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

348 'FHE FALL OF THE ATHENIAN EMPIRE
it and attack from the rear. In the normal single alignment, however,
such a maneuver would open a gap in the Athenian line or leave a gap
on its left .that the Spartans could exploit. The alignment at Arginusae
allowed Pericles to take his detachment on a wide swing to the left,
leaving Aristocrates in a position that still outflanked the enemy. Any
Spartan assault on a weakened position could be met by moving the
second rear detachment of Erasinides to meet the challenge. In fact,
it seems likely that the Athenian maneuver deprived the Spartans of
the initiative; the threat to their flank and rear would have been so
great and so obvious as to raise no thought of moving forward and
being encircled entirely. The Athenian right may have performed the
same maneuver, although we are not so informed. Even if it did not,
it was nevertheless in a position to outflank the enemy without a wide
sweeping movement, and it had the advantage of the same tactical
flexibility. We have no reason to think that the Athenian center moved
away from the safety of the island behind it; it simply waited to see
what the Spartans would do.
Callicratidas commanded the Spartan right, while Thrasonidas of
Thebes was in charge of the Boeotian contingent on the left. 75 As the
Athenian fleet came clearly into view, Hermon of Megara, Callicratidas'
kybernetes, urged his admiral not to engage but to avoid batde,
"for the triremes of the Athenians were more numerous by far."" The
length of the Athenian line, which outflanked the Spartans at both
ends, gave the unmistakable evidence of the correctness of this judgment
and the danger it presented, but Callicratidas refused to draw
back. Xenophon amibutes to the admiral a brave and patriotic response:
"Sparta would not be the worse if he died, but to flee would
be shameful."" These are the words of an old-fashioned Spartan,
schooled in the tradition of Lycurgus, and they are perfecdy in character
for this bold, aggressive, and fearless commander. These character
traits may seem enough to explain the young admiral's decision:
"The answer is the whole man; for that reason he could not retreat
even now. Noble, bold, and grand, always direct, without a care for
difficulties or pushing them aside, he pursued his goal with speed and
drive and hoped to reach it even now, since his determined uprightness
had always brought him through successfully up to now. " 78 Even
75
Xen. I.6.JI; Diod. IJ-98+
76
Xen. I.6.Jz.
77
lbid.
711
Herbst, Arginusen, 33·