Flounder's Bricks
Alcibiades, Strategos of Athens
Αλκιβιάδης Στράτηγος Ἀθηναῖος
Big ups to BrickForge for always coming through with sick minifig gear!!!
Alcibiades of the prominent Alcmaeonidae family of Athens became a general at the ripe age of 30, the minimum age for generalship. As a charismatic speaker, he led Athens to folly by persuading the Assembly to vote for a naval expedition against Syracuse, one of the foremost powers in the Mediterranean, in 415 BCE. He was somehow able to convince the populace of Athens to send out the army in the middle of the grueling Peloponnesian War, focused on the Greek Mainland. In the proceeding debacle the flower of Athenian youth was slaughtered in far off Sicily.
Alcibiades, however, was not there. He had been recalled to Athens to answer for religious crimes concerning the Herms and the Mysteries of Demeter at Eleusis. Rather than go to trial, he jumped ship and made his way to Sparta, Athens' bitter enemy in the ongoing war. Once there, he rendered his service as a military advisor to the Spartan King, Agis. His intimate knowledge of the Athenian defense strategy helped Sparta make strides towards ending the war.
That is, until Alcibiades (allegedly) took advantage of Agis' absence to sleep with the Queen, Timonassa. Always one step ahead, Alcibiades eluded the Spartans by defecting to Persia, the historical Boogy Man of the Hellenic world.
Speaking as a self styled diplomat to the Persian Satrap, Tissaphernes, he petitioned him to grant equal financial support to the Spartans and Athenians. He hoped to use his influence with the Persians, and the promise of Persian money, to leverage his recall to Athens. To this end, he attempted to provoke an oligarchic coup in Athens, believing that the radical democracy would never allow him to return. While his plans were circumvented by his Athenian military contacts, a separate oligarchic coup in 411 BCE resulted in his being recalled by the democratic army to help quash revolt.
Alcibiades served as a brilliant commander for Athens against the Spartans until he was exiled once again, this time for a perceived failure of command. According to Plutarch, he was assassinated by the satrap Pharnabazus at the behest of the Spartans in 404 BCE.
Whose side was he really on? Probably not even Alcibiades knew that...
Alcibiades, Strategos of Athens
Αλκιβιάδης Στράτηγος Ἀθηναῖος
Big ups to BrickForge for always coming through with sick minifig gear!!!
Alcibiades of the prominent Alcmaeonidae family of Athens became a general at the ripe age of 30, the minimum age for generalship. As a charismatic speaker, he led Athens to folly by persuading the Assembly to vote for a naval expedition against Syracuse, one of the foremost powers in the Mediterranean, in 415 BCE. He was somehow able to convince the populace of Athens to send out the army in the middle of the grueling Peloponnesian War, focused on the Greek Mainland. In the proceeding debacle the flower of Athenian youth was slaughtered in far off Sicily.
Alcibiades, however, was not there. He had been recalled to Athens to answer for religious crimes concerning the Herms and the Mysteries of Demeter at Eleusis. Rather than go to trial, he jumped ship and made his way to Sparta, Athens' bitter enemy in the ongoing war. Once there, he rendered his service as a military advisor to the Spartan King, Agis. His intimate knowledge of the Athenian defense strategy helped Sparta make strides towards ending the war.
That is, until Alcibiades (allegedly) took advantage of Agis' absence to sleep with the Queen, Timonassa. Always one step ahead, Alcibiades eluded the Spartans by defecting to Persia, the historical Boogy Man of the Hellenic world.
Speaking as a self styled diplomat to the Persian Satrap, Tissaphernes, he petitioned him to grant equal financial support to the Spartans and Athenians. He hoped to use his influence with the Persians, and the promise of Persian money, to leverage his recall to Athens. To this end, he attempted to provoke an oligarchic coup in Athens, believing that the radical democracy would never allow him to return. While his plans were circumvented by his Athenian military contacts, a separate oligarchic coup in 411 BCE resulted in his being recalled by the democratic army to help quash revolt.
Alcibiades served as a brilliant commander for Athens against the Spartans until he was exiled once again, this time for a perceived failure of command. According to Plutarch, he was assassinated by the satrap Pharnabazus at the behest of the Spartans in 404 BCE.
Whose side was he really on? Probably not even Alcibiades knew that...