History of the Peloponnesian War

Thus the treaty and the alliance were completed; but the treaty between the Lacedaemonians and Athenians was not on this account renounced by either party.

The Corinthians, however, although allies of the Argives, did not accede to the new treaty—even before this when an alliance, offensive and defensive, had been made between the Eleans, Argives, and Mantineans, they had not joined it—but said they were content with the first defensive alliance that had been made, namely to aid one another, but not to join in attacking any other party.

Thus, then, the Corinthians held aloof from their allies and were turning their thoughts again to the Lacedaemonians.

This summer the Olympic games were[*](Ol. 90, 1; July 420 B.C.) held, in which Androsthenes an Arcadian won his first victory in the pancratium. The Lacedaemonians were excluded from the sanctuary by the Eleans, and so could neither sacrifice nor contend in the games, as they refused to pay the fine which had been assessed against them according to Olympic law by the Eleans, who alleged that they had attacked the Elean fortress of Phyrcus, and sent a force of their hoplites into Lepreum during the Olympic truce.[*](The month of the festival was sacred (ἱερομηνία) and all warfare was stopped for that time. To enter the territory of Elis with an armed force during that month was sacrilegious.) The fine was two thousand minas,[*](About £8,125 or $38,840.) two minas[*](About £8 2s. 6d. or $39.) for each hoplite, as the law ordains.

The Lacedaemonians sent envoys and urged that the fine had been unfairly imposed upon them, claiming that the treaty had not been announced at Lacedaemon when they sent the hoplites into Elis.

But the Eleans said that the truce was already in force in their country—for they proclaim it among themselves first —and while they were keeping quiet and not expecting any attack, as in time of truce, the Lacedaemonians had done

the wrong, taking them by surprise. The Lacedaemonians replied that they should not have gone on and announced the truce at Lacedaemon if they were of the opinion that the Lacedaemonians were already wronging them, but they had done this as though they did not think so, and they themselves had not kept on bearing arms against them anywhere

after the announcement of the truce. But the Eleans persisted in the same statement, saying that they could never be persuaded that the Lacedaemonians were not guilty; if, however, they were willing to restore Lepreum to them, they would give up their own half of the fine, and what was due to the gods they would themselves pay on their behalf.

When the Lacedaemonians refused this offer, the Eleans proposed that they should not restore Lepreum, if they objected to that, but, as they eagerly desired to have access to the sanctuary, that they should go up to the altar of Olympian Zeus and swear in the presence of the Hellenes that they would assuredly pay the fine later.

But as they were unwilling to do even this, the Lacedaemonians were excluded from the temple, from the sacrifice and the contests, and sacrificed at home;

while the rest of the Hellenes, except the Lepreates, sent representatives to the festival. Still the Eleans, fearing that the Lacedaemonians would force their way and offer sacrifice, kept guard with the young men under arms;

and there came to their aid also some Argives and Mantineans, a thousand of each, and some Athenian cavalry that were at Arpina[*](In the valley of the Alpheus, twenty stadia above Olympia) awaiting the festival. And great fear came upon the assembly that the Lacedaemonians might come with arms, especially as Lichas son of Arcesilaus, a Lacedaemonian, received blows from the umpires on the course, because, when his own team won and was proclaimed as belonging to the Boeotian state on account of his having no right to contend, he had come upon the course and crowned the charioteer, wishing to show that the chariot was his. And so everybody was much more afraid, and it seemed that there would be some disturbance. The Lacedaemonians, however, kept quiet, and the festival went through in this way, as far as they were concerned.