A prudent measure, is, not to be here now to defend the acts they have already committed, but to have come to you for consultation before they took any such action. Isocrates decrying the action of the Thebans to the Hellenic Council. Plataicus. Speech 14. Section 21.
Note: Isocrates is pointing out the lack of prudence when taking military action without consulting the appropriate governing council then seeking their agreement after the fact. This is not only reminiscent of modern debacles but also reminds me of the tumultuous history between the Etruscan city of Veii and Rome.
In 438 BCE, the king of Veii, Lars Tolumnus, instigated a war with Rome when he sided with the Roman colony of Fidenae who had revolted. The Romans sent four envoys to demand an explanation but Tolumnus ordered them executed. In the war that followed losses were high on both sides in several battles until the tribune Aulus Cornelius Cossus unhorsed Tolumnus and killed him with his spear.
However, Veii remained powerful, well-fortified, and defiant until Rome declared war again in 406 BCE. After another ten years of war, the Romans led by the famous dictator, Camillus, infiltrated the city's drainage system and emerged in the citadel. This time, though, the Romans were not interested in surrender but only in Veii's complete destruction. The Romans slaughtered the entire adult male population and made slaves of all the women and children.
Image: The Apollo of Veii at the National Etruscan Museum in the Villa Giulia in Rome, Italy courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Ptyx.
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