Nicias

Nicias (; ; 470–413 BCE) was an Athenian politician and general, who was prominent during the Peloponnesian War. A member of the Athenian aristocracy, he inherited a large fortune from his father, and had investments in the silver mines around Laurion, in south-east Attica.

Key facts

Military person.name: Nicias
Military person.native_name: Νικίας Νικηράτου Κυδαντίδης
Military person.image: Nicias, p 105 (World's Famous Orations Vol 1).jpg
Military person.alt: Bust of Nicias
Military person.birth_date: 470 BC
Military person.death_date: 413 BC (aged 56/57)
Military person.birth_place: Athens, Greece
Military person.death_place: Syracuse, Sicily
Military person.allegiance: Athens
Military person.rank: Strategos (general)
Military person.known_for: Peace of Nicias
Military person.battles: Peloponnesian War Sicilian Expedition
Military person.laterwork: Peace of Nicias

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Gender: male
Citizenship: Classical Athens
Place of birth: Athens
Place of death: Syracuse
Occupation: military personnel
Position held: strategos
Languages spoken: Ancient Greek
Military rank: strategos
Image: Nicias, p 105 (World's Famous Orations Vol 1).jpg

Show 6 more facts

Commons category: Nicias
date of death: 0413-01-01
date of birth: 0500-01-01
described by source: Pauly–Wissowa
time period: classical antiquity
manner of death: homicide

Sources (3)

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~28 min read

Encyclopedic overview

19 sections

Contents

Early life and political rise
Military career to 424 BCE
"Champion of peace" (423–415 BC)
Truce of Laches
Peace of Nicias
Opposition to Nicias
Battle of Mantinea
Ostracism of Hyperbolos
The Sicilian Expedition (415–413 BC)
Background
Preparations
Recall of Alcibiades and death of Lamachus
"Gross neglect"
Appeal for reinforcements
Eclipse, capture, and execution
Final assessments
References
Sources
Further reading

Following the death of Pericles in 429 BCE, Nicias became the principal rival of Cleon and the democrats in the struggle for political leadership of the Athenian state. Politically a moderate conservative, he opposed the aggressive imperialism of Cleon and Alcibiades. Despite his political views, Nicias served as strategos (general) during the Peloponnesian War, and led a number of expeditions which were mostly successful, although he had a reputation for being over-cautious. Nicias' goal was to conclude a peace with Sparta on terms favourable to Athens, and he was largely responsible for negotiating the short-lived Peace of Nicias in 421.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Nicias” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.