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The Peace of Nicias

421 BCE, Athens and Sparta. An event.

Where and when

421 BCEAthens and Sparta

2,446 years ago

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, Athens and Sparta

Athens and Sparta sign a peace in spring, about ten years after the war began.

This treaty was made in the spring, just at the end of winter, directly after the city festival of Dionysus, just ten years, with the difference of a few days, from the first invasion of Attica and the commencement of this war.

Thucydides 5.20.1Translated by Richard Crawley (1874)Read the full passage (Thucydides 5.20.1, opens scaife.perseus.org)

Background: Peace of Nicias, Wikipedia (opens en.wikipedia.org)

Why it matters

The treaty ended the first half of the Peloponnesian War. Most historians note that militant factions in both Athens and Sparta gained power soon after it was signed.

Based on Wikipedia: Peace of Nicias

that ended the first half of the Peloponnesian War

Most historians have noted that the militant factions in both Athens and Sparta gained power shortly after the truce was signed.

Wikipedia, Peace of Nicias (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-24. Text CC BY-SA 4.0. Our line is checked against these sentences only.

Related moments

In time order, with this one in its place. Each says why it is here.

  1. 425 BCE4 years earlier Spartans surrender on Sphacteria Same years
  2. 424/423 BCE3 years earlier Thucydides fails to save Amphipolis and is exiled Also about war and empire
  3. 423 BCE2 years earlier A disciple of Socrates on the flea Also in Athens
  4. 423 BCE2 years earlier Strepsiades on the gnat's trumpet Also in Athens
  5. 423 BCE2 years earlier Aristophanes' Socrates walks on air Also in Athens
  6. 422 BCE1 year earlier Cleon and Brasidas both die at Amphipolis Also about war and empire
  7. 421 BCEThis momentThe Peace of Nicias
  8. c. 431–411 BCEDuring it Socrates on guardians sharing wives and children Same years
  9. 416 BCE5 years later Athens takes Melos and kills its men Same years

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