Editing 421 BC

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Year '''421 BC''' was a year of the [[Roman calendar|pre-Julian Roman calendar]]. At the time, it was known in Rome as the '''Year of the Consulship of Vibulanus and Barbatus''' (or, less frequently, '''year 333 ''[[Ab urbe condita]]'''''). The denomination 421 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the [[Anno Domini]] [[calendar era]] became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

== Events ==
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=== By place ===
==== Greece ====
* [[Nicias]], the leader of the aristocratic and peace party in [[Athens]] and [[Pleistoanax]], King of [[Sparta]], negotiate the [[Peace of Nicias]] between Athens and Sparta, which brings a temporary end to the [[Peloponnesian War]]. The essence of the Peace of Nicias is a return to the antebellum period with most wartime gains being returned. Seventeen representatives from each side swear an oath to uphold the treaty, which is meant to last for one generation (30 years: meaning they are not responsible for the next generation's decision). All of Sparta's allies agree to sign the peace except for the [[Boeotia]]ns, [[Corinth]], [[Ancient Elis|Elis]], and [[Megara]].
* [[Alcibiades]] engineers an anti-Spartan alliance between Athens and the democracies of [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argos]], [[Mantinea]] and Elis.

==== Italy ====
* The city of [[Cumae]], the most northerly of the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] colonies in [[Italy]], falls to the [[Samnites]].

=== By topic ===
==== Art ====
* The construction of the ''Porch of the Maidens'' (the [[Caryatids|Caryatid]] Porch) commences at the [[Erechtheion]] which is part of the [[Acropolis]] in [[Athens]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Randall |first=Richard H. |date=1953 |title=The Erechtheum Workmen |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/500060 |journal=American Journal of Archaeology |volume=57 |issue=3 |pages=199–210 |doi=10.2307/500060 |jstor=500060 |issn=0002-9114}}</ref>

==== Drama ====
* [[Aristophanes]]' play ''[[Peace (play)|Peace]]'' is performed.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=May |first=Regine |date=2008 |title=Aristophanes in Performance 421 BC-AD 2007: 'Peace', 'Birds', and 'Frogs' by Edith Hall, Amanda Wrigley (review) |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/427/article/824866 |journal=Modern Language Review |volume=103 |issue=3 |pages=807–808 |doi=10.1353/mlr.2008.0126 |issn=2222-4319}}</ref>
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== Births ==
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*

== Deaths ==
* [[Cratinus]], [[Greek comedy]] author (approximate date) (b. [[520 BC]])

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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[[Category:421 BC| ]]

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