The third volume of Plutarch's classical histories examines the military campaigns and political failures of two prominent commanders from antiquity, Nikias of Athens and Marcus Crassus of Rome. The author presents their careers through detailed historical episodes, highlighting how personal ambition, political rivalry, and excessive superstition led to catastrophic outcomes. The first part focuses on Nikias and his reluctant command during the Sicilian expedition. Despite his initial opposition to the war, Nikias is forced to lead the Athenian fleet against Syracuse, where his tactical delays, indecision, and fear of political backlash in Athens gradually erode his army's advantage.
The narrative details the complex shifting alliances involving Alcibiades, the arrival of Spartan reinforcements under Gylippus, and the eventual annihilation of the Athenian forces. The tragic conclusion of the campaign sees Nikias captured and executed, followed by the slow decimation of the Athenian captives in the stone quarries of Syracuse. The second part of the volume turns to Marcus Crassus, whose insatiable avarice and political rivalry with Pompey and Julius Caesar drove him to pursue military glory in the East.
Driven by a desire to emulate Caesar's conquests, Crassus launches an ill-fated invasion of Parthia. Ignoring unfavorable omens, the advice of his quaestor Cassius, and the warnings of local allies, Crassus marches his legions deep into the arid Mesopotamian desert. The narrative carefully describes the tactical superiority of the Parthian mounted archers and armored cavalry, whose mobility and endurance systematically dismantle the Roman square. The campaign culminates in the disastrous battle where Crassus's son is killed, the Roman army is routed, and Crassus himself is lured to a treacherous peace conference and slain. Throughout both accounts, Plutarch contrasts the different moral failings and virtues of his subjects, showing how political discord, misplaced pride, and the blindness of ambition undermine the greatest states.
