This second thread on the Plague of Athens (430 B.C.E.) examines the failed leadership of Pericles’
His choice to ignore the devastation the plague was doing to ordinary Athenians led to him losing his next election and to countless Athenian deaths, perhaps even his own
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His choice to ignore the devastation the plague was doing to ordinary Athenians led to him losing his next election and to countless Athenian deaths, perhaps even his own
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If you missed my first introductory thread on the tragedy that was this Athenian epidemic, you can check it out here:
We fortunately have Thucydides’ eyewitness account of what happened, supplemented by later authors
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We fortunately have Thucydides’ eyewitness account of what happened, supplemented by later authors
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Pericles was democratic Athens’ strongest leader, credited with leading the city-state to its greatest period of wealth, influence, and quality of life
Monuments such as the Parthenon still stand today, and biomolecular studies show average Athenians ate better under his rule
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Monuments such as the Parthenon still stand today, and biomolecular studies show average Athenians ate better under his rule
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In many ways, we shouldn’t really blame Pericles (or his policies) for the fact that he got this disease and died
Studies show (by @nachristakis) that well-connected individuals (politicians/celebrities) are more likely to contract contagious diseases
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Studies show (by @nachristakis) that well-connected individuals (politicians/celebrities) are more likely to contract contagious diseases
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But… it certainly was Pericles’ decision to go to war with Sparta, and his wartime strategy that directly led to this epidemic hitting Athens and its people so hard
And his decision to ignore the plague's severity led to his election defeat
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And his decision to ignore the plague's severity led to his election defeat
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Tensions had been building up between Athens and Sparta for decades, and as war was debated among the people, Pericles harnessed an innovative strategy to win
It relied on big beautiful walls and convenient, at-home delivery
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It relied on big beautiful walls and convenient, at-home delivery
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Basically, Sparta had the dominant army, while Athens had the dominant navy
So, Pericles thought, let’s rely on our city walls to keep Sparta’s army away from the city
The bustling port at Piraeus was also walled and connected by “The Long Walls” to the city
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So, Pericles thought, let’s rely on our city walls to keep Sparta’s army away from the city
The bustling port at Piraeus was also walled and connected by “The Long Walls” to the city
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Before the war began, Pericles called the entire rural population and the inhabitants of nearby towns into the city
He figured, that with the wealth of Athens and a strong naval empire, they could just rely on imports to bring everything they needed in through Piraeus
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He figured, that with the wealth of Athens and a strong naval empire, they could just rely on imports to bring everything they needed in through Piraeus
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This was a big deal!
Thuc. 2.16: Most Athenians had “lived in the countryside in the traditional way and therefore did not find it at all easy to make the move… changing their way of life and leaving behind what each of them felt to be the equivalent of their native city”
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Thuc. 2.16: Most Athenians had “lived in the countryside in the traditional way and therefore did not find it at all easy to make the move… changing their way of life and leaving behind what each of them felt to be the equivalent of their native city”
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“When they arrived in Athens only a few had homes… Most settled in unoccupied parts of the city and occupied sanctuaries… The city could not cope with this general influx; indeed they later divided up the long walls and Piraeus into lots and occupied those too” (2.17)
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Pericles’ strategy worked OK for a year. The Spartan army pillaged the Athenian countryside
The Athenian navy raided the Spartan coastal settlements
But most people were safe. Pericles wrapped up the first year with his famous Funeral Oration, encouraging them to fight on
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The Athenian navy raided the Spartan coastal settlements
But most people were safe. Pericles wrapped up the first year with his famous Funeral Oration, encouraging them to fight on
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The plague struck Athens in the summer of the second year (430 B.C.)
Thucydides records that it had popped up earlier in Lemnos, an Athenian ally
While the Athenians were behind walls they were not socially distant from the allies they fought with and relied upon for trade
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Thucydides records that it had popped up earlier in Lemnos, an Athenian ally
While the Athenians were behind walls they were not socially distant from the allies they fought with and relied upon for trade
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Pericles’ wartime strategy was a terrible strategy for containing a contagious disease
Most Athenians, rich or poor, were living in the ancient equivalent of a refugee camp in a besieged city
As my first 1st thread showed, the Athenians knew close contact spread the disease
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Most Athenians, rich or poor, were living in the ancient equivalent of a refugee camp in a besieged city
As my first 1st thread showed, the Athenians knew close contact spread the disease
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“Their general misery was aggravated by people crowding into the city from the fields, and the worst affected were the new arrivals. There were no houses for them but they lived in huts… and they were visited by death in conditions of total disorder” (Thuc 2.52)
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We need to take this history seriously. Already Covid-19 has been spreading in prisons (Rikers), and there is legitimate fear of it hitting refugee camps around the world: natureasia.com/en/nmiddleeast…
The world must act, because mortality will be much, much higher in such places
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The world must act, because mortality will be much, much higher in such places
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“The bodies of those dying were heaped on each other, and in the streets and around the springs half-dead people reeled about… The sanctuaries in which they had taken shelter were full of the bodies of those who had died there” (Thuc 2.52)
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But Pericles ignored it and kept going with his original strategy. He let the Spartans pillage the Attic countryside, while he and the navy raided the Spartan coastlands
The plague didn’t care, it continued to spread through Athens and in other dense cities (Thuc 2.54)
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The plague didn’t care, it continued to spread through Athens and in other dense cities (Thuc 2.54)
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But “the Athenians had undergone a change of heart… feeling the combined pressure of plague and war. They now began to criticize Pericles, holding him responsible for persuading them to go to war and for being the agent of their misfortunes” (Thuc. 2.59)
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“They became eager to come to terms with the Spartans. They even sent ambassadors to them, though to no effect. And in complete despair they turned their anger on Pericles” (2.59)
I mean, in hindsight, this seems pretty fair to me…
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I mean, in hindsight, this seems pretty fair to me…
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As @sentantiq has pointed out, there’s a long tradition in Greek mythology and tragedy of blaming the leader for plague: theconversation.com/plagues-follow…
Pericles recognized this and gave the last of his famous speeches
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Pericles recognized this and gave the last of his famous speeches
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It’s amazing really, but it can really be boiled down to: “I accept no responsibility”
Thuc. 2.60: “I mean to administer some reminders to you and take you to task for any misplaced resentment against me or any undue weakening in the face of difficulties”
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Thuc. 2.60: “I mean to administer some reminders to you and take you to task for any misplaced resentment against me or any undue weakening in the face of difficulties”
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Similarly, Thuc. 2.64: “even though this plague has been inflicted on us, coming out of nowhere (it is in fact the only thing out of all that has happened to have defied prediction). I know it is largely because of this that I am even more a hated figure now – unjustly so.”
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He argues to ignore the plague (“We must treat afflictions sent by the gods as necessary ills and bear with courage those that come from our enemies” 2.64) in order to protect their empire (“Nor can you now give up possession of the empire” 2.63)
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“With such words Pericles tried to dispel the anger the Athenians felt towards him and distract them from their present troubles.” (2.65)
It sort of worked, as war continued. But the people “did not put aside their anger towards him until they had punished him with a fine”
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It sort of worked, as war continued. But the people “did not put aside their anger towards him until they had punished him with a fine”
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After this, Pericles’ power waned. This is the last point Thucydides mentions Pericles, ending the section by saying “Pericles lived on two years and six months longer.”
We only find out from Plutarch’s biography how he and his family died of plague:
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We only find out from Plutarch’s biography how he and his family died of plague:
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As Plutarch notes (176, transl by Waterfield) he lost his next election and was relieved of his command: “But he did not succeed in getting them to shed their anger or change their minds before they had taken their ballots in their hands”
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“The man responsible for all this, his enemies said, was Pericles: because of the war he had squeezed the rustic rabble inside the city walls and … left them penned up like cattle, to infect one another with death” (Plut. 34)
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If Pericles had not ignored the devastation of the plague and sued for peace, they could have protected their refugee population. Ancient history would look very different
Instead, the plague ravaged them and, weakened, they still lost the war
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Instead, the plague ravaged them and, weakened, they still lost the war
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History shows that the decisions leaders make matter. We can see this with the Athenian plague, and with more recent outbreaks:
We must learn from history and not make the same mistakes. Stay home, stay safe!
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We must learn from history and not make the same mistakes. Stay home, stay safe!
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Thanks for reading along
Tomorrow, I'll finally post the thread on the archaeology of the plague of Athens
If you're interested in more quick reads on ancient health, how about this thread on the Yasmina Dog, my favorite ancient dog:
Tomorrow, I'll finally post the thread on the archaeology of the plague of Athens
If you're interested in more quick reads on ancient health, how about this thread on the Yasmina Dog, my favorite ancient dog:
And my third post looks at the archaeological evidence for the Athenian epidemic:
