The ancient world, from the earliest times to 800 AD . o seize the government. Wealthy menof moderate opinions were wearied by the heavy taxation of thewar. The democracy had blundered sadly and had shown itselfunfit to deal with foreign relations, where secrecy and dispatchwere essential; and its new leaders were particularly offensiveto the old Athenian families. Under these conditions, the officers of the fleet conspiredwith secret oligarchic societies at home. Leading democratswere assassinated; and the Assembly was terrorized into sur< 1 Syracuse, a Dorian city and a warm friend to Spa
The ancient world, from the earliest times to 800 AD . o seize the government. Wealthy menof moderate opinions were wearied by the heavy taxation of thewar. The democracy had blundered sadly and had shown itselfunfit to deal with foreign relations, where secrecy and dispatchwere essential; and its new leaders were particularly offensiveto the old Athenian families. Under these conditions, the officers of the fleet conspiredwith secret oligarchic societies at home. Leading democratswere assassinated; and the Assembly was terrorized into sur< 1 Syracuse, a Dorian city and a warm friend to Sparta, had been encroach*ing upon Ionian allies of Athens in Sicily. 248 THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR [§250 rendering its powers to a council of Four Hundred of the oli-garchs. But this body proved generally incompetent, exceptin murder and plunder, and it permitted needless disasters inthe war. After a few months, the Athenian fleet at Samos de-posed its oligarchic officers; and the democracy at home expelledthe Four Hundred and restored the old Route of the Long Walls, looking southwest to the harbor, some threeand one half miles distant. From a recent photograph. 250. Sparta betrays the Asiatic Greeks. — In 412, immediatelyafter the destruction of the Athenian army and fleet in Sicily,Persian satraps appeared again upon the Aegean coast. Spartaat once bought the aid of their gold by promising to betray thefreedom of the Asiatic Greeks, — to whom the Athenian namehad been a shield for seventy years. Persian funds now builtfleet after fleet for Sparta, and slowly Athens was exhausted;despite some brilliant victories. 251. Fall of Athens. — In 405, the last Athenian fleet wassurprised and captured at Aegospotami ( Goat Rivers). Appar-ently the officers had been plotting again for an oligarchic revolu-tion; and the sailors had been discouraged and demoralizeu,even if they were not actually betrayed by their commanders. § 251] FALL OF ATHENS 249 Lysander, the Spartan
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