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

84 THE FALL OF THE ATHENIAN EMPIRE
Tissaphernes to bring on the Phoenician fleet and the typical reluctance
of a Spartan commander to risk a naval battle with an Athenian fleet
not much smaller than his own are enough. Nothing he did in his
career as navarch reveals the talent or character needed to launch a
bold Spartan policy at sea.
While the southern theater remained quiet, there was action at
Chios. The Athenian fleet that had barely missed cutting off Astyochus
on his way to Miletus fought its way through stormy seas to Lesbos."
Three ships were lost in the storm, but the remaining twenty-seven,
carrying a force of hoplites, crossed over to Chios under their generals
Strombichides, Onomacles, and Euctemon. They set to work fortifying
Delphinium, a strong point with good harbors on the east coast
of the island, just north of the city of Chios. The Chians were in no
condition to offer serious resistance. Discouraged by their previous
defeats, they also suffered from dissension. Pedaritus, in fact, put to
death Tydeus the son of Ion, perhaps the famous tragic poet, and his
supporters on a charge of sympathy with Athens. He then imposed a
narrow oligarchy in place of the by-no-means-democratic mixed constitution
that had been in effect." Perhaps there had been some growth
of the pro-Athenian forces caused by the dangerous situation. More
likely, the people Pedaritus killed were the hostages collected by Astyochus
to prevent trouble. Pedaritus plainly took a harsher approach
to the problem of Chian security than did the navarch. His measures
were effective, for we hear of no further pro-Athenian activity. Indeed,
as the pressure became greater, Chios clung to the Peloponnesian
cause. 64
At the moment, however, the Chians were filled with mutual suspicion
and fearful, convinced that their own forces and Pedaritus' band
of mercenaries were no match for the Athenians. In their despair they
sent to Miletus for help, but Astyochus continued to refuse. Pedaritus
now wrote a letter back to Sparta complaining of the navarch's behavior.
Thucydides' language indicates that the complaint was about
something more serious than poor generalship; it suggests at least some
breach of law. 65 The authorities at Sparta would take his charges se-
61
8.JO, J4, J8.I.
6
JSee above, 43-45.
64
Quinn, Historia XVIII (1969), 29-30.
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