Athens Reversed A Massacre Overnight

In 427 BCE, Athens sent a ship to Mytilene carrying orders to execute all male citizens of the rebellious city and enslave its women and children. The next day, the Athenians reconsidered, narrowly voted to reverse the decision, and dispatched a second trireme with extra rowers who raced through the night to overtake the first. It reached Mytilene just after the original order had been read but before the executions began, preventing the massacre. Athens still executed the leaders of the revolt, demolished Mytilene's walls, seized its ships, and confiscated its land.

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