History of the Peloponnesian War

For about the same time as the campaign in Lyncus, the Athenians sent the expedition against Mende and Scione, as they were preparing to do, with fifty ships, ten of which were Chians, and one thousand heavy-armed of their own, six hundred bowmen, one thousand Thracian mercenaries, and others of their allies from that country serving as targeteers, under the command of Nicias son of Niceratus, and Nicostratus son of

Diitrephes. After advancing from Potidaea with their ships, they came to land opposite the temple of Neptune, and proceeded against the Mendaeans. They, both themselves and three hundred Scionaeans who had come to their aid, and the Peloponnesian auxiliaries, seven hundred heavy-armed in all, with Polydamidas their commander, were encamped outside the city on a strong

hill. Nicias, with one hundred and twenty Methonaean light-armed, sixty picked men of the Athenian heavy-armed, and all the bowmen, attempted to come at them by a path running up the hill; but being wounded by them, was unable to force their position: while Nicostratus, with all the rest of the army, advancing by a different approach, and from a more distant point, against the hill, which was difficult of access, was beaten back in utter confusion, and the whole force of the Athenians was within a little of being

conquered. For that day, then, as the Mendaeans and their allies did not give way, the Athenians retreated and pitched their camp; and the Mendaeans, when night came on, returned into the town.

The day following, the Athenians sailed round to the side towards Scione, and took the suburb, and ravaged the land the whole day, no one coming out against them. For indeed there was some opposition of parties in the town; and the three hundred of the Scionaeans, on the approach of night, returned home.

The next day Nicias advanced with half the forces to the borders of the Scionaeans, and laid waste the land, while Nicostratus with the remainder sat down before the town, near the upper gates, by the way they go to Potidaea.

There Polydamidas (as the arms of the Mendaeans and their auxiliaries happened to be piled in that quarter) began to draw them up for battle, and exhorted the Mendaeans to march out against the enemy.

One of the popular faction replying to him, in the spirit of party, that they would not go out, and did not want a war, and, when he had thus relied, being dragged to him by the hand, and roughly treated, the commons immediately took up their arms, and advanced in a great rage against the Peloponnesians, and those who had joined them in opposition to themselves. Having thus fallen upon them, they routed them, in consequence both of the suddenness of the charge, and of their alarm at the gates being opened to the Athenians;

for they imagined that the attack had been made in consequence of some agreement with them.

They then, as many as were not immediately killed, took refuge in the citadel, which was before held by themselves; while the Athenians (for by this time Nicias also had returned and was close to the town) rushed with all their forces into Mende, inasmuch as it had not thrown open its gates to them on the ground of any convention, and sacked it as though they had taken it by storm; the generals with difficulty restraining them from even butchering the inhabitants.

Afterwards they told the Mendaeans to retain their civil rights, as usual, after having tried amongst themselves whomever they considered to have been the originators of the revolt: but the party in the citadel they cut off by a wall down to the sea on each side, and stationed troops to keep guard over them. When they had thus got possession of Mende, they proceeded against Scione.