In 415 BC, in the middle of the Peloponnesian War, the Athenians launched an expedition to gain control of Sicily. This disastrous venture - known as the Sicilian Expedition - ended in the catastrophic defeat of the Athenians and their navy at Syracuse in 413 BC. The Athenians suffered enormous losses; those who survived were imprisoned in the limestone quarries at Syracuse, where they died or were sold into slavery. How influenced was Thucydides by Homer? Despite his criticisms of Homer and the poets, did Thucydides draw upon the great epic poems of ancient Greece - especially the Iliad and the Odyssey - when recounting the events of his own time? Professor Christopher Mackie is the Head of the School of Humanities at La Trobe University. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.