Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/19

1 HISTORY OF GREECE. PART II CONTINUATION OF HISTORICAL GREECE. CHAPTER LV. FROM THE PEACE OF KIKIAS TO THE OLYMPIC FESTIVAL OF OLYMPIAD NINETY. MY last chapter and last volume terminated with the peac* called the Peace of Nikias, concluded in March 421 B.C., between Athens and the Spartan confederacy, for fifty years. This peace negotiated during the autumn and winter sue ceeding the defeat of the Athenians at Amphipolis, wherein both Kleon and Brasidas were slain resulted partly from the extraordinary anxiety of the Spartans to recover their captives who had been taken at Sphakteria, partly from the discourage- ment of the Athenians, leading them to listen to the peace-party who acted with Nikias. The general principle adopted for the peace was, the restitution by both parties of what had been acquired by war, yet excluding such places as had been surren- dered by capitulation : according to which reserve the Athenians, while prevented from recovering Plata^a, continued to hold Niscea, the harbor of Megara. The Lacedaemonians engaged to restore Amphipolis to Athens, and to relinquish their connection with the revolted allies of Athens in Thrace ; that is, Argilus, Stageirus, Akanthus, Skolus, Olynthus, and Spartolus. These six cities, however, were not to be enrolled as allies of Athens unless they chose voluntarily to become so, but only to pay reg- VOT-. vii. 1 loc.