# Alcidas — History of the Peloponnesian War character guide

> Alcidas in History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0002-book-i

## Snapshot

Spartan admiral sent to stir revolt among Athens' Ionian allies, whose caution and slowness repeatedly frustrate the very cities he came to liberate.

## Who they are

Alcidas commands a Peloponnesian fleet dispatched to the Aegean, where his mission is to break Athens' grip on its rebellious subject states. Yet his instinct for self-preservation clashes with the boldness his allies expect, and his hesitation becomes a quiet indictment of Spartan naval inexperience. His decisions expose how thin Sparta's reach really is beyond the Peloponnese, shaping the war's widening geography.

## In the story

### [Book III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/chapters/book-iii)

Spartan commander who fails to support the Mitylenian revolt effectively.

### [The Corcyraean Revolution and Its Aftermath](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/chapters/x)

Commands the Peloponnesian fleet; decides not to attack Corcyra despite the opportunity, and later retreats upon learning of the approaching Athenian fleet.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/characters/alcidas
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/characters