ terms of negotiation were not much better than unconditional surrender, and the fate of the Mytilenian people rested on the decision of the Athenian people. The Mytilenians were only granted the right to send a delegation to Athens to plead for compassion, which was supported by Paches’ guarantee that no punitive actions would be taken until the Athenians agreed upon a conclusion.
The next day, the Athenians realized the unprecedented brutality of their actions and some became hesitant about the hurried decision to kill and enslave the citizens of Mytilene. A second debate, which Thucydides called the Mytilenian Debate, took place in order to reassess the course of action that should be taken. The debate consisted of varying opinions, the first of which was presented by Cleon of Athens. Cleon
, a prominent member of Athenian society, spoke to defend the previous decision. He asserts that the guilty party got the punishment they deserved and Athenian doubters are victims of their own "pleasure in listening...." He finishes his speech by urging the populace to not "be traitors to your own selves." Thucydides describes Cleon as nothing less than a monster who ruled with brutality. Cleon’s character had a violent and ruthless reputation.
He began by questioning the worth of a democracy: “Personally I have had occasion often enough already to observe that a democracy is incapable of governing others, and I am all the more convinced of this when I see how you are now changing your minds about the Mytilenians.” He also implied the Athenians have become jaded by sophist oratory and questioned the worth of free speech. He described the Athenians as “victims of their own pleasure in listening, and are more like an audience sitting at the feet of a professional lecturer than a parliament discussing matters of state.”
After Cleon's speech, Diodotus
spoke in defense of his previous opposition to the death sentence. He stated that "haste and anger are... the two greatest obstacles to wise counsel...." Diodotus pondered whether the question was not so much if they were guilty as whether Athenians are making the right decision for themselves. Citing one of Cleon's main arguments for his position, Diodotus questioned whether the death penalty is really a means of deterrence from revolt or just the opposite. He finished by asking Athenians to fundamentally question what is right and just and look to moderation rather than aggressive punishment. Instead, he urged the Athenians to spare the Mytilenians in an effort to create an alliance.
Following Diodotus’ speech, the assembly recast their votes. Diodotus’ rational argument prevailed and managed to persuade the assembly not to massacre the Mytilenians. The Athenians, who initially ardently supported the total annihilation of the Mytilenians, now found themselves hesitant. As a result, the votes, which were originally unanimous, were narrowly passed in favor of Diodotus.
Thucydides
Thucydides was a Greek historian and author from Alimos. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC...
, occurred in Athens
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...
during the time of 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...
in 427 BCE. Thucydides documented many detailed events that occurred over the course of the Peloponnesian War. The Mytilenian Debate is in book three of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, and reflects the increasing political and ethical confusion in Athens. On the island of Lesbos, four city-states attempted to rebel against Athenian authority, and their ultimate defeat eventually lead to the Mytilenian Debate. The Mytilenian Debate took place after some Athenians began to call in to question their assembly’s original decision to execute and enslave the rebellious Mytilenians.
Causes for the Revolt
Mytilene was one of the last non-tributary members of Delian League that chose to man their own warships and send subjects to fight alongside the Athenian fleet. Mytilene feared tributary democracy and did not want to be reduced to the common status of other Athenian allies. In addition, Mytilene was different than most other allies because she was governed by an oligarchyOligarchy
Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with an elite class distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, commercial, and/or military legitimacy...
. In general, oligarchic states feared democracies, because the ruling elite considered the common people to be unworthy of holding power. Prior to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, Mytilene had contemplated ending its alliance with Athens, but Sparta had rejected her appeal for an alliance, which also denied the country of Spartan assistance. Athenian power would have made Spartan support for Mytilene absolutely necessary, to fend off an attack by the rabid democrats of imperial Athens. However, the Peloponnesian War created an opportunistic situation, because now Sparta and Corinth were in a position in which cooperation could be beneficial to their league. According to Thucydides, the Mytilenians sent an envoy to Olympia in 428 BCE. in an attempt to gain assistance from the Peloponnesians. The Mytilenians asked for direct help in Mytilene and called for an invasion of Attica; Athens had recently been devastated by the plague and would have financial difficulties fighting on two fronts, Lesbos and Attica.
At Olympia, the Mytilenians argued that Athens had taken advantage of the Delian League and used it as a mechanism for enslaving and exploiting the Hellenes. Moreover, Athenian actions proved that it is only a matter of time before they set their sights on Mytilene’s prosperous and autonomous island of Lesbos and force it into a prevalent state of oppression. The Mytilenians concluded that they could not wait for a blatant violation on their autonomy to end their alliance with Athens, and they should preemptively break away before Athens forced her will upon them.
Yet, the Mytilenian speech excluded a major factor that motivated the oligarchs towards rebellion. Mytilene wanted a synoikismos, or unification, of Lesbos, which contained four other states, under her leadership. Athenian policy aimed to break up larger units within the confederacy and would not support any enhancements in Mytilene power. Nevertheless, the Peloponnesian League agreed to aid Mytilene.
The Mytilenian Revolt
The Mytilenians began preparing for the revolt by filling in their harbors, building fortifications, creating additional triremes, and importing extra grain. The preparations began to draw attention, and informants started reporting details to Athens. Information came from several sources. Three other states on the island, Antissa, Eresus, and Pyrrha, had oligarchic governments, but Methymna had a democracy. Furthermore, Methymna did not support the revolt or the unification of the states on Lesbos. Some Mytilenians, known as proxenoi, also reported information to Athens. Proxenoi were a small faction of political opponents, whose temperaments were compatible with Athenian democracy. Athens selected these officials to strengthen her position internally and prepare for the eventual removal of the oligarchies.The Athenians responded to the news by attempting to intercept Peloponnesian aid and sending a fleet, led by Pache, to Lesbos. Upon arrival, Athens delivered an ultimatum, which ordered the Mytilenians to surrender and tear down their fortifications, but they refused and the rebellion ensued. However, the Mytilenians were forced into revolt before they were militarily prepared to confront Athens, because the Proxenoi alerted them of Mytilene's plans. As a result, the Mytilenians quickly lost and had to implement negotiating tactics to stall for time. In order to buy more time for Sparta, they called for a truce and sent representatives to Athens for negotiations. The Mytilenian representatives called for the removal of the Athenian fleet, which the Athenians promptly denied, and fighting continued. All of Lesbos, other than Methymna, took arms against Athens, but Lesbos lost ground upon the arrival of more Athenian troops. Mytilene became surrounded by Athenian fortifications and were isolated by land and sea.
Finally, the Spartan Salaethus arrived and raised morale by reassuring the Mytilenians that the Peloponnesians were going to invade Attica and promised to supply them with a fleet in the spring. As promised, Attica was invaded, but it did little to help the trapped islanders because the fleet never arrived and the food supplies had depleted. The final effort was made when Salaethus supplied the demos with hoplite arms. However, after the lower class was given arms they refused to follow orders and demanded that the oligarchs hand over the remainder of the food or else they would surrender. The oligarchs could not meet the demos’ demand because there was no more food. After realizing the hopelessness of the situation, the oligarchs and the demos jointly initiated negotiations with Athens.
For all intents and purposes, Athens’ terms of negotiation were not much better than unconditional surrender, and the fate of the Mytilenian people rested on the decision of the Athenian people. The Mytilenians were only granted the right to send a delegation to Athens to plead for compassion, which was supported by Paches’ guarantee that no punitive actions would be taken until the Athenians agreed upon a conclusion.
The Mytilenian Debate
Once the Mytilenians arrived in Athens, Salaethus was immediately executed and the assembly gathered to assess the situation and voted on the punitive actions that would be taken. The Athenian assembly, scared of further revolt, hastily sentenced all of the male citizens of Mytilene to death, while the women and children would be sold into slavery. According to Thucydides, after the decision was made a trireme was dispatched to Mytilene to carry out the orders and the Athenians, enraged by premeditated revolt, slaughtered all of the prisoners, who numbered around a thousand.The next day, the Athenians realized the unprecedented brutality of their actions and some became hesitant about the hurried decision to kill and enslave the citizens of Mytilene. A second debate, which Thucydides called the Mytilenian Debate, took place in order to reassess the course of action that should be taken. The debate consisted of varying opinions, the first of which was presented by Cleon of Athens. 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...
, a prominent member of Athenian society, spoke to defend the previous decision. He asserts that the guilty party got the punishment they deserved and Athenian doubters are victims of their own "pleasure in listening...." He finishes his speech by urging the populace to not "be traitors to your own selves." Thucydides describes Cleon as nothing less than a monster who ruled with brutality. Cleon’s character had a violent and ruthless reputation.
He began by questioning the worth of a democracy: “Personally I have had occasion often enough already to observe that a democracy is incapable of governing others, and I am all the more convinced of this when I see how you are now changing your minds about the Mytilenians.” He also implied the Athenians have become jaded by sophist oratory and questioned the worth of free speech. He described the Athenians as “victims of their own pleasure in listening, and are more like an audience sitting at the feet of a professional lecturer than a parliament discussing matters of state.”
After Cleon's speech, Diodotus
Diodotus (son of Eucrates)
Diodotus, son of Eucrateswas an opponent to the proposal of Cleon - leader of the aggressive faction in Athens - in 427 BC to kill all adult Mytilenean males and to enslave their women and children after the defeat of Mytilene...
spoke in defense of his previous opposition to the death sentence. He stated that "haste and anger are... the two greatest obstacles to wise counsel...." Diodotus pondered whether the question was not so much if they were guilty as whether Athenians are making the right decision for themselves. Citing one of Cleon's main arguments for his position, Diodotus questioned whether the death penalty is really a means of deterrence from revolt or just the opposite. He finished by asking Athenians to fundamentally question what is right and just and look to moderation rather than aggressive punishment. Instead, he urged the Athenians to spare the Mytilenians in an effort to create an alliance.
Following Diodotus’ speech, the assembly recast their votes. Diodotus’ rational argument prevailed and managed to persuade the assembly not to massacre the Mytilenians. The Athenians, who initially ardently supported the total annihilation of the Mytilenians, now found themselves hesitant. As a result, the votes, which were originally unanimous, were narrowly passed in favor of Diodotus.