Sicilian Expedition

Significance

The Sicilian Expedition, conducted from 415 to 413 BC, was an Athenian campaign in Sicily undertaken during the Peloponnesian War. Athens and its allies faced Syracuse, which received support from Sparta and Corinth. The expedition ended in a devastating defeat for the Athenian forces, a result that severely weakened Athens's position in the wider conflict. The scale of the loss — involving commanders including Alcibiades, Nicias, Lamachus, Demosthenes, and Eurymedon on the Athenian side, against Spartan and Corinthian-backed opposition led by Gylippus and Hermocrates — indicates the ambition and commitment Athens invested in the campaign. The defeat represented a major strategic reversal at a critical phase of the Peloponnesian War, undermining Athenian capacity to sustain its war effort against the Peloponnesian League.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (7)