{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"The Worst Military Decision in Ancient History","description":"In 415 BCE, Athens made an extraordinary decision: invade Sicily. The expedition was enormous. Confidence was high. And one of its chief architects was Alcibiades\u2014a brilliant, charismatic, and notoriously unpredictable Athenian politician and general. Then everything began to unravel. Before the campaign was properly underway, Alcibiades was recalled to Athens to face charges of sacrilege. Instead of returning, he defected to Sparta\u2014and began advising Athens\u2019 greatest enemy on how to defeat the expedition he had helped create. Over the next two years, strategic mistakes, political interference, disease, and Spartan intervention turned the campaign into catastrophe. The Athenian fleet was destroyed, its army surrendered, and thousands of survivors were imprisoned in the stone quarries of Syracuse. The disaster devastated Athenian power during the Peloponnesian War. &amp;nbsp; SUPPORT THE SHOW:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/c\/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/www.historyshortspodcast.com\/advertise&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; LEARN MORE:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/www.historyshortspodcast.com\/ SPONSORED BY:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/www.podcastrepublic.net\/get-it-now&amp;nbsp; ","author_name":"History Shorts","author_url":"https:\/\/www.historyshortspodcast.com","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/42992228\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/206539458"}