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

ATHENS RESPONDS 53
as moderates in the election of March of 412. Even Phrynichus, who
later would be a leader of the oligarchic coup, was condemned afterward
as a poor man, a sycophant, and a turncoat democrat. 7 As one
shrewd commentator has put it, "all that we can certainly say is that
Phrynichus was a man with a long public career, who could be labelled
as a democratic leader and inspired enough trust to be appointed general
in 411 at an advanced age, presumably on the basis of his past
record in office. " 8 His colleagues must have fit into the same general
category and no doubt were chosen for a variety of reasons arising
from their personalities, careers, and connections.
More important than their political associations at the moment were
their experience and talent. None of the new generals is known to have
held that post before. 9 Perhaps some of them had served as trierarchs,
although most of these captains of triremes would have been lost at
Syracuse. Events would soon show that the Athenians still had officers
and crews capable of distinguished naval service worthy of their predecessors,
but in the summer of 412, no one had that combination of
daring, skill, experience, and personal authority needed to produce
success.
Strombichides' tiny fleet of eight triremes could do little to resist
Chalcideus' Peloponnesian force, almost three times the size of his,
and he was forced to flee to the Athenian base on Samos, where he
was soon joined by Thrasycles' fleet of twenty ships. 10 Nineteen ships
of the combined fleet pursued the Peloponnesians on their way to bring
about the revolt of Miletus, but the Athenians arrived too late to
prevent its fall. All they could do was take up a position at the island
of Lade, just offshore, to keep watch on and blockade Miletus. In spite
of the Peloponnesians' striking success, their position was far from
secure. The arrival of further Athenian reinforcements might reverse
the situation swiftly and change the entire course of events. 11
'Lys. 20.1!-12, 25.9.
8
Andrewes, HCT V, 59-60.
9 The lists for the previous years are far from complete, so we cannot be absolutely
sure each was a neophyte. We can be confident, however, that none played a role of
enough importance to deserve mention in the sources, which are good for the preceeding
years. Fornara (Generals, 66) lists Strombichides among the generals for the previous
year, but his reasoning is not convincing. Neither Beloch nor Busolt includes him in
the list for 413/12, and Andrewes (HCT V, 37) makes no mention of an earlier
generalship.
10 8.16.
u8. 17. 3· Busolt (GG III:2, 1426) points out the precariousness of the Peloponnesians'
position.