History of the Peloponnesian War · Character

Tissaphernes

The Persian satrap who funds Sparta's fleet while quietly calculating how much Athens and Sparta can be made to bleed.

supporting

First appearance: book i

As a supporting figure in History of the Peloponnesian War, Tissaphernes is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Persian satrap who negotiates with Sparta and later with Alcibiades, playing a key role in the shifting alliances.

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Tissaphernes enters the war as the Great King's agent in the Aegean, holding the purse strings that both Greek powers covet. He plays Sparta and Athens against each other, trimming subsidies and promising ships he never delivers, because a divided Greece serves Persia better than a victorious one. His cold, transactional diplomacy exposes how the war's outcome increasingly depends on non-Greek money.

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Character Web

12 connections

A slice of how Tissaphernes sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Diverse Figures of the War
Protagonist
Spartan and Athenian Leaders
Spartan Admirals and Governors
Athenian Oligarchic Conspirators

+7 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because it captures the Athenians' fateful psychological peak of hubris…

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In the story

Tissaphernes appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Book VIII
Persian satrap who negotiates with Sparta and later with Alcibiades, playing a key role in the shifting alliances.
Nineteenth and twentieth years of the war — Revolt of Ionia — Intervention of Persia — The War in Ionia
Persian satrap who cooperates with the Peloponnesians, captures Amorges, and negotiates the treaty with Sparta.
Intrigues and Oligarchic Conspiracies
Persian satrap courted by both Alcibiades and the Peloponnesians; ultimately leans toward Athens after Alcibiades' persuasion.
XXVI
Goes to Aspendus for the Phoenician fleet but does not bring it, deepening Peloponnesian distrust; his motives are debated, but he appears to aim at wearing out both sides.

Chapter companion notes

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See Tissaphernes in book i

See Tissaphernes in Book VIII