WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.540 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today, we are 00:00:03.540 --> 00:00:06.299 not just looking at a historical figure. We are, 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:09.220 uh, we're looking at a phenomenon. We are looking 00:00:09.220 --> 00:00:13.339 at a human hurricane. Chuckles. That's a good 00:00:13.339 --> 00:00:15.080 way to put it. You know, we often talk about 00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:18.100 modern politics being chaotic. The scandals, 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:22.980 the flip -flopping, the intense cults of personality, 00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:26.500 but honestly... If you think today's headlines 00:00:26.500 --> 00:00:29.019 are wild, you haven't met the man we're talking 00:00:29.019 --> 00:00:31.980 about today. It is a story that truly devised 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:34.359 belief. I mean, if you wrote this as a screenplay, 00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:36.500 Hollywood producers would kick it back. Oh, for 00:00:36.500 --> 00:00:38.539 sure. They'd say it's too unrealistic, the protagonist 00:00:38.539 --> 00:00:41.100 is too overpowered, and the plot twists are, 00:00:41.159 --> 00:00:43.590 you know, just too convenient. We're talking 00:00:43.590 --> 00:00:46.429 about Alcibiades. The chameleon of Athens. Exactly. 00:00:46.429 --> 00:00:48.170 The man who managed to be the most important 00:00:48.170 --> 00:00:50.469 general for Athens and then, in a blink of an 00:00:50.469 --> 00:00:52.969 eye, the most important advisor to their archenemy, 00:00:53.070 --> 00:00:55.850 Sparta. And then Persia. And then, just to keep 00:00:55.850 --> 00:00:58.250 things interesting, a key player for the Persian 00:00:58.250 --> 00:01:00.429 Empire, only to circle back and become the savior 00:01:00.429 --> 00:01:03.049 of Athens again, all in the span of one single 00:01:03.049 --> 00:01:06.400 war. It is absolutely wild. And look, our mission 00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:08.739 today is to really unpack this. We've got a massive 00:01:08.739 --> 00:01:10.420 stack of sources here. We're pulling from the 00:01:10.420 --> 00:01:13.400 usual places, of course. But we are going deep 00:01:13.400 --> 00:01:16.120 into the heavy hitters like Thucydides, Plutarch, 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:18.859 Xenophon. Eudorus, yeah. We want to understand 00:01:18.859 --> 00:01:21.000 not just what he did, but how on earth he got 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:23.120 away with it. Because fundamentally, this is 00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:26.400 a story about the absolute limits of charisma. 00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:28.640 And the cost of that charisma. That is the key. 00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:31.859 Because while Alcibiades is... It's undeniably 00:01:31.859 --> 00:01:34.239 fascinating. He's the rock star of the ancient 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:37.099 world, the Mick Jagger of the Peloponnesian War. 00:01:37.459 --> 00:01:40.620 There's a very dark undercurrent here. This is 00:01:40.620 --> 00:01:43.459 a case study on ambition and what happens when 00:01:43.459 --> 00:01:45.519 a democracy falls in love with a man who believes, 00:01:45.700 --> 00:01:48.140 correctly perhaps, that he's bigger than the 00:01:48.140 --> 00:01:50.250 law. So let's set the scene properly. We are 00:01:50.250 --> 00:01:52.609 in the fifth century B .C. The Peloponnesian 00:01:52.609 --> 00:01:55.290 War is raging or at least simmering between the 00:01:55.290 --> 00:01:58.170 two superpowers, Athens and Sparta. And onto 00:01:58.170 --> 00:02:01.450 this stage steps Alcibiades. Who is this guy? 00:02:01.489 --> 00:02:02.849 Because he didn't just come from nowhere, right? 00:02:02.930 --> 00:02:04.709 He wasn't a self -made man in the modern sense. 00:02:04.909 --> 00:02:07.920 Oh, far from it. In terms of advantages, he didn't 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:09.819 just win the lottery. He basically owned the 00:02:09.819 --> 00:02:12.639 lottery commission. He was born around 450 B 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:15.479 .C. in Athens. His father was Clinius, a war 00:02:15.479 --> 00:02:17.460 hero who was killed in the Battle of Choronea 00:02:17.460 --> 00:02:20.979 when Alcibiades was just a toddler. But his mother, 00:02:21.139 --> 00:02:23.759 Dynamache, was from the Elkmionid family. Which 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:25.800 is basically the Kennedys of ancient Athens, 00:02:26.060 --> 00:02:30.800 but with more curses and more money. Even more 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:34.240 so. She was a cousin of Pericles. And after his 00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:37.250 father died, Pericles... the man who essentially 00:02:37.250 --> 00:02:39.889 built the golden age of Athens, the man who commissioned 00:02:39.889 --> 00:02:43.810 the Parthenon, became his guardian. Wow. So Alcibiades 00:02:43.810 --> 00:02:45.750 grows up in the house of the most powerful man 00:02:45.750 --> 00:02:48.250 in the city. He is breathing rarefied air from 00:02:48.250 --> 00:02:50.830 the moment he can walk. He inherits massive wealth, 00:02:50.930 --> 00:02:52.949 and he has connections in every corner of the 00:02:52.949 --> 00:02:54.889 Greek world. And when you say connections, it's 00:02:54.889 --> 00:02:56.689 not just in Athens, right? I was reading about 00:02:56.689 --> 00:02:58.849 his name, Alcibiades. It doesn't sound like the 00:02:58.849 --> 00:03:01.169 other Athenian names. You have a good ear. It's 00:03:01.169 --> 00:03:03.370 actually a name of Spartan origin. His family 00:03:03.370 --> 00:03:06.740 had these old ties of Xenia. guest friendship 00:03:06.740 --> 00:03:09.680 with the Spartan aristocracy. Exinia, right. 00:03:09.860 --> 00:03:12.020 Can you break that down a little? What exactly 00:03:12.020 --> 00:03:14.900 did that mean in practice? It's a crucial concept. 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:17.919 Xenia meant that even if our cities are at war, 00:03:18.099 --> 00:03:20.979 you and I have a sacred personal bond of hospitality. 00:03:21.659 --> 00:03:24.159 It's inherited. It means if you show up at my 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:26.400 door, I have to take you in, protect you, feed 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:28.620 you, and vice versa. So it's like a diplomatic 00:03:28.620 --> 00:03:30.979 back channel, but it's personal. It's deeper 00:03:30.979 --> 00:03:33.919 than that. It's a sacred trust. So even though 00:03:33.919 --> 00:03:37.199 he is the golden boy of Athenian nobility, he 00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:40.099 has this built -in backdoor link to the enemy. 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:42.740 That is going to become very important and very 00:03:42.740 --> 00:03:45.520 dangerous later on. Okay, so he's rich, he's 00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:48.400 powerful, he's connected. And according to every 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:51.340 source we have, he was... Well, incredibly good 00:03:51.340 --> 00:03:54.159 looking. And ordinately vain about it, too. Plutarch 00:03:54.159 --> 00:03:56.080 mentions that his physical beauty was famous 00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:58.740 throughout his entire life, as a boy, as a youth, 00:03:58.819 --> 00:04:01.039 and as a man. And he had this personality that 00:04:01.039 --> 00:04:03.280 just drew people in like a gravitational well. 00:04:03.400 --> 00:04:06.000 And he knew it? Oh, he knew it. Aristophanes, 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:07.979 the comic playwright who loved to roast politicians, 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:11.039 even mentions that Alcibiades had a lisp. A lisp. 00:04:11.699 --> 00:04:14.219 Usually in the rough -and -tumble world of ancient 00:04:14.219 --> 00:04:16.980 politics, wouldn't that be a liability? You would 00:04:16.980 --> 00:04:19.850 think so. But for him, it wasn't a hindrance. 00:04:19.990 --> 00:04:22.750 People found it charming. It became part of his 00:04:22.750 --> 00:04:26.449 brand. It made his speech seem persuasive, unique, 00:04:26.730 --> 00:04:29.910 sort of aristocratic. He weaponized it. He weaponized 00:04:29.910 --> 00:04:32.410 everything about himself. He wore these long, 00:04:32.410 --> 00:04:35.149 sweeping purple robes that dragged on the ground, 00:04:35.370 --> 00:04:38.050 something the older conservative generation hated. 00:04:38.490 --> 00:04:41.709 But the youth of Athens copied him. He was the 00:04:41.709 --> 00:04:44.129 trendsetter. He was an influencer 2 ,500 years 00:04:44.129 --> 00:04:46.660 early. But he wasn't just a pretty face. He had 00:04:46.660 --> 00:04:49.040 a brain and he had some very interesting teachers. 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:51.079 And this is the part that always confuses me 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:53.100 and I think confuses a lot of people. He was 00:04:53.100 --> 00:04:55.319 a student of Socrates. It is one of the great 00:04:55.319 --> 00:04:57.439 paradoxes of history. Right. You have Socrates, 00:04:57.560 --> 00:04:59.420 the father of moral philosophy, the guy walking 00:04:59.420 --> 00:05:01.480 around barefoot asking about virtue and truth. 00:05:01.740 --> 00:05:05.720 And his star pupil is Alcibiades, who, spoiler 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:08.759 alert, turns out to be pretty unscrupulous. How 00:05:08.759 --> 00:05:10.439 did that happen? What was the dynamic there? 00:05:10.779 --> 00:05:12.699 Well, the sources tell us they had a very intense, 00:05:12.959 --> 00:05:16.920 almost obsessive relationship. Plutarch says 00:05:16.920 --> 00:05:19.259 that Alcibiades feared and reverenced Socrates 00:05:19.259 --> 00:05:22.579 alone, and basically despised everyone else who 00:05:22.579 --> 00:05:24.939 tried to court his favor. So Socrates was the 00:05:24.939 --> 00:05:27.540 only one he respected. I think Socrates saw the 00:05:27.540 --> 00:05:29.459 potential in him, this brilliant, beautiful, 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:33.100 energetic young man, and thought... If I can 00:05:33.100 --> 00:05:35.360 just teach him virtue, if I can just tame this 00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:37.639 wild horse, he could be the perfect leader for 00:05:37.639 --> 00:05:39.980 Athens. And for Alcibiades, what was in it for 00:05:39.980 --> 00:05:42.560 him? I think for Alcibiades, Socrates was the 00:05:42.560 --> 00:05:44.459 only challenge. Everyone else flattered him. 00:05:44.600 --> 00:05:46.939 They told him how great he was. Socrates challenged 00:05:46.939 --> 00:05:49.439 him. Socrates told him he was ignorant, that 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:51.459 he knew nothing. And that was attractive to him. 00:05:51.660 --> 00:05:54.180 It was intoxicating for someone who had everything 00:05:54.180 --> 00:05:55.860 handed to him. It was the one thing he couldn't 00:05:55.860 --> 00:05:57.939 just buy or charm his way through. And it wasn't 00:05:57.939 --> 00:05:59.740 just classroom learning either. They were war 00:05:59.740 --> 00:06:02.519 buddies. Literally. At the Battle of Potidaea 00:06:02.519 --> 00:06:06.199 in 432 BC, Socrates actually saved Alcibiades' 00:06:06.339 --> 00:06:09.459 life. Alcibiades was wounded in the chaos of 00:06:09.459 --> 00:06:12.139 the melee, and Socrates stood over him, shield 00:06:12.139 --> 00:06:14.800 up, and defended him against the enemy. That 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:17.720 creates a bond of blood. Wow. And then, a few 00:06:17.720 --> 00:06:20.079 years later, at the Battle of Delium, which was 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:23.019 a total disaster for Athens, Alcibiades, who 00:06:23.019 --> 00:06:25.920 was in the cavalry, on horseback saw Socrates 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:28.319 retreating on foot. Instead of riding off to 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:31.300 safety, He stayed by him and covered his retreat. 00:06:31.579 --> 00:06:35.000 So there was a deep, genuine bond there. Clearly, 00:06:35.339 --> 00:06:38.300 the virtue part didn't fully stick. Because when 00:06:38.300 --> 00:06:41.680 we look at his personal life, wow. The drama 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:44.360 with his wife, Hipparite. It's a tragic story, 00:06:44.540 --> 00:06:46.360 really, and it tells us everything we need to 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:48.959 know about his view of the law. Hipparite was 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:51.360 a wealthy heiress, and she apparently loved him. 00:06:51.560 --> 00:06:54.449 But Alcibiades was a serial philanderer. He was 00:06:54.449 --> 00:06:56.509 constantly consorting with courtesans, bringing 00:06:56.509 --> 00:06:58.769 them into the home, humiliating her. Just completely 00:06:58.769 --> 00:07:01.189 shameless about it. Utterly. Eventually, she 00:07:01.189 --> 00:07:03.930 had enough. In Athens, a woman could divorce 00:07:03.930 --> 00:07:07.360 her husband. But the law was specific. She had 00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:09.220 to go to the archon, the magistrate, to file 00:07:09.220 --> 00:07:11.459 the papers in person. Okay, so it required a 00:07:11.459 --> 00:07:13.699 public act. Exactly. So she summons the courage. 00:07:13.740 --> 00:07:15.720 She goes to the agora, the public square, to 00:07:15.720 --> 00:07:18.360 file for divorce. And word gets to Alcibiades. 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:20.740 He doesn't call a lawyer. He doesn't file a countersuit. 00:07:20.920 --> 00:07:23.720 He just shows up at the agora, grabs her, and 00:07:23.720 --> 00:07:26.699 physically carries her home through the marketplace. 00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:28.500 He just carries her off in front of everyone. 00:07:28.660 --> 00:07:30.399 In front of everyone. In front of the magistrate. 00:07:30.459 --> 00:07:32.920 And no one stopped him? It shows you his attitude? 00:07:33.709 --> 00:07:36.110 He felt he was above the law. He dared anyone 00:07:36.110 --> 00:07:38.310 to challenge him. And because of his wealth and 00:07:38.310 --> 00:07:40.509 his intimidating presence, no one did. And she 00:07:40.509 --> 00:07:43.170 stayed with him. Sadly, she stayed with him until 00:07:43.170 --> 00:07:46.230 she died shortly after. This is the man who is 00:07:46.230 --> 00:07:48.649 about to enter politics. Someone who takes what 00:07:48.649 --> 00:07:51.550 he wants and dares anyone to stop him. So let's 00:07:51.550 --> 00:07:54.189 pivot to his political rise. The war with Sparta 00:07:54.189 --> 00:07:56.410 has been going on for years. There's a truce, 00:07:56.410 --> 00:07:59.889 right? The Peace of Nicias. Correct. Signed in 00:07:59.889 --> 00:08:04.129 421 BC. It was an uneasy truce, a cold war period, 00:08:04.350 --> 00:08:07.430 negotiated largely by the older, more conservative 00:08:07.430 --> 00:08:10.170 General Onesius. He was sort of the anti -Alcibiades, 00:08:10.230 --> 00:08:13.370 cautious, pious, respected. And Alcibiades is 00:08:13.370 --> 00:08:16.329 not happy about this piece. He's furious. Not 00:08:16.329 --> 00:08:18.529 because he loves war necessarily, but because 00:08:18.529 --> 00:08:21.569 of his ego. He felt that because of his family's 00:08:21.569 --> 00:08:24.509 old connections to Sparta, that Xenia we talked 00:08:24.509 --> 00:08:27.209 about, the Spartans should have used him to negotiate 00:08:27.209 --> 00:08:29.399 the treaty. But they didn't. The Spartans looked 00:08:29.399 --> 00:08:31.819 at this wild, purple robe -wearing party boy 00:08:31.819 --> 00:08:35.860 and thought, no thanks. They ignored him. They 00:08:35.860 --> 00:08:38.620 went with Nicias, the steady hand. To Alcibiades, 00:08:38.779 --> 00:08:41.860 this was a massive snub. So his ego is bruised 00:08:41.860 --> 00:08:44.059 and he decides, if I can't be the peacemaker, 00:08:44.200 --> 00:08:46.539 I'll be the guy who blows up the peace. Essentially. 00:08:46.779 --> 00:08:48.879 And he does it with one of the most devious political 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:51.870 tricks I've... ever read about. It's known as 00:08:51.870 --> 00:08:54.009 the affair of the Spartan ambassadors. Oh, this 00:08:54.009 --> 00:08:56.110 is good. Walk us through this step by step because 00:08:56.110 --> 00:08:58.789 it really shows his cunning. So tension is rising 00:08:58.789 --> 00:09:01.909 again. Sparta sends ambassadors to Athens with 00:09:01.909 --> 00:09:04.549 full powers to negotiate. That's a technical 00:09:04.549 --> 00:09:06.750 diplomatic term. It means they can sign a deal 00:09:06.750 --> 00:09:08.490 right then and there without checking back with 00:09:08.490 --> 00:09:10.269 their government. OK, so they're serious. This 00:09:10.269 --> 00:09:12.490 is a real chance for diplomacy. Very serious. 00:09:12.909 --> 00:09:15.789 They arrive and they tell the Athenian council 00:09:15.789 --> 00:09:19.149 privately. Yes, we have full powers. We're here 00:09:19.149 --> 00:09:22.110 to make a deal. Sounds promising. If they have 00:09:22.110 --> 00:09:25.029 full powers, peace can be maintained. Exactly. 00:09:25.889 --> 00:09:28.909 Alcibiades sees this and panics. If they make 00:09:28.909 --> 00:09:31.929 a deal, Nicaeus looks good, peace holds, and 00:09:31.929 --> 00:09:34.970 Alcibiades remains on the sidelines. So that 00:09:34.970 --> 00:09:38.840 night, he meets with the Spartans. He plays the 00:09:38.840 --> 00:09:40.779 friend. He plays the friend. He invokes that 00:09:40.779 --> 00:09:43.720 old family Xenia. He says, listen, I know the 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:45.860 Athenian assembly better than you do. They are 00:09:45.860 --> 00:09:47.879 haughty and ambitious. If you tell them you have 00:09:47.879 --> 00:09:50.500 full powers, they will bully you. They will wring 00:09:50.500 --> 00:09:52.220 every concession out of you. You'll lose everything. 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:55.080 So he's giving them friendly advice. I'm looking 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:57.320 out for you guys. Exactly. He tells them, trust 00:09:57.320 --> 00:09:59.639 me, when you go before the assembly tomorrow, 00:09:59.820 --> 00:10:01.919 tell them you don't have full powers. Tell them 00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:04.340 you're just here to talk. I will back you up 00:10:04.340 --> 00:10:06.720 and I'll use my unmatched eloquence to get you 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:09.659 what you want. But we have to lower their expectations 00:10:09.659 --> 00:10:12.419 first. And they believe him. They trust him completely. 00:10:12.600 --> 00:10:14.799 He's charming. He has the Spartan family connection. 00:10:14.960 --> 00:10:17.799 He seems sincere. So the next day, they stand 00:10:17.799 --> 00:10:19.740 up in front of the thousands of Athenians in 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:22.799 the assembly. Nicias is there, expecting a smooth 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:26.179 meeting. And Alcibiades asks the question. Alcibiades 00:10:26.179 --> 00:10:29.200 stands up and asks them, point blank, in front 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:31.940 of everyone, do you have full powers to negotiate? 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:35.320 And they say, just as he told them to, no. We 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:37.980 do not. And then he pounces. He goes absolutely 00:10:37.980 --> 00:10:40.600 nuclear. He starts screaming, acting shocked 00:10:40.600 --> 00:10:43.639 and betrayed. He calls them liars. He says, yesterday 00:10:43.639 --> 00:10:46.019 you told the council you had powers. Today you 00:10:46.019 --> 00:10:48.440 say you don't. You are dishonest. Sparta cannot 00:10:48.440 --> 00:10:51.100 be trusted. How can we make peace with people 00:10:51.100 --> 00:10:54.340 whose word is worthless? Oh, man. He just completely 00:10:54.340 --> 00:10:57.019 destroys their credibility. In an instant. Yeah. 00:10:57.059 --> 00:11:00.279 Theseus. He's humiliated. He looks like a fool 00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:02.500 because he vouched for them. The peace talks 00:11:02.500 --> 00:11:04.649 collapse. The Spartans are proud. practically 00:11:04.649 --> 00:11:07.370 chased out of the city, and Alcibiades is suddenly 00:11:07.370 --> 00:11:10.409 the leading voice in Athens, the war hawk. That 00:11:10.409 --> 00:11:12.629 is, it's sociopathic, but it's brilliant. He 00:11:12.629 --> 00:11:14.590 manufactured a crisis just to get a promotion. 00:11:14.909 --> 00:11:17.210 And it worked. He was appointed general. And 00:11:17.210 --> 00:11:19.049 he immediately started building an alliance against 00:11:19.049 --> 00:11:22.190 Sparta and the Peloponnese. But the real turning 00:11:22.190 --> 00:11:24.730 point, the moment that changes the course of 00:11:24.730 --> 00:11:26.909 the war in history, is the Sicilian expedition 00:11:26.909 --> 00:11:31.509 in 415 BC. This is the big one, Sicily. To the 00:11:31.509 --> 00:11:33.190 modern listener, this might just sound like another 00:11:33.190 --> 00:11:36.269 island, but back then, Syracuse, the main city 00:11:36.269 --> 00:11:39.909 in Sicily, was huge. It was a powerhouse, almost 00:11:39.909 --> 00:11:44.009 as big as Athens. Wealthy, strong military, a 00:11:44.009 --> 00:11:47.129 major player. And Athens gets this idea to intervene. 00:11:47.330 --> 00:11:50.250 There was a minor conflict between two Sicilian 00:11:50.250 --> 00:11:54.149 cities, Segesta and Salinas. Segesta asked Athens 00:11:54.149 --> 00:11:57.250 for help. A classic case of mission creep waiting 00:11:57.250 --> 00:11:59.730 to happen. Now, Nicias, the cautious guy, the 00:11:59.730 --> 00:12:01.610 guy who just wants everyone to calm down, he 00:12:01.610 --> 00:12:04.769 says, don't do it. Right. The debate in the assembly 00:12:04.769 --> 00:12:07.570 is legendary. Nicias gives a speech saying this 00:12:07.570 --> 00:12:10.409 is costly. It's dangerous. We are barely holding 00:12:10.409 --> 00:12:13.029 on to our own empire. Why go looking for trouble 00:12:13.029 --> 00:12:15.070 halfway across the Mediterranean? It's a very 00:12:15.070 --> 00:12:17.769 reasonable argument. Completely. He attacks Alcibiades 00:12:17.769 --> 00:12:19.710 personally, saying he's just doing this for his 00:12:19.710 --> 00:12:22.190 own glory and to pay off his massive debts from 00:12:22.190 --> 00:12:24.070 horse racing. Which, to be fair, he probably 00:12:24.070 --> 00:12:27.529 was. Oh, absolutely. But then Alcibiades gets 00:12:27.529 --> 00:12:30.570 up and gives this fiery speech. He compares it 00:12:30.570 --> 00:12:32.929 to the Persian Wars. He says, we have to expand 00:12:32.929 --> 00:12:36.370 or we die. If we don't rule others, we risk being 00:12:36.370 --> 00:12:39.490 ruled ourselves. He promises riches. He talks 00:12:39.490 --> 00:12:42.830 about conquering not just Sicily, but Italy and 00:12:42.830 --> 00:12:45.009 maybe even Carthage. He's selling them a dream 00:12:45.009 --> 00:12:48.090 of empire. He paints this picture of absolute 00:12:48.090 --> 00:12:51.240 unlimited power. He tells them that their navy 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:53.740 is invincible, that the Sicilians are a mixed 00:12:53.740 --> 00:12:55.940 bunch with no real loyalty. He makes it sound 00:12:55.940 --> 00:12:58.860 easy. And the crowd goes wild. They are drunk 00:12:58.860 --> 00:13:01.120 on his confidence. They are. But then Nicias 00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:04.019 tries one last trick. He thinks, OK, if I can't 00:13:04.019 --> 00:13:05.740 persuade them not to go, I'll scare them with 00:13:05.740 --> 00:13:08.759 the cost. Ah, the sticker shock strategy. Right. 00:13:08.820 --> 00:13:10.860 So he tells the assembly, fine, if we go, we 00:13:10.860 --> 00:13:13.500 need a massive force, not just a few ships. We 00:13:13.500 --> 00:13:16.580 need 100 triremes. We need 5 ,000 hoplites. We 00:13:16.580 --> 00:13:19.639 need archers, slingers, huge supplies. He's basically 00:13:19.639 --> 00:13:21.580 naming numbers so huge he thinks they'll balk. 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:23.700 But this is Athens. They don't do sticker shock. 00:13:23.980 --> 00:13:26.480 Laughs. No. It just completely backfired. They 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:28.799 loved it. They thought, with a force that big, 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:31.100 it's guaranteed to succeed. So they voted for 00:13:31.100 --> 00:13:34.190 everything Nicias asked for. Oh, no. In a twist 00:13:34.190 --> 00:13:37.149 of cruel irony, they appointed Nicias to lead 00:13:37.149 --> 00:13:39.610 the expedition, along with Alcibiades. The guy 00:13:39.610 --> 00:13:41.730 who hates the plan and the guy who loves the 00:13:41.730 --> 00:13:44.250 plan stuck in a boat together? What could possibly 00:13:44.250 --> 00:13:47.149 go wrong? Everything. But before they even set 00:13:47.149 --> 00:13:49.970 sail, something happens in Athens, that is. Yeah. 00:13:50.190 --> 00:13:52.629 Well, it's weird. It's terrifying. The scandal 00:13:52.629 --> 00:13:54.929 of the Hermae. This is like a true crime mystery. 00:13:55.029 --> 00:13:56.990 Explain what the Hermae are, because this context 00:13:56.990 --> 00:14:00.019 is crucial. So a Herma... is a statue of the 00:14:00.019 --> 00:14:02.039 god Hermes. They were these square stone pillars 00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:05.580 with a head of Hermes on top and an erect phallus 00:14:05.580 --> 00:14:07.820 on the front. They were everywhere in Athens. 00:14:08.019 --> 00:14:11.080 Outside houses, temples, crossroads. They were 00:14:11.080 --> 00:14:13.639 symbols of luck and protection. They were part 00:14:13.639 --> 00:14:15.580 of the spiritual security system of the city. 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:18.679 And one morning, Athens wakes up. And almost 00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:21.139 all of them have been mutilated. Their faces 00:14:21.139 --> 00:14:23.940 smashed. The phallus is knocked off. It was a 00:14:23.940 --> 00:14:27.000 mass act of vandalism. But to the Athenians, 00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:29.879 this wasn't just vandalism. It was adesabia, 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:33.860 impiety. It was a terrifying bad omen right before 00:14:33.860 --> 00:14:36.000 the biggest fleet in history was about to launch. 00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:38.320 It felt like a conspiracy. It felt like a conspiracy 00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:41.299 to destroy the democracy from within. The city 00:14:41.299 --> 00:14:43.279 goes into a panic. And fingers start pointing 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:45.960 at Alcibiades. His enemies seize the moment. 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:48.620 They knew he had a reputation for wild parties, 00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:51.960 for drinking, for mocking tradition. They accused 00:14:51.960 --> 00:14:54.299 him of being behind the mutilation. And they 00:14:54.299 --> 00:14:56.990 added a second charge. that he had been profaning 00:14:56.990 --> 00:15:00.470 the Eleusinian mysteries, basically mocking the 00:15:00.470 --> 00:15:02.710 most sacred religious rites in Greece by performing 00:15:02.710 --> 00:15:04.929 them in a private home with his drunk friends. 00:15:05.289 --> 00:15:07.289 Which may or may not have been true, but it was 00:15:07.289 --> 00:15:10.210 believable. It fit his profile perfectly. Now, 00:15:10.289 --> 00:15:12.809 Alcibiades sees the danger. He says, fine, put 00:15:12.809 --> 00:15:14.690 me on trial right now. Which was a smart move. 00:15:14.909 --> 00:15:17.250 Very smart. He knew he had the army's support 00:15:17.250 --> 00:15:19.990 right then. The soldiers loved him. He wanted 00:15:19.990 --> 00:15:22.480 to clear his name before he left. But his enemies 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:24.419 were cleverer. Would they do? They said, no, 00:15:24.460 --> 00:15:26.799 no, you sail for Sicily now. We don't want to 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:28.559 delay the mission. We'll handle the trial when 00:15:28.559 --> 00:15:31.659 you get back. That is a trap, if I ever heard 00:15:31.659 --> 00:15:33.919 one. It was a death trap. They wanted him away 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:36.399 from his support base. They knew that once he 00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:38.820 was gone, they could whip up public hysteria 00:15:38.820 --> 00:15:42.519 and convict him easily. So the fleet sails. And 00:15:42.519 --> 00:15:45.820 it must have been a magnificent sight. 140 galleys, 00:15:45.820 --> 00:15:48.899 thousands of men, the hopes of the entire city. 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:51.779 But the whole time, this cloud is hanging over 00:15:51.779 --> 00:15:54.659 him. The very dark cloud. And the moment they 00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:57.580 arrive in Sicily, a state ship, the Salaminia, 00:15:57.659 --> 00:16:00.980 arrives from Athens. The arrest ship. To bring 00:16:00.980 --> 00:16:03.980 him back for trial. To recall him. The mood in 00:16:03.980 --> 00:16:06.190 Athens had turned paranoid. They were seeing 00:16:06.190 --> 00:16:08.509 conspiracies everywhere. Witnesses were coming 00:16:08.509 --> 00:16:10.230 out of the woodwork. Some of them probably paid. 00:16:11.250 --> 00:16:13.149 Alcibiades knew if he went back, he was the dead 00:16:13.149 --> 00:16:15.669 man. So he gets on the ship to go back. He pretends 00:16:15.669 --> 00:16:17.590 to. He says, I'll follow you in my own ship. 00:16:18.070 --> 00:16:21.090 But when the ships stop at Thuri in Italy, he 00:16:21.090 --> 00:16:23.549 slips away. He disappears into the Italian countryside. 00:16:23.970 --> 00:16:25.690 And there's that famous quote when someone asks 00:16:25.690 --> 00:16:28.269 him, Alcibiades, do you not trust your country? 00:16:28.590 --> 00:16:32.129 Yes. He says, in everything else, yes. But when 00:16:32.129 --> 00:16:34.580 it comes to my life. I wouldn't trust even my 00:16:34.580 --> 00:16:37.759 mother lest she might by mistake cast the black 00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:40.059 ballot instead of the white. The black ballot 00:16:40.059 --> 00:16:42.480 being the vote for guilty. The vote for the death 00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:45.440 penalty. And he was right. Athens convicted him 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:47.960 in absentia, condemned him to death and confiscated 00:16:47.960 --> 00:16:50.320 all his property. There was a public curse put 00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:53.519 on him by the priests. So he's on the run. He's 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:56.220 public enemy number one in Athens. He's an outlaw. 00:16:56.500 --> 00:16:58.639 Where does he go? This is the audacity part of 00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:01.179 our title. He goes to the one place that should 00:17:01.179 --> 00:17:04.579 have killed him on site. Sparta. He walks right 00:17:04.579 --> 00:17:07.559 into the lion's den. He contacts the Spartans 00:17:07.559 --> 00:17:10.359 and says, I can help you. I can do you more good 00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:13.059 as a friend than I did harm as an enemy. He promises 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:15.759 to reveal all of Athens' secrets. And amazingly, 00:17:16.019 --> 00:17:18.319 they let him in. This is the first great betrayal. 00:17:18.500 --> 00:17:21.380 He doesn't just hide in Sparta. He actively helps 00:17:21.380 --> 00:17:24.180 them win the war. He destroys Athens' war effort 00:17:24.180 --> 00:17:26.539 from the inside out. He gives the Spartans two 00:17:26.539 --> 00:17:28.980 pieces of advice that are absolutely fatal to 00:17:28.980 --> 00:17:31.539 his home city. First, regarding Sicily. Right, 00:17:31.579 --> 00:17:33.400 the expedition he starts. The Spartans were hesitant 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:36.420 to get involved. Alcibiades gives a speech where 00:17:36.420 --> 00:17:39.599 he terrifies them. He exaggerates Athens' ambition, 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:42.240 saying they plan to conquer Italy, Carthage, 00:17:42.359 --> 00:17:45.400 the whole world, and then come for Sparta. He 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:47.900 convinces Sparta to send one general, a man named 00:17:47.900 --> 00:17:50.640 Berlipas, to take command of the defense of Syracuse. 00:17:50.859 --> 00:17:53.539 And that one Spartan general makes the difference. 00:17:53.680 --> 00:17:56.240 It changes everything. Xolopis is a professional. 00:17:56.440 --> 00:17:59.460 He rallies the Syracusans, disciplines them, 00:17:59.539 --> 00:18:02.099 builds counter walls. The Athenian expedition, 00:18:02.460 --> 00:18:05.160 which was already struggling under Naces' indecisive 00:18:05.160 --> 00:18:08.160 command, turns into a catastrophe. The whole 00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:10.799 thing just collapses. Utterly. The fleet is trapped 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:13.779 in the harbor. Thousands of Athenians are slaughtered 00:18:13.779 --> 00:18:15.980 in the river as they try to flee. The survivors 00:18:15.980 --> 00:18:18.420 are thrown into stone quarries to die of exposure 00:18:18.420 --> 00:18:21.359 and starvation. It's the greatest military disaster 00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:23.849 in Athenian history. And it's partly because 00:18:23.849 --> 00:18:26.289 of Alcibiades' advice. Wow. And what was the 00:18:26.289 --> 00:18:28.170 second piece of advice? That was even worse, 00:18:28.269 --> 00:18:31.009 wasn't it? Desilia. This is pure strategic genius. 00:18:31.349 --> 00:18:33.750 He told the Spartans to take a fortified position 00:18:33.750 --> 00:18:35.970 at a place called Desilia, which is in Attica, 00:18:36.069 --> 00:18:38.680 just within sight of Athens. I remember you mentioning 00:18:38.680 --> 00:18:41.460 that before this, Spartans would just raid and 00:18:41.460 --> 00:18:43.859 leave. Right. They'd invade for a few weeks in 00:18:43.859 --> 00:18:46.660 the summer, burn some crops, and go home. Athens 00:18:46.660 --> 00:18:48.779 could just hide behind its walls and wait them 00:18:48.779 --> 00:18:51.720 out. But by fortifying Desilia, the Spartans 00:18:51.720 --> 00:18:53.579 could stay there year -round. What did that do 00:18:53.579 --> 00:18:57.049 to Athens? It strangled them. It was a permanent 00:18:57.049 --> 00:18:59.329 knife at their throat. They were cut off from 00:18:59.329 --> 00:19:01.869 their farmlands permanently. They lost access 00:19:01.869 --> 00:19:04.230 to their silver mines at Laurium, which was their 00:19:04.230 --> 00:19:07.309 bank account. 20 ,000 slaves escaped from the 00:19:07.309 --> 00:19:10.130 mines to the Spartan fort. 20 ,000. Athens had 00:19:10.130 --> 00:19:12.369 to live entirely inside the long walls, relying 00:19:12.369 --> 00:19:15.809 on imported food from the sea. It turned Athens 00:19:15.809 --> 00:19:18.730 into a fortress under permanent siege. It was 00:19:18.730 --> 00:19:21.410 a strategic masterstroke, and it came from one 00:19:21.410 --> 00:19:24.400 of their own. So he is living the high life in 00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:26.980 Sparta. He's adopted their customs, right? I 00:19:26.980 --> 00:19:29.279 read he grew his hair long, took cold baths, 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:32.259 ate the famously gross black broth. He was a 00:19:32.259 --> 00:19:34.880 chameleon. Plutarch marvels at this. He says 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:37.160 that Alcibiades could out -drink the Thracians, 00:19:37.299 --> 00:19:39.980 out -ride the Persians, and out -starve the Spartans. 00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:43.559 In Athens, he was witty and luxurious. In Sparta, 00:19:43.680 --> 00:19:47.319 he was austere and disciplined. He couldn't change 00:19:47.319 --> 00:19:50.480 his nature completely. The womanizing. The hubris. 00:19:50.500 --> 00:19:54.140 The absolute unrestrained arrogance. King Aegis 00:19:54.140 --> 00:19:57.039 II of Sparta was away leading the army at Dessalia, 00:19:57.180 --> 00:20:00.740 ironically, on Alcibiades' advice. While the 00:20:00.740 --> 00:20:03.200 king was away, Alcibiades allegedly seduced the 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:06.119 queen, Timaea. You have to laugh. The man has 00:20:06.119 --> 00:20:08.440 a death wish. Why? Just because he could. It 00:20:08.440 --> 00:20:10.809 seems so. It's the ultimate power move. There 00:20:10.809 --> 00:20:12.869 were rumors that the queen's son, Leotachius, 00:20:13.009 --> 00:20:15.650 was actually Alcibiades' child. Plutarch says 00:20:15.650 --> 00:20:17.769 Alcibiades wasn't even ashamed of it. He boasted 00:20:17.769 --> 00:20:19.569 about it. He claimed he did it because he wanted 00:20:19.569 --> 00:20:21.849 his descendants to rule Sparta. Oh, come on. 00:20:21.890 --> 00:20:23.690 The arrogance of that is just off the charts. 00:20:23.950 --> 00:20:26.170 It's unbelievable. Naturally, King Aegis finds 00:20:26.170 --> 00:20:28.190 out, or at least hears the rumors, and he is 00:20:28.190 --> 00:20:30.789 not pleased. The political tide turns. He has 00:20:30.789 --> 00:20:33.309 worn out his welcome. An order is sent to a Spartan 00:20:33.309 --> 00:20:36.680 admiral. Kill Alcibiades. But Alcibiades being 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:39.039 Alcibiades has his ear to the ground. He always 00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:41.140 does. He finds out about the assassination order 00:20:41.140 --> 00:20:44.200 and runs again. Defection number two. From Athens 00:20:44.200 --> 00:20:47.779 to Sparta and now, where does he go? He flees 00:20:47.779 --> 00:20:51.099 to the Persian Empire. Specifically to Tisiphanes, 00:20:51.180 --> 00:20:53.660 the Persian satrap, the governor in Asia Minor. 00:20:53.819 --> 00:20:56.539 This is a whole new world. Persia is the traditional 00:20:56.539 --> 00:21:00.279 enemy of all Greeks. And here is Alcibiades charming 00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:02.480 his way into the court of their local commander. 00:21:02.660 --> 00:21:05.099 And once again, he elapsed. He trades the rough 00:21:05.099 --> 00:21:07.640 Spartan cloak for Persian silk. He starts living 00:21:07.640 --> 00:21:11.700 like a grandee, luxury, splendor, feasts. And 00:21:11.700 --> 00:21:13.759 he becomes Tisiphone's chief advisor on Greek 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:16.240 affairs. And what's his advice this time? His 00:21:16.240 --> 00:21:18.500 advice here is pure Machiavellian brilliance. 00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:20.779 He tells the Persians, don't help the Spartans 00:21:20.779 --> 00:21:22.779 too much. Wait, Persia was supporting Sparta 00:21:22.779 --> 00:21:25.440 against Athens, right? With money. Yes, they 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:27.200 were paying for the Spartan fleet. It was Persian 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:29.900 gold that was allowing Sparta to challenge Athens 00:21:29.900 --> 00:21:33.460 at sea. But Alcibiades says, let them wear each 00:21:33.460 --> 00:21:36.019 other out. If Sparta wins too quickly, they'll 00:21:36.019 --> 00:21:38.299 just become the new threat to Persia. Keep them 00:21:38.299 --> 00:21:40.640 balanced. Reduce the payments. Delay the ships. 00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:43.359 Let the Greeks destroy each other. And then Persia 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:46.019 can pick up the pieces. That is cold. He's playing 00:21:46.019 --> 00:21:48.200 both sides against the middle. It's pure real 00:21:48.200 --> 00:21:51.380 politic. But for Alcibiades, it was just a lever. 00:21:51.559 --> 00:21:53.319 He didn't care about Persia. He wanted to get 00:21:53.319 --> 00:21:56.019 back to Athens. Back to Athens. After the Hermae. 00:21:56.140 --> 00:21:59.119 After Decelea. After destroying their army in 00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:01.500 Sicily. How could he possibly think they would 00:22:01.500 --> 00:22:03.339 take him back? Because he had something they 00:22:03.339 --> 00:22:06.099 needed. Persian money. Or at least the promise 00:22:06.099 --> 00:22:09.130 of it. Athens was on its last legs. They were 00:22:09.130 --> 00:22:12.329 broke. They were desperate. Alcibiades saw an 00:22:12.329 --> 00:22:14.950 opportunity. This leads us to the coup of 411 00:22:14.950 --> 00:22:17.609 B .C. This is a complicated bit of history, so 00:22:17.609 --> 00:22:20.269 let's break it down. Right. So the main Athenian 00:22:20.269 --> 00:22:23.230 fleet is stationed at the island of Samos. They 00:22:23.230 --> 00:22:26.900 are the last real power Athens has left. Alcibiades 00:22:26.900 --> 00:22:29.180 sends messages to the commanders there, the generals. 00:22:29.240 --> 00:22:32.519 He says, I can get Tisaphernes to switch sides. 00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:35.059 I can bring the Persian fleet and all its gold 00:22:35.059 --> 00:22:38.339 to help Athens. But Tisaphernes doesn't trust 00:22:38.339 --> 00:22:41.299 democracy. He won't deal with a mob. So he's 00:22:41.299 --> 00:22:43.440 blackmailing them. Change your government or 00:22:43.440 --> 00:22:46.480 lose the war. Exactly. He demands Athens become 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:49.819 an oligarchy. The commanders at Samos, who are 00:22:49.819 --> 00:22:52.420 mostly aristocrats themselves, are intrigued. 00:22:52.539 --> 00:22:55.200 They sent envoys to Athens to push this plan. 00:22:55.559 --> 00:22:58.440 And incredibly, the Athenian people, who are 00:22:58.440 --> 00:23:00.859 desperate and beaten down, vote to dissolve the 00:23:00.859 --> 00:23:03.599 democracy and install a council called the 400. 00:23:04.180 --> 00:23:06.720 They voted away their own freedom. They voted 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:08.819 away their own freedom just to get Alcibiades 00:23:08.819 --> 00:23:12.000 and his Persian gold. It shows you how dire the 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:15.500 situation was. Yes. But here's the catch. Alcibiades 00:23:15.500 --> 00:23:18.359 was bluffing. He was completely bluffing. Tisaphernes 00:23:18.359 --> 00:23:21.000 wasn't going to switch sides. He liked Alcibiades' 00:23:21.140 --> 00:23:24.230 advice to stay neutral. So when the Athenian 00:23:24.230 --> 00:23:26.529 andoys came to Tisaphernes to finalize the deal, 00:23:26.930 --> 00:23:28.890 Alcibiades had to put on a show. To cover his 00:23:28.890 --> 00:23:31.670 tracks. Right. He made crazy demands on behalf 00:23:31.670 --> 00:23:34.230 of Persia demanding islands, demanding the right 00:23:34.230 --> 00:23:36.630 to sail wherever they wanted in the Aegean. He 00:23:36.630 --> 00:23:39.049 made the demands so impossibly high that the 00:23:39.049 --> 00:23:41.269 Athenians had to walk away in disgust. So he 00:23:41.269 --> 00:23:44.069 made it look like they failed, not him. Precisely. 00:23:44.089 --> 00:23:46.329 Oh, you can't meet these terms. What a shame. 00:23:46.509 --> 00:23:49.410 But meanwhile, the coup had happened in Athens. 00:23:49.730 --> 00:23:53.369 The 400 were in charge. But the sailors and soldiers 00:23:53.369 --> 00:23:56.289 at Samos, the rank and file, they were Democrats 00:23:56.289 --> 00:23:59.269 to the core. They hated the oligarchy. So you 00:23:59.269 --> 00:24:01.650 have a split. Oligarchs in the city, Democrats 00:24:01.650 --> 00:24:04.390 in the fleet. And the fleet at Samos is furious. 00:24:04.789 --> 00:24:07.109 They declare themselves the true government of 00:24:07.109 --> 00:24:09.569 Athens. They're ready to sail back to Athens 00:24:09.569 --> 00:24:12.130 and attack the city. A civil war is about to 00:24:12.130 --> 00:24:13.930 start. Which would be the end. Sparta would just 00:24:13.930 --> 00:24:16.509 walk in. It would be the end of Athens. And this 00:24:16.509 --> 00:24:19.569 is where Alcibiades does perhaps the one truly 00:24:19.569 --> 00:24:22.109 noble thing in his career, or at least the most 00:24:22.109 --> 00:24:24.509 strategically sound thing for Athens. The fleet 00:24:24.509 --> 00:24:26.549 elects him general. Right. They embrace him. 00:24:26.670 --> 00:24:28.529 They do. They still think he has the Persian 00:24:28.529 --> 00:24:31.420 connection. They recall him from exile and elect 00:24:31.420 --> 00:24:34.140 him general. And the soldiers scream, lead us 00:24:34.140 --> 00:24:36.660 to Athens. Let's kill the tyrants. A lesser man 00:24:36.660 --> 00:24:39.660 would have done it for the power. A lesser man 00:24:39.660 --> 00:24:42.160 absolutely would have. But Alcibiades stands 00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:45.220 up and stops them. He gives a speech. He calms 00:24:45.220 --> 00:24:48.019 them down. He forbids them from sailing to Athens. 00:24:48.299 --> 00:24:51.539 He says, our enemy is Sparta, not our brothers. 00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:55.059 Thucydides says that at this moment, Alcibiades 00:24:55.059 --> 00:24:57.859 saved Athens. No one else could have controlled 00:24:57.859 --> 00:25:00.779 that angry mob. So he is now the general of the 00:25:00.779 --> 00:25:03.819 democracy in exile, essentially. Yes. And eventually, 00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:07.359 the 400 in Athens collapse under their own incompetence, 00:25:07.380 --> 00:25:10.059 more moderate government takes over, and they 00:25:10.059 --> 00:25:13.299 officially recall Alcibiades. He is no longer 00:25:13.299 --> 00:25:15.880 an outlaw. But he hasn't gone home yet. No. He's 00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:18.099 too smart for that. He knows he can't just go 00:25:18.099 --> 00:25:20.019 back with promises. He needs to bring home a 00:25:20.019 --> 00:25:22.880 win, a big one. And this kicks off his redemption 00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:25.759 tour. And what a tour it is. We move to the Hellespont, 00:25:25.839 --> 00:25:28.299 the modern Dardanelles. The vital trade route 00:25:28.299 --> 00:25:30.640 for grain coming from the Black Sea. This is 00:25:30.640 --> 00:25:33.460 the jugular vein of Athens. If Sparta cuts off 00:25:33.460 --> 00:25:36.359 the grain, Athens starves. The fleets are clashing 00:25:36.359 --> 00:25:38.359 there. Let's talk about the Battle of Abydos. 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:41.359 This is like a scene out of a movie. The Athenian 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:43.200 Spartan fleets are fighting. It's a grinding 00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:46.059 battle lasting all day. Neither side can break 00:25:46.059 --> 00:25:49.680 the other. Then, in the evening, they see 18 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:52.359 ships sailing into the straits. And both sides 00:25:52.359 --> 00:25:55.450 are thinking, is that help for me? Exactly. But 00:25:55.450 --> 00:25:57.490 then they see the red flag raised on the flagship. 00:25:57.829 --> 00:26:00.950 It's Alcibiades. He charges in, smashes into 00:26:00.950 --> 00:26:03.869 the Spartan ships, drives them ashore. He turns 00:26:03.869 --> 00:26:06.490 a stalemate into a decisive victory. But the 00:26:06.490 --> 00:26:10.150 big one is Sisychus in 410 BC. Sisychus is a 00:26:10.150 --> 00:26:13.130 masterpiece. This is his tactical genius on full 00:26:13.130 --> 00:26:15.730 display. Break down the tactics for us. The main 00:26:15.730 --> 00:26:17.730 Spartan fleet under their commander Mendarus 00:26:17.730 --> 00:26:20.859 is at Sisychus. Alphabides uses the weather storm 00:26:20.859 --> 00:26:23.319 and rain to hide his fleet's approach. Then he 00:26:23.319 --> 00:26:26.140 takes a small decoy force of about 40 ships and 00:26:26.140 --> 00:26:27.880 sails right in front of the harbor. He makes 00:26:27.880 --> 00:26:29.680 himself look weak and isolated. He's baiting 00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:32.460 them. And Mendoza takes the bait, hook, line, 00:26:32.700 --> 00:26:35.720 and sinker. He sees a small force, thinks easy 00:26:35.720 --> 00:26:37.960 pickings, and sails out with his whole fleet 00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:40.299 to chase them. He gets far enough out to sea, 00:26:40.440 --> 00:26:43.539 and then the trap springs. The rest of the Athenian 00:26:43.539 --> 00:26:45.700 fleet appears. Two other Athenian commanders. 00:26:46.539 --> 00:26:49.099 The Recibulus and Theramenes pop out from behind 00:26:49.099 --> 00:26:51.240 the cover to cut off the Spartans' retreat to 00:26:51.240 --> 00:26:53.519 the harbor. They're surrounded. Completely surrounded. 00:26:53.539 --> 00:26:56.200 It's a slaughter. Mendarus is killed fighting 00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:59.160 on the beach. The entire Spartan fleet is captured 00:26:59.160 --> 00:27:01.660 or destroyed. And the message the Spartans sent 00:27:01.660 --> 00:27:03.940 back home was intercepted by the Athenians. It's 00:27:03.940 --> 00:27:06.000 one of the most famous dispatches in history. 00:27:06.920 --> 00:27:10.000 Short and brutal. What did it say? Ships lost. 00:27:10.640 --> 00:27:13.900 Mendar is dead. Men starving. Know not what to 00:27:13.900 --> 00:27:16.900 do. Know not what to do. That is total defeat. 00:27:17.140 --> 00:27:19.640 That's a cry for help. It's the sound of an entire 00:27:19.640 --> 00:27:22.440 war strategy collapsing. Alcibiades has basically 00:27:22.440 --> 00:27:25.519 won the naval war. He then goes on to take Salimbria 00:27:25.519 --> 00:27:28.039 and Byzantium -Modern Istanbul, and he does it 00:27:28.039 --> 00:27:30.380 mostly through negotiation and trickery, saving 00:27:30.380 --> 00:27:33.700 lives and money. He is unstoppable. So now finally, 00:27:33.859 --> 00:27:37.519 in 407 BC, three years later, he feels safe to 00:27:37.519 --> 00:27:40.190 go home. He sails into Piraeus, the harbor of 00:27:40.190 --> 00:27:43.349 Athens. But he's nervous. Xenophon describes 00:27:43.349 --> 00:27:45.950 the scene. He doesn't dock immediately. He stands 00:27:45.950 --> 00:27:47.630 on the deck of his ship looking for friends in 00:27:47.630 --> 00:27:49.630 the crowd. He's afraid a mob might still stone 00:27:49.630 --> 00:27:51.809 him. After all those victories. He knows how 00:27:51.809 --> 00:27:54.369 fickle his city is. He waits until he sees his 00:27:54.369 --> 00:27:56.529 cousin and other allies who can protect him. 00:27:56.670 --> 00:27:58.809 But that's not what happens. The mob isn't angry. 00:27:59.109 --> 00:28:02.289 No. It's a hero's welcome. People are crowding 00:28:02.289 --> 00:28:05.380 the docks, weeping, throwing garlands. They call 00:28:05.380 --> 00:28:07.380 him the only man capable of saving the city. 00:28:07.500 --> 00:28:11.000 They blame his enemies for his exile. They say, 00:28:11.059 --> 00:28:13.740 if only we had listened to him, we wouldn't have 00:28:13.740 --> 00:28:17.220 lost in Sicily. It's mass amnesia. All is forgiven. 00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:20.859 Instantly. All the charges are dropped. His property 00:28:20.859 --> 00:28:23.660 is restored. The priests have to publicly revoke 00:28:23.660 --> 00:28:25.559 the curses they put on him. He pulls a great 00:28:25.559 --> 00:28:28.099 PR move with the religion thing. The Eleusinian 00:28:28.099 --> 00:28:30.519 Mysteries again. Oh. Remember, he was accused 00:28:30.519 --> 00:28:33.740 of mocking them. Well, for years, the sacred 00:28:33.740 --> 00:28:36.519 procession to Eleusis had to go by sea because 00:28:36.519 --> 00:28:38.500 the Spartans at Dessalia controlled the road. 00:28:38.660 --> 00:28:41.019 The Dessalia he told them to build. The irony 00:28:41.019 --> 00:28:44.720 never ends. But Alcibiades takes the army, surrounds 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:47.019 the priests and the initiates, and marches them 00:28:47.019 --> 00:28:49.440 to Eleusis by land, right under the Spartans' 00:28:49.460 --> 00:28:52.339 noses. He dares the Spartans to attack. They 00:28:52.339 --> 00:28:55.380 don't. He proves his piety and his military power 00:28:55.380 --> 00:28:58.819 in one brilliant stroke. He has reconciled with 00:28:58.819 --> 00:29:01.099 the guys and shown he has mastered the land again. 00:29:01.339 --> 00:29:04.559 He is named Strategos Autocrater, Supreme Commander. 00:29:04.799 --> 00:29:07.960 He has absolute power. He is at the peak of his 00:29:07.960 --> 00:29:11.019 career. But in Athens, the higher you fly, the 00:29:11.019 --> 00:29:13.359 harder you fall. And the fall happens incredibly 00:29:13.359 --> 00:29:17.220 fast. It's the Battle of Notium, 406 BC. And 00:29:17.220 --> 00:29:19.849 here's the tragedy. Alcibiades wasn't even there. 00:29:19.950 --> 00:29:21.829 What happened? He had to leave the main fleet 00:29:21.829 --> 00:29:23.890 to go raise money and deal with a siege elsewhere. 00:29:24.390 --> 00:29:27.029 He left his personal pilot, his helmsman, a man 00:29:27.029 --> 00:29:29.789 named Antiochus, in charge of the fleet in Oceum. 00:29:30.009 --> 00:29:33.390 He gave him one specific order. Do not attack 00:29:33.390 --> 00:29:36.509 the Spartans. Why? Because the new Spartan admiral 00:29:36.509 --> 00:29:39.589 was Lysander. And Lysander was dangerous. He 00:29:39.589 --> 00:29:41.829 was smart, cunning, deeply funded by the Persian 00:29:41.829 --> 00:29:44.170 prince Cyrus the Younger, and he had a strong, 00:29:44.309 --> 00:29:47.390 refitted fleet. Alcibiades knew not to mess with 00:29:47.390 --> 00:29:49.890 him until the time was right. But Antiochus... 00:29:49.890 --> 00:29:51.970 Antiochus was his friend, a drinking buddy, and 00:29:51.970 --> 00:29:54.549 he wanted to be a hero. He tried to mimic Alcibiades' 00:29:54.650 --> 00:29:57.410 decoy tactics against Lysander. He sailed a couple 00:29:57.410 --> 00:29:59.390 of ships past the Spartan fleet to taunt them. 00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:02.619 But Lysander wasn't Mendarus. Not even close. 00:30:03.180 --> 00:30:05.400 Lysander didn't take the bait. He launched his 00:30:05.400 --> 00:30:08.160 whole fleet, caught the Athenians disorganized 00:30:08.160 --> 00:30:10.880 and unprepared, and sank about 15 of their ships. 00:30:11.079 --> 00:30:13.880 It wasn't a huge defeat strategically, was it? 00:30:14.039 --> 00:30:16.440 No, not in terms of numbers. It was a minor skirmish. 00:30:16.480 --> 00:30:19.460 But politically, it was a disaster. Alcibiades' 00:30:19.599 --> 00:30:22.980 enemies in Athens screamed, look, he's negligent, 00:30:22.980 --> 00:30:25.480 he's arrogant, he's leaving command to his drinking 00:30:25.480 --> 00:30:27.599 buddies. And the people listened. The people 00:30:27.599 --> 00:30:30.190 turned on him instantly. The hero of yesterday 00:30:30.190 --> 00:30:32.549 was the bum of today. They stripped him of command. 00:30:32.809 --> 00:30:35.490 Just like that, after saving the city. Athenian 00:30:35.490 --> 00:30:38.230 democracy was a brutal beast. If you didn't deliver 00:30:38.230 --> 00:30:42.480 a win every single day, you were out. Alcibiades 00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:44.839 realized the game was up. He didn't wait for 00:30:44.839 --> 00:30:47.460 a trial. He got on a boat and sailed to his private 00:30:47.460 --> 00:30:50.039 castles in the Thracian Chersonese. He had private 00:30:50.039 --> 00:30:51.920 castles. He was Alcibiades. Of course he had 00:30:51.920 --> 00:30:54.359 backup castles. He went into voluntary exile. 00:30:54.680 --> 00:30:57.299 He never saw Athens again. But he makes one last 00:30:57.299 --> 00:30:59.660 appearance in the war, doesn't he? A cameo before 00:30:59.660 --> 00:31:01.680 the end. This is the most painful part of the 00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:06.539 story. It's 405 BC. The war is almost over. The 00:31:06.539 --> 00:31:08.920 entire remaining Athenian fleet is parked at 00:31:08.920 --> 00:31:11.849 a place called Aegospotami. Which is... A terrible 00:31:11.849 --> 00:31:13.970 location. It's a disaster. It's not a harbor. 00:31:13.990 --> 00:31:16.529 It's just an open beach. The men have to scatter 00:31:16.529 --> 00:31:19.430 for miles to find food and water. And the Spartan 00:31:19.430 --> 00:31:22.210 fleet, under Lysander, is right across the water 00:31:22.210 --> 00:31:25.230 in a proper harbor. And Alcibiades is watching 00:31:25.230 --> 00:31:28.029 this from his castle nearby. Yes. He can see 00:31:28.029 --> 00:31:30.869 the danger. He rides down to the beach on horseback. 00:31:30.990 --> 00:31:33.470 He finds the Athenian generals. He tells them, 00:31:33.509 --> 00:31:35.950 you are in a death trap. Move the fleet five 00:31:35.950 --> 00:31:38.470 miles down the coast to Sestos. You need a harbor. 00:31:38.589 --> 00:31:40.650 You are vulnerable here. Does he offer to help? 00:31:40.970 --> 00:31:43.069 Some sources say he offered to bring Thracian 00:31:43.069 --> 00:31:45.369 soldiers to help them fight on land. But the 00:31:45.369 --> 00:31:48.490 generals, they were arrogant. They were his political 00:31:48.490 --> 00:31:50.970 rivals. They basically told him, we are in command 00:31:50.970 --> 00:31:53.769 now, not you. Go away. Go back. So he rode away. 00:31:54.269 --> 00:31:57.190 A few days later, Lysander watched the Athenians 00:31:57.190 --> 00:31:59.650 scatter to find food, then launched a surprise 00:31:59.650 --> 00:32:02.589 attack and annihilated the entire fleet. 160 00:32:02.589 --> 00:32:05.890 ships captured, 3 ,000 men executed on the spot. 00:32:06.230 --> 00:32:09.210 The war was effectively over. Athens surrendered 00:32:09.210 --> 00:32:11.730 shortly after. Alcibiades was the only one who 00:32:11.730 --> 00:32:13.609 saw it coming, and they ignored him out of pride. 00:32:13.930 --> 00:32:17.490 And now, with Athens defeated, Alcibiades is 00:32:17.490 --> 00:32:21.900 a hunted man. Sparta rules Greece. And Lysander, 00:32:22.039 --> 00:32:24.259 the Spartan victor, wants him dead for good. 00:32:24.359 --> 00:32:26.980 We're in the final act now. The death of a chameleon. 00:32:27.039 --> 00:32:30.299 He flees to Phrygia, in Persia, seeking refuge 00:32:30.299 --> 00:32:33.200 with another satrap, Pharnabosus. He's always 00:32:33.200 --> 00:32:35.380 got another plan. He thinks he can get to the 00:32:35.380 --> 00:32:37.539 Persian king Artaxerxes and start over one more 00:32:37.539 --> 00:32:40.079 time. But the Spartans aren't taking any chances. 00:32:40.440 --> 00:32:42.819 No. Lysander sends a message to Pharnabosus. 00:32:42.859 --> 00:32:45.559 Get rid of him. It's me or him. And Pharnabosus, 00:32:45.599 --> 00:32:47.480 wanting to stay on Sparta's good side, agrees. 00:32:47.930 --> 00:32:49.950 The scene of his death is cinematic. It's 404 00:32:49.950 --> 00:32:52.630 B .C. He's with his mistress, a woman named Tamandra. 00:32:53.250 --> 00:32:55.250 Assassins sent by the Setraps surround the house 00:32:55.250 --> 00:32:57.210 at night and set it on fire. They won't go in. 00:32:57.329 --> 00:33:00.609 They are too afraid of him. Even one man, alone, 00:33:00.910 --> 00:33:03.650 armed with just a dagger. They were terrified 00:33:03.650 --> 00:33:05.450 of fighting him hand to hand. So what does he 00:33:05.450 --> 00:33:07.890 do? He grabs his dagger. He wraps his cloak around 00:33:07.890 --> 00:33:10.450 his arm to use as a makeshift shield. And he 00:33:10.450 --> 00:33:12.690 runs out of the burning building, straight at 00:33:12.690 --> 00:33:15.599 them. Wow. And they panic. They fall back. They 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:17.779 don't dare face him. They just stand back and 00:33:17.779 --> 00:33:20.519 unleash a shower of arrows and javelins. They 00:33:20.519 --> 00:33:23.960 kill him from a distance. He falls. And that 00:33:23.960 --> 00:33:26.180 was the end of Alcibiades. It feels fitting. 00:33:26.579 --> 00:33:29.420 A violent, dramatic end for a violent, dramatic 00:33:29.420 --> 00:33:31.059 life. It was the only way he could have gone. 00:33:31.400 --> 00:33:34.299 You couldn't fade away into old age. So let's 00:33:34.299 --> 00:33:37.119 wrap this up. How do we assess this guy? Thucydides 00:33:37.119 --> 00:33:39.799 has a famous take on him, right? Thucydides puts 00:33:39.799 --> 00:33:42.980 his finger on the central tragedy. He says that 00:33:42.980 --> 00:33:45.740 publicly, Alcibiades' conduct of the war was 00:33:45.740 --> 00:33:49.420 brilliant even. But his private life, his arrogance, 00:33:49.579 --> 00:33:52.119 his lawlessness, it offended everyone so much 00:33:52.119 --> 00:33:53.819 that they couldn't trust him. They entrusted 00:33:53.819 --> 00:33:56.599 the war to others, which ruined the city. Exactly. 00:33:56.680 --> 00:33:59.039 They hated the center more than they loved the 00:33:59.039 --> 00:34:01.940 savior. His personal failings were so great they 00:34:01.940 --> 00:34:04.900 overshadowed his public genius. And in the end, 00:34:04.900 --> 00:34:07.420 it destroyed both him and the city he could have 00:34:07.420 --> 00:34:10.400 saved. I mean, he's a Rorschach test, isn't he? 00:34:10.940 --> 00:34:13.679 Some see him as a traitor and an opportunist. 00:34:13.739 --> 00:34:15.940 People like the historian Meigs, yeah. Yeah. 00:34:15.980 --> 00:34:18.420 They just see a selfish monster. But others see 00:34:18.420 --> 00:34:21.380 him as a brilliant scapegoat, a patriot who was 00:34:21.380 --> 00:34:25.059 brought down by lesser men. Diodorus, even Demosthenes 00:34:25.059 --> 00:34:29.099 later on, sort of rehabilitated his image. Some 00:34:29.099 --> 00:34:31.019 modern psychologists have looked at his profile 00:34:31.019 --> 00:34:33.579 and seen a classic psychopath. It really depends 00:34:33.579 --> 00:34:36.739 on what you choose to focus on. So a final provocative 00:34:36.739 --> 00:34:39.510 thought for our listeners. Alcibiades was very 00:34:39.510 --> 00:34:41.849 likely the only man who could have won the war 00:34:41.849 --> 00:34:44.349 for Athens, yet he was also the man who did the 00:34:44.349 --> 00:34:46.250 most to help them lose it. That's the paradox. 00:34:46.570 --> 00:34:48.829 So here's the question. If a democracy produces 00:34:48.829 --> 00:34:52.210 a genius who refuses to follow its rules, does 00:34:52.210 --> 00:34:54.849 the democracy have to destroy him to save its 00:34:54.849 --> 00:34:57.650 own soul, even if it means losing the war? That 00:34:57.650 --> 00:34:59.889 is the question, and it's one we're still asking 00:34:59.889 --> 00:35:01.650 today. Thanks for taking this deep dive with 00:35:01.650 --> 00:35:01.849 us.