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

ATHENS RESPONDS 59
blockade and seaborne assaults. 32 The Athenians easily controlled the
sea with their twenty-five ships against an unknown number of the
Chians, who were, therefore, unable to prevent them from landing. 33
The Athenians were also superior on land, for they had brought along
hoplites from the catalog of regular heavily armed infantrymen, conscripted
to serve as marines in place of the thetes who usually served
in that capacity. 34 The Athenians were victorious time after time as
they sailed around the island, and finally, the Chians ceased to come
out to offer battle against them. The Athenians proceeded to ravage
and plunder their rich, well-cultivated, and well-stocked country, untouched
by enemies since the Persian War. This desperate situation
naturally caused some Chians to wish that the rebellion had never
taken place, and some of them now plotted to bring their state back
into Athenian hands. The ruling officials became aware of the plot but
moved cautiously. They called Astyochus from Erythrae with his four
ships and asked him to help as they considered "how they might put
an end to the plot most moderately, either by taking hostages or in
some other way. " 35 In fact, Astyochus, took hostages, and for the time
being Chi os was safe from internal disruption. 36 The Athenians, however,
continued to dominate the island by land and sea and to ravage
its wealth. The first Ionian state to rebel was no longer in a position
to spread the uprising and was on the point of defeat and punishment.
32
8.24.2. For each location of these places, see HCT V, 55, and Map 3.
"For the number of Athenian ships, see 8.23.1. The Chian ships mentioned up to
this point are seven taken by the Athenians from the blockading fleet at Spiraeum
(8.15.2), four captured without their crews as they sailed from Anaea (19.3), nine
defeated by the Athenians at Mytilene (2 3· 3), and one lost at Methymna (2 3.4). Twenty
remained blockaded at Miletus. In the spring the Spartans had sent the perioikos Phrynis
to check on the Chian claims. He was satisfied of the truth of their claims, but he does
not appear to have seen all of the ships claimed with his own eyes. He reported that
"there were not less than sixty there from what the Chians sait!' (&c:p' fuv OL Xi:oL eA.qov)
(8.6.4). The Chians may or may not have been exaggerating their forces to win Spartan
support. Perhaps they included in the total some ships that were not seaworthy. In
any case, we never hear of more than forty-seven of their ships at any one time. The
ease with which the Athenians controlled the sea around Chios at this time suggests
that they may have been superior numerically as well as tactically.
34 Andrewes (HCT V, 56) suggests that the hoplites were compelled to serve on the
ships because thetes were in short supply after the heavy losses in Sicily. That is likely,
but it is also possible that the generals made a special request for such troops, knowing
that fighting on land would be important on this occasion.
35
8.2f.6.
368.p. I.