WHAT ATHENIAN FORTIFICATIONS WERE DESTROYED IN 404 BC? DAVID H. CONWELL As the Peloponnesian War drew to a close early in 404 BC, Athens' enemies blockaded Piraeus, the city's main port. In March of that year, reduced to starvation, the Athenians formally capitulated. 1 Some· weeks later, Lysander sailed into Piraeus to supervise the destruction of parts of the Athenian fortification system in accordance with the peace terms dictated by the Spartans. 2 While it is clear from the numerous ancient accounts that Athenian fortification walls were demolished in 404, there is substantial disagreement among the ancient reports as to which walls exacdy were destroyed. Generally, modern opinion follows Thucydides and Xenophon, who report the demolition of the Long Wails and the circuit wall of Piraeus only. It is often forgotten, however, that many ancient sources, including Lysias, Andocides, Plutarch, and Pausanias, iden­ tify the walls in question differendy. Moreover, well-known modern scholars from Lenschau to Bengtson to Knigge, who hold that the Athenian city wall was destroyed in 404, reflect certain of the alter­ native accounts but remain unchallenged. The lack of uniformity in the ancient tradition and the continuing disagreement among mod­ ern scholars demand a thorough examination of the evidence. A full review of the ancient and modern evidence demonstrates that Thucydides and Xenophon provide our most accurate evidence. In 404, the Spartans razed the Long Walls and the enceinte of Piraeus, while they left Athens' city wall in place. 1 On dating the surrender in March, see Munro (1937) 32, 37; Gomme (1945-81) 4.12. 2 Plutarch (Lysander 15.1) dates Lysander's arrival specifically to the sixteenth of Mounychion. Normally assigned to late April in modern terms (e.g., Munro (1937) 32; Gomme (1945-81) 4.12; Green (1991) 2, 4), that date on the ancient calendar could actually have fallen up to a few weeks earlier (Krentz (1982) 32 n. 8; (1989) 188-9). 322 DAVID H. CONWELL Ancient Accounts Xenophon reports the terms of the peace that ended the Peloponnesian War:3 The Lacedaemonians . offered to make peace on these conditions: that the Athenians should destroy the long walls and the walls of Piraeus, surrender all their ships except twelve, allow their exiles to return, count the same people friends and enemies as the Lacedaemonians did, and follow the Lacedaemonians both by land and sea wherever they should lead the way. 4 Thucydides, in his 'second introduction', states that he wrote the his­ tory of the Peloponnesian War in chronological order, Up to the time when the Lacedaemonians and their allies put an end to the dominion of the Athenians and took the Long Walls and Peiraeus.5 Following these ancient statements, most modern scholars believe that the Long Walls and the circuit wall surrounding Piraeus were torn down by the Spartans in 404.6 3 For the peace terms, see Bengtson (1975) 153~5 no. 211; Green (1991) 5~6. For the stages in the conclusion of the peace, see Munro (1937) passim; Krentz (1982) 28~43. 4 Xen., Hellenica 2.2.20 (this translation by Brownson is published in the Loeb Classical Library, as are all translations provided in this paper). Accounts that agree with Xenophon include Lys. 13.14; Diod. Sic. 13.107.4, 14.85.2; Plut., Lysander 14.8. Contrary to the Loeb translation, Xenophon (as also Plutarch) actually refers only to 'destroying Piraeus'. Similarly oblique references to Piraeus' circuit wall appear in Thucydides (1.93.3, 5.26.1); the cited passages in Lysias and Diodorus prove clearly that Xenophon is referring to Piraeus' circuit. Additionally, while the Athenians had built three Long Walls during the mid-fifth century (two running from Athens and Piraeus, one from Athens to Phaleron), no reference to destruction of the Long Walls actually specifies which of these three structures were involved. Even so, since the Phaleric Wall was out of use by the end of the Peloponnesian War (Xen., Hellenica 2.2.3), the Spartans must have destroyed the two Athens-Piraeus Long Walls (see Conwell (1992) 103~10). 3 Thuc. 5.26.1 (trans. Smith). Note that the verb katelabon, here translated 'took', might better be rendered 'destroyed', while the fact that Piraeus was 'taken' means specifically that the city's circuit wall was demolished. Further references to the destruction of the Long Walls and Piraeus' fortification wall include: Xen., Hellenica 2.2.23, 3.11; Diod. Sic. 14.85.2; Plut., Lysander 15.5. Xenophon and Plutarch refer simply to 'the walls', but each passage almost directly follows one which identifies the walls specifically as the Long Walls and Piraeus' circuit (Xen., Hellenica 2.2.20 [quoted above]; Plut., Lysander 14.8). 6 Citing every instance of this widely held view would be pointless; for examples spanning different periods and types of scholarship, see Wachsmuth (1874) 574; Underhill (1900) 325;Judeich (1931) 81; Maier (1959) 21; Boersma (1970) 155 no. 9, .