Source edition
Cornelius Nepos. Cornelii Nepotis Vitae. Fleckeisen, Alfred; Halm, Karl, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1886.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This biographical work depicts the life of Miltiades, the great Athenian general. The narrative begins with his early successes, including being chosen by the Delphic oracle to lead a colony to the Chersonese and bloodlessly capturing Lemnos through his wit. As the Persian threat looms, Miltiades strongly advocates for an immediate attack at the Battle of Marathon, where he brilliantly utilizes the terrain to defeat a massive Persian army with a smaller force. Despite this monumental victory and the modest but supreme honors he receives, his fortunes turn during a subsequent expedition to Paros, where a misunderstood signal leads to a retreat, resulting in treason charges and his death in prison. Ultimately, the work explains that his conviction was not due to true guilt, but rather the Athenian citizens' deep-seated fear of tyranny (tyrannus) and their suspicion of his overwhelming influence and authority.