Nicias’s Unwavering Patriotism

The ancient Greek politician made up for his inaptitude in military affairs with praiseworthy piety, diligence, and honesty.

Possibly Polygnotus and Nicias facing each other, by David Humbert de Superville. Mr.Nostalgic/CC BY 4.0

On Aug. 27, 413 B.C., Nicias noticed a lunar eclipse. A pious man, the Athenian commander-in-chief interpreted the omen as a warning to stay in Sicily, where for two years he’d been leading the biggest military campaign in Athens’s history.

The decision proved disastrous. Nicias has since been a byword for weakness and incompetence. For some, he ranks among history’s worst military generals. Yet a closer look at his career reveals consistent moral uprightness. Though inadequate for war, it made him a praiseworthy politician.

Mines, Festivals, and Politics

Nicias was born around 470 B.C. to a slave-owning aristocratic family that made most of its wealth from Athens’s silver mines. His family had ties to top politicians. The list included Pericles, a pioneering statesman who ushered Athens into its history-defining golden age.