The Battle of Attica in 430 BC

Pelopnesian army stayed in Attica for 40 days, slightly longer than the three weeks from the previous year. This time Pericles personally led the naval expedition to plunder the coast of the Pelopnese. An eclipse of the sun frightened the crews as it was traditionally considered to be an ominous portant. But Pericles used the astronomical knowledge that he had acquired from his close friend, the philosopher Anaxagoras, to calm them. Some scholars believe that the size of this force reveals a basic change in Pericles' policy from a defensive to an offensive strategy.