Lesson plan
Mantitheos
Mantitheos (Gr. ) was an Athenian military commander in Asia Minor during the Peloponnesian War and also served as an envoy to ancient Persia in 408 BC. Xenophon says that Mantitheos had been captured in Caria and links his escape from Tissaphernes to that of the charismatic Athenian leader, Alkibiades in 411 BC. Mantitheos and Diodoros were left in charge in the Hellespont by Alkibiades after the capture of Byzantion. Xenophon is almost certainly referring to the same Mantitheos, when he appears serving alongside four other Athenians (Dorotheos, Philokydes, Theogenes and Euryptolemos) and two Argives (Kleostratos and Pyrrolokhos) as envoys to Persia in 408 BC, seeking Persian support in the war against Sparta. Their efforts were unsuccessful. It is possible that this Mantitheos is the member of the Athenian boule (council), who fled Athens during the mutilation of the hermae on the eve of the disastrous Sicilian expedition. Nothing further is known about him.
Article summary
Mantitheos (Gr. ) was an Athenian military commander in Asia Minor during the Peloponnesian War and also served as an envoy to ancient Persia in 408 BC. Xenophon says that Mantitheos had been captured in Caria and links his escape from Tissaphernes to that of the charismatic Athenian leader, Alkibiades in 411 BC. Mantitheos and Diodoros were left in charge in the Hellespont by Alkibiades after the capture of Byzantion. Xenophon is almost certainly referring to the same Mantitheos, when he appears serving alongside four other Athenians (Dorotheos, Philokydes, Theogenes and Euryptolemos) and two Argives (Kleostratos and Pyrrolokhos) as envoys to Persia in 408 BC, seeking Persian support in the war against Sparta. Their efforts were unsuccessful. It is possible that this Mantitheos is the member of the Athenian boule (council), who fled Athens during the mutilation of the hermae on the eve of the disastrous Sicilian expedition. Nothing further is known about him.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.