What did the Athenians do to the melians?
Athens invaded Melos in the summer of 416 BC and demanded that the Melians surrender and pay tribute to Athens or face annihilation. The Melians refused, so the Athenians laid siege to their city. Melos surrendered in the winter, and the Athenians executed the men of Melos and enslaved the women and children.
Who were the melians?
The Melians are a colony of Lacedaemon that would not submit to the Athenians like the other islanders, and at first remained neutral and took no part in the struggle, but afterwards upon the Athenians using violence and plundering their territory, assumed an attitude of open hostility.
Who won the siege of Melos?
Athenian Victory
The Siege of Melos occurred in 416 BC during the Peloponnesian War, a war fought between Athens and Sparta. Melos is an island in the Aegean Sea roughly 110 km east of mainland Greece….Siege of Melos.
| Date | 416 BC |
|---|---|
| Result | Athenian Victory |
Why won’t the melians give in to Athens?
The Athenians counter that only the strong have a right to indulge in hope; the weak Melians are hopelessly outnumbered. The Melians state that they also refuse because they believe they have the assistance of the gods.
Was Melos an ally of Athens?
Despite being one of the few island colonies of Sparta, Melos had remained neutral in the struggle between Sparta and Athens. Its neutrality, however, was unacceptable to the Athenians who, accompanied by overwhelming military and naval power, arrived in Melos to pressure it into submission.
What was Athens’s response to the melians insistence that they and their island remain neutral in the Peloponnesian War?
What was Athens’s response to the Melians’ insistence that they and their island remain neutral in the Peloponnesian War? The Athenians respected the Melians’ neutrality. Athens converted the Delian League into an empire by forbidding the members to withdraw and by controlling the League treasury.
What was Athens response to the melians insistence?
Why did the Athenians refuse to subjugate the Melians?
The Melians propose a friendly alliance as opposed to subjugation, but the Athenians refuse on the grounds that such an agreement would be a sign of Athenian weakness, and damage Athens’ reputation. The Melians, however, argue the opposite – that the Athenians will make more enemies by subjecting the Melians to her rule.
How do the Athenians respond to the Melians’ request for Fortune?
This is essentially what the Athenians tell them, and the Melians can only respond that “we trust the gods may grant us fortune as good as yours, since we are just men fighting against unjust” (5.104).
Why do the Athenians send envoys to Melos?
The Athenians then send envoys to Melos to negotiate before destroying any of the Melian land. The envoys are to argue that the Melians should accept Athenian rule rather than go to war.
What is the Melian Dialogue in the Odyssey?
The Melian Dialogue occurs following the Athenian expedition of the isle of Melos, a Spartan colony. The Athenians then send envoys to Melos to negotiate before destroying any of the Melian land.