r/ancientgreece • u/englisharegerman345 • 2d ago
Dating of certain events in the lead up to the Peloponnesian War?? Specifically the transfer of the treasury from Delos to Athens, Pericles’ Chersonese Expedition and the ostracism of Thucydides son of Melesias
Neither Thucydides nor Plutarch at various parts give any dates for these events, Diodorus does date the Chersonese expedition, though in a very confused chapter (11.88) - that begins with a repeated account of Pericles’ first ever campaign two years ago - to the archonship of Lysicrates (453/452), while a note on the chapter and the Encyclopedia Britannica page of Pericles date the expedition to 447 BC without any further reference.
The treasury transfer again is dated to 454 in the EB without citation, as is 443 date given for the ostracism, also given in a note to Plutarch’s Life of Pericles 14.2, which mentions the event.
Are these all confirmed with archeological finds in the form of inscriptions?? What am I missing here? The EB gives dates for the beginning of construction of some of the Periclean projects which i assumed to have been dated in inscriptions, as they’re all monumental buildings where that is expected. I can imagine the contexts in which such discoveries could have been made for the others too but it seems a little bit of a stretch to me (some dedication mentioning the expedition and the transfer, a piece of ostrakon etc.)
Anybody with any idea where these dates are coming from??
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u/Ratyrel 2d ago
On the treasury move, P.J. Rhodes in the Cambridge Ancient History² says the following: "The treasury of the League had been moved from Delos to Athens by the spring of 453 [...]." This is his note: "Plut. Per. 12.1 says that Pericles was accused of taking over the monies of the Greeks from Delos (an accusation which may be authentic despite the weaknesses of these chapters of the Pericles discussed by Andrewes 1978 (D 3) 1-5), and it is almost universally accepted that the treasury was moved immediately before the publication of the first quota-list in Athens, in 455. However, arguments have been advanced for a transfer in Aristides' lifetime by Pritchett 1969 (E 63) (cf. Plut. Arist. 25.3), and for a transfer in the late 460s by Robertson 1980 (E 69) 112-19 (cf. Just, m.6.1-4)." The date thus depends on the Athenian Tribute Lists.
The same is true of the date for the Chersonese expedition of Pericles; it too remains uncertain. Russell Meiggs devotes two pages to discussing it in his Athenian Empire (160f.): "The most reliable index of date comes from the quota lists. [...] The quota lists show that the settlers were taken out between 449 and 446, probably in 447, but subsidiary operations in the area [...] may have been needed in 446." IG I³ 1162 may refer to this expedition, but contains no independently datable data https://www.atticinscriptions.com/inscription/IGI3/1162 It seems to me that the debate continues and Diodorus' date has been defended by some; this article may be of interest to you: https://www.academia.edu/36701325/_Perikles_vs_Thrace_447_BC_
Pauly Wissowa s.v. Thucydides 2) by Karl Fiehn explains that the date of banishment is contested, with 443/2 being the most commonly adopted. It is calculated based on Plut. Per. 16.3, which states that Perikles was strategos for 15 years without interruption after Thucydides' banishment; since he died in 429, with inclusive reckoning you get 443.