Alcibiades is one of the most famous (or infamous) characters of
Classical Greece. A young Athenian aristocrat, he came to prominence
during the Peloponnesian War (429-404 BC) between Sparta and Athens.
Flamboyant, charismatic (and wealthy), this close associate of Socrates
persuaded the Athenians to attempt to stand up to the Spartans on land
as part of an alliance he was instrumental in bringing together.
Although this led to defeat at the Battle of Mantinea in 418 BC, his
prestige remained high. He was also a prime mover in Athens' next big
strategic gambit, the Sicilian Expedition of 415 BC, for which he was
elected as one of the leaders. Shortly after arrival in Sicily, however,
he was recalled to face charges of sacrilege allegedly committed during
his pre-expedition revelling. Jumping ship on the return journey, he
defected to the Spartans.
Alcibiades soon ingratiated himself with the Spartans, encouraging them
to aid the Sicilians (ultimately resulting in the utter destruction of
the Athenian expedition)and to keep year-round pressure on the
Athenians. He then seems to have overstepped the bounds of hospitality
by sleeping with the Spartan queen and was soon on the run again. He
then played a devious and dangerous game of shifting loyalties between
Sparta, Athens and Persia. He had a hand in engineering the overthrow of
democracy at Athens in favour of an oligarchy, which allowed him to
return from exile, though he then opposed the increasingly-extreme
excesses of that regime. For a time he looked to have restored Athens'
fortunes in the war, but went into exile again after being held
responsible for the defeat of one of his subordinates in a naval battle.
This time he took refuge with the Persians, but as they were now allied
to the Spartans, the cuckolded King Agis of Sparta was able to arrange
his assassination by Persian agents.
There has been no full length biography of this colorful and important
character for twenty years. Professor Rhodes brings the authority of an
internationally recognised expert in the field, ensuring that this will
be a truly significant addition to the literature on Classical Greece.
