The naval battle of Arginusae (406 BCE) and the Athenian democracy: A victory turned into a defeat (Greek: Ἡ ναυμαχία στὶς Ἀργινοῦσες (406 π.Χ.) καὶ ἡ ἀθηναϊκὴ δημοκρατία: Μιὰ νίκη ποὺ μετατράπηκε σὲ ἧττα)

Fragoulaki, Maria ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2192-5785 2020. The naval battle of Arginusae (406 BCE) and the Athenian democracy: A victory turned into a defeat (Greek: Ἡ ναυμαχία στὶς Ἀργινοῦσες (406 π.Χ.) καὶ ἡ ἀθηναϊκὴ δημοκρατία: Μιὰ νίκη ποὺ μετατράπηκε σὲ ἧττα). Lessons of War III: Athenian Dramas (Greek: Μαθήματα Πολέμου ΙΙΙ: Ἀθηναίων Δράματα), National Theatre Publications, Athens, Greece: National Theatre, pp. 62-67.

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Abstract

This chapter (in Greek) is included in Lessons of War III: Athenian Dramas, National Theatre Publications, Greece (Athens 2020, 62-7) (Orig. Μαθήματα Πολέμου ΙΙΙ: Ἀθηναίων Δράματα, Ἐκδόσεις Ἐθνικοῦ Θεάτρου, (Ἀθήνα 2020, 62-7)). Lessons of War III is a theatrical play, a dramatised version of the third and final part of the Peloponnesian War, staged at the National Theatre, Greece in 2020 (January – April). The chapter accompanies the printed volume containing the theatrical play itself and other academic contributions, aiming to bring ancient history closer to modern audiences and demonstrate its didactic dimension and practical value. It focuses on the last part of the Peloponnesian War (413-404 BC), and the naval battle of Arginusae (406 BC) in particular, for which Thucydides, Xenophon, and Diodorus are key sources. It shows that Arginusae was a brilliant and important victory of the Athenians against the Spartans and their allies, which however was turned into a defeat at the level of institutions and decision-making inside the city of Athens: misled by demagogues and disregarding democratic institutions, the Athenian people (dēmos) condemned and killed the victorious Athenian generals who fought at the battle (comprehensively and unconstitutionally with one vote), because they failed to collect the dead and the shipwrecked survivors on account of a storm after the battle. These generals were the best the city had and their services were soon missed. Though technically a victory on the battlefield, Arginusae and its aftermath was a suicidal failure of the Athenian people and their democratic constitution, foreshadowing more sinister times that were soon to come.

Item Type:	Book Section
Status:	Published
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DF Greece L Education > L Education (General)
Language other than English:	Greek
Publisher:	National Theatre
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	24 January 2020
Last Modified:	14 Jun 2024 09:55
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/129008

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