Critias was the scion of one of the premier families in Athens. The evidence for his lineage comes from several … See more

Little is known of Critias' early years. Athenaeus reported that he was a trained aulos player. He was best attested as a poet, with a variety of forms to his credit: hexameters, elegies, and dramas. Among the plays te… See more

The failure of the Sicilian expedition in 413, in which tens of thousands of Athenian soldiers were killed or captured, rocked the city's political and social stability. In 411, as Athenian prosecution of the Peloponnesian War limped … See more

After the battle of Aigospotami in 405, in which the Athenian fleet was destroyed, the city was besieged by the Spartans and eventually capitulated. The Spartans demanded that the city take down its walls, recall its ex… See more

Critias was in ancient times castigated for his activities under the Thirty. Philostratus, in his Lives of the Sophists, had much to say about him. His most damning comments were:
In cruelty a… See more