The Plague in Athens: Thucydides 2.47-54. Pericles’ death (around 2.65).

2.54: the narrative about the plague. 2.54.1-2: this is a verse of an old oracle passed down (2).

2.54.3: dearth and death are similar in Greek (limos and loimos). Th is taking a pot shot at

religion. Some people will twist oracles to suit their purposes.

The context of Th’s praise of Pericles in 2.65: Pericles was criticized by the Athenians because of

the plague. Pericles had the walls built up around Athens which may have led to the plague (from

the crowding).

Book 3

Pericles is dead and Athens is still recovering from the plague. Things aren’t going to go well with

Athens now.

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The years of fighting that followed can be divided into two periods, separated by a truce of six

years. The first period lasted 10 years and began with the Spartans, under Archidamus II, leading

an army into Attica, the region around Athens. Pericles declined to engage the superior allied

forces and instead urged the Athenians to keep to their city and make full use of their naval

superiority by harassing their enemies’ coasts and shipping. Within a few months, however,

Pericles fell victim to a terrible plague that raged through the crowded city, killing a large part of

its army as well as many civilians. Thucydides survived an attack of the plague and left a vivid

account of its impact on Athenian morale. In the meantime (430–429), the Spartans attacked
Athenian bases in western Greece but were repulsed. The Spartans also suffered reverses at sea.

In 428 they tried to aid the island state of Lesbos, a tributary of Athens that was planning to

revolt. But the revolt was headed off by the Athenians, who won control of the chief

city, Mytilene. Urged on by the demagogue Cleon, the Athenians voted to massacre the men of

Mytilene and enslave everyone else, but they relented the next day and killed only the leaders of

the revolt. Spartan initiatives during the plague years were all unsuccessful except for the capture

of the strategic city Plataea in 427.

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2.47

430 BC

The Spartans invade Attica again. Plague appears in Athens.

2.48

Thucydides describes the origin and progress of the plague. He himself was

stricken by it.

2.49

Symptoms of the plague and its progression through the body are described.

2.50

Birds of prey abstained from eating plague victims or were poisoned. Such birds

actually vanished from the area.

 2.51

Strong and weak alike succumbed to the illness. Despair robbed the afflicted of

resistance. Those who nursed the sick were stricken in turn. Only people who

had survived the plague could show compassion with impunity.

2.52

The crowded and poor housing of the refugees aggravated the calamity. Burial

and cremation rites were upset due to the large number of victims.

2.53

Obsessed by death, men sought pleasure with no respect for honor, law, or the

gods.

2.54

The Athenians argued about ancient prophecies and oracles. The plague struck

Athens most severely and never entered the Peloponnesus.

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Athens loses Peloponnesian War

Plague strikes Athens several times, first spread when Athenians hole up in city to escape

Spartans. -- Athens had some bad luck.

II. The Plague

• Before the Peloponnesian War, Athens had built long walls (from Athens to Piraeus).

• In a way, this made Athens like an island.

• Athens became a city overcrowded and its people were cooped up.

[• In 430 BC, Athens suffered from a disease breakout (bubonic plague?). Pericles died in 429

BC.]

• In 430 BC, Athens was brought a horrific surprise: a terrible plague attacked the citizens of

Athens.

• The kind of plague isn’t known: typhus? smallpox? measles?

• It certainly spread quickly in the city packed beyond capacity.

• Probably about 1/3 of the population died.

• Thucydides himself fell ill with it but recovered.

• The illness brought on things like: vomiting, burning skin, insomnia, diarrhea.

• Thucydides (2.53) writes: “It made no difference whether you worshipped the gods. They saw

all alike were dying. No one expected to live long to pay fines in court. It was only natural to

enjoy life a little before the end.” (paraphrase)

• Athens became demoralized by the plague.

• Athenians also became frustrated because some wanted peace with the Spartans.

• Pericles was “voted out of office” for a little while.

• Seeing that other leaders weren’t as effective as him, Pericles was reelected in office.

• But in 429 BC, Pericles caught the plague and died.

• As many as 50,000 people probably died from the plague.