This article is focused on examining the meaning of peace in the Peloponnesian War. In March of 421, after ten years of a devastating, disruptive, and burdensome war, the Athenians and the Spartans made peace on behalf of themselves and to those of their allies for whom they could speak, Weariness, the desire for peace, the desire of the Athenians to restore their financial resources, the Spartans` wish to recover their men taken prisoner at Sphacteria in 425 B. C. and to restore order and security to the Peloponnesus, the removal by death in battle of the leading advocate of war in each city. The Greeks hoped would bring end to the great war. The peace has borne the name of Nicias. In fact, the peace lasted no more than eight years, form the spring of 413, the Sicilian expedition. Nicias` reputation for extraordinary piety further strengthened his appeal to the Athenians. Thucydides treats Nicias too sympathetically and should show sympathy for one of his characters. Plutarch`s comment on Nicias` vulnerability was that his cowardice was a source of income for the ratbags (Nicias 4.3). Nicias could appreciate the difficulty both of controlling the Athenians demos, at whose hands he had suffered banishment, and of conducting a blockade at Syracuse. Nicias does not achieve political success because he does not understand the nature of politics. Nicias is clever but is not wise a leader. Nicias` record indicates himself a man prone to fear of failure. He was one of the unfortunate psychological casualties of Athenian democracy. Nicias certainly was the leader of the Moderates, and his attitude toward peace was that of a statesman who, while deploring war, never sacrificed the honor or interests. Thucydides did not only present the political man but as a tragic warner.