Conflicts & Resolutions · Campaign

Sicilian Expedition

415–413 BCE · 5th century BCE · Also known as Athenian expedition to Sicily · Part of the Peloponnesian War

The Sicilian Expedition was the Athenian invasion of Sicily during the Peloponnesian War, launched in 415 BCE on the pretext of aiding Segesta against Selinus and aimed at Syracuse. It ended in 413 BCE with the destruction of the Athenian fleet and army at Syracuse. Catana served as an Athenian base, and the disaster badly weakened Athens.

Sicilian Expedition
Image: John Steeple Davis · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

AthensMilitary

Mentioned in 2 state histories

CatanaSegesta

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Sicilian Expedition. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sicilian-expedition
MLA
“Sicilian Expedition.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sicilian-expedition. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Sicilian Expedition.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sicilian-expedition.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Sicilian Expedition’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sicilian-expedition (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻