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The Peloponnesian War 431-404 BC

The Peloponnesian War 431-404 BC. Athens versus Sparta for supremacy of Greece!!. What are some effects of the Persian Wars – 490 to 470s. A short-lived sense of Greek unity City-States become more focused on defense Formation of Delian League

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The Peloponnesian War 431-404 BC

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  1. The Peloponnesian War431-404 BC Athens versus Sparta for supremacy of Greece!!

  2. What are some effects of the Persian Wars – 490 to 470s • A short-lived sense of Greek unity • City-States become more focused on defense • Formation of Delian League • Athens begins to dominate other members of the league • Athens quickly rises to be the greatest power in Greece • Sparta counters with Peloponnesian League

  3. Causes 460s- 450s BC • Underlying • Sparta was worried over Athens growing military and political power. • Athens had the strongest navy, a large collection of allies and great wealth. • Athens began to dominate trade risking Sparta’s food supply and angering Spartan allies Megara and Corinth. • Immediate • Sparta came to the defense of their key ally Corinth, who while in a war with another city-state were attacked by Athens. • Athens also made the Megarian Decree, which blocked Megara, a Spartan ally from trading with an Delian League city.

  4. The War Begins 432BC • Thucydides, an Athenian, wrote down a record of all that happened. • 432 BC, The Peloponnesian League (Sparta & allies) declares war! • Sparta invades by land and surrounds Athens • Hope to starve people and force Athenian army to come out and fight. • Athenians, following Pericles long-wall strategy, get their food from trade and remained fed through the navy. • Athens with their strong walls just played defense. • Spartans went home every 3 weeks to harvest its crops and check on helots, Athens’ navy would go out and attack Spartan Allies.

  5. The PLAGUE • Finally (330), the plague enters Athens and is spread quickly by fleas, while the citizens of Athens were trapped inside the walls. • 1/3 of the population died including the inspiration leader, Pericles in 429BC. Persia helps out • Persia helps Sparta build a fleet, hoping to get revenge on Athens and pleased to see the Greeks destroy each other • The Athenians under demagogue (populist) leaders like Cleon keep voting for destructive inconclusive war - hawks.

  6. Peace.. For now… • Cleon, killed in another in decisive battle in 422. The Athenians under general Nicias arrange a truce 421. Both sides tired of war agree for peace. • In 415, Greedy Athens, encouraged by glory-seeking nephew of Pericles, Alcibiades, tries to conquer Sparta’s ally, Syracuse on the island of Sicily, as a new source of money and food. • Alcibiades given command, but after being accused of sacrilege of the herms, was recalled and replaced by Nicias (who was against the attack!) • Alcibiades high-tailed to Sparta, and the Athenians suffered their greatest defeat ever. The Athenian fleet is weakened, their advantage over Sparta is gone! • With no strong leader, the Athenians keep on electing different generals to bring them victory and kicking them out when they lose.

  7. Athens fights back 411-410 • Alcibiades shows Sparta a strategy to occupy Athens access to her silver mines. So she looses essential income and her alternative supply route (to the long walls). • Athens taxes her Delian Allies even more and rebellion threatens the empire. • Athens survived due to ineptness of the enemy, and a last resort fleet of 100 it had in reserve. • 400 oligarchs (wealthy upperclass Athenians) overthrew the democracy in 411, but were overthrown by moderate oligarchs – the 5000 – due to their cruelty.. • Athenian success against the Spartans with the help of Alcibiades (who had been chased out of Sparta after bedding the queen) meant the democracy was restored by 410.

  8. -> 404 BC: Spartan victory • The Athenians continue to win battles till the Sea Battle at Arginusae (406) – Aristophanes refers to this in “Frogs” • A great Athenian victory BUT many sailors lost • Generals convicted by the enraged populace for not rescuing the sailors – only voice raised in their defense was Socrates’. • Slaves who rowed the triremes were made voting free citizens. • So, emboldened by success, proposals to seek peace with Sparta was voted out by pro-war faction (extreme democrats). • 404, Spartans under King Lysander, sent their fleet to Ionia and destroyed the Athenian fleet at the battle of Aegospotami (Goat creek). • With the Athenian fleet destroyed, the Spartans blockaded the Athenian port, starving the people into submission and ended the war later that year.

  9. Athens Surrenders • Lysander enforces harsh condition on the defeat of Athens. • Has to dismantle their military • Take down some of the long walls • Ionia given back to Persia • Thebes wanted Athens destroyed and its people enslaved, however Sparta said since Athens helped in the Persian War they did not deserve that reward. • Athens was to be run by a group of collaborators & Spartans. • The “Thirty Tyrants” / Councel of Governors (Critias, Theramenes). • Instituted Purges and a time of terror • Overthrown soon after, in 403 by Thrasybulus. • A humbled Athenian democracy continues… though scores continued to be settled • E.g. Socrates is targeted and killed in 399

  10. Thebes over throws Sparta… • Using the Theban Phalanx (where the left flank is super strong to force their opponents to collapse on themselves). • Sacred band of Thebes – 120 pairs unbeaten for 30 yrs • Epaminodas conquers the Spartans in 371 at the Battle of Leuctra. • Sparta never rises to its previous strength as ½ its warriors are killed, and the helots freed • Phillip of Macedonia unites Greece by 350 and his son Alexander III succeeds him in 336 • The rest is history….

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