Siege of Melos: What Happened
In 416 BC, Athens attacked Melos, a small island in the southern Cyclades, today called Milos. The Melians were originally Spartan colonists and had tried to stay neutral in the Peloponnesian War, refusing to join the Athenian empire. Athens demanded their submission. The historian Thucydides recorded the negotiations as the famous Melian Dialogue, a debate between Athenian envoys and Melian leaders. The Melians appealed to justice, hope and the chance of Spartan help. The Athenians replied bluntly that questions of justice arise only between equals, and that the strong do what they can while the weak suffer what they must. The Melians refused to surrender. After a siege of several months, the city fell. The Athenians executed all the men of military age, sold the women and children into slavery, and resettled the island with Athenian colonists. Spartan help never came. The Siege of Melos became one of the most notorious episodes of the war, and the Melian Dialogue is still studied today as a classic statement of power politics in international relations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at the Siege of Melos?
In 416 BC, Athens besieged the island of Melos, which had tried to stay neutral in the Peloponnesian War. After the city fell, the Athenians executed its men and enslaved its women and children.
What is the Melian Dialogue?
The Melian Dialogue is a debate recorded by Thucydides between Athenian envoys and Melian leaders. It is famous for the Athenian claim that the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.
Why did Athens attack Melos?
Melos, originally a Spartan colony, refused to join the Athenian empire. Athens saw its neutrality as a challenge to its power and wanted to make an example of it.
Did Sparta help Melos?
No. The Melians hoped for Spartan help, but it never came, and the city fell after a siege of several months.
Where is Melos today?
Melos is the island of Milos in the southwestern Cyclades, famous today for its beaches and for the discovery of the Venus de Milo statue in 1820.
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