The Fall of the Athenian Empire-(A New History of the Peloponnesian War) Donald Kagan - (1987)

THE RETURN OF ALCIBIADES 287
them the great island of Thasos. War, civil strife, and hunger had
reduced the strength of the oligarchic, pro-Spartan, regime there and
forced it to yield to the Athenians, assisted by their loyal allies, the
Neapolitans of Thrace. The Thasians were compelled to restore the
pro-Athenian exiles, accept a garrison, and return to the Athenian
alliance. Thrasybulus also recovered Abdera, the most powerful city
in Thrace, for the Athenians.""' In the straits they left a force, adequate
to hold what had been regained, under the command of Diodorus and
Mantitheus. 41 This freed Thrasyllus and Theramenes to return to Athens
with most of the fleet. 42 Before all the others Alcibiades had left
the Hellespont with twenty ships, sailing straight for Samos. From
there he did not go directly to Athens but sailed far to the south and
east to Caria. There, he collected wo talents and sailed back to Samos.
The money, no doubt, would increase the warmth of his welcome in
Athens, but still he delayed his return. From Samos he went to Paros
and from there to Gytheum, the main Spartan naval base in Laconia.
He observed the thirty ships he had heard the Spartans were building
there but took no action against them. By now it was probably Maywhy
the delay ? 43
Xenophon's explanation for the visit to Gytheum is probably correct,
not only for Alcibiades' hesitation there but also for his rambling route
since his first arrival at Samos: he waited at Gytheum to see "how the
city felt about him and his homecoming." 44 The key indication for
which he was waiting was the outcome of the elections to the generalship.
These elections took place "on the first meeting after the sixth
prytany when the omens are favorable," normally in March . ., Alcibiades,
therefore, could well have expected to learn the results when
he arrived at Samos, perhaps in late March or early April. The elections
of 407, however, appear to have taken place later than usual, perhaps
as late as May. 46 When the results finally reached Alcibiades, they
40
Xen. 1.4.9; Diod. IJ-72.1. On the Neapolitans, see GHI no. 89, 271-275·
11
Diod. 13.68.2.
4 JXen. 1 ·4-IO. Xenophon names only Thrasyllus, but since Theramenes is not mentioned
as being given another assignment and his term as general was coming to an
end, we should assume that he, too, went home.
43 Xen. 1.4.8, 11. For the date, see Hatzfeld, Alcibiade, 292, n. 5·
""'X en. 1 + 1 1: 70U oi:Ka8e KaTci1rAO'U ihrw~ i) 1l6ALc; 1rpOc; ain-Ov ExoL.
4
sAth. Pol. 44+
46 For the date of the elections, see Hatzfeld, Alcibiadc, 292, n. 5· We do not know
why they were delayed, but late elections were not unique to this year. See Hatzfeld,
Alcibiade, 94, for the late elections in the year 420.