Also in 420 BCE the new Athenian leader Alcibiades brokered an alliance between Athens, Argos, Elis and Mantineia. It was fought in 5th century BC between the democratic Athens and the Peloponnesian League led by oligarchic Sparta.Lasting for more than a quarter of a century, it marked the end of the golden age of Greece. To sum up Kagan’s thesis on the cause of the Peloponnesian War, would be that fundamentally Sparta was afraid of the growing power of Athens and the incidental problems at Epidamnus, with the addition of Corinthian, Megarian, Potidean, and Argentian energies added more fuel. A. A. Greeks sought revenge for the persian wars. After the War: All Greek city-states were weakened by the war; Many casualties; Farms were destroyed; The war made it difficult for the Greeks to trust each other and made future unification nearly impossible; Sparta tried their hand at ruling all of Greece but more rebellions resulted in more wars. Written by Mark Cartwright, published on 02 May 2018 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. With one side predominantly a land-based army and the other a great maritime power it is not perhaps surprising that the war dragged on for decades with indecisive victories and ineffectual raids. I got C. In 415 BCE Athenian general Alcibiades was the mastermind behind the invasion of Sicily, the largest operation of the entire war. Athens did, however, take the Spartan island of Kythera. Web. Citizens have no voice in their government. According to Thucydides, the cause of the war was the "fear of the growth of the power of Athens" throughout the middle of the 5th century BC. Thebes was allied at the time with Athens, and Plataea was linked to Sparta. During the Peloponnesian War, they turned on each other. "Peloponnesian War." As Thucydides says in Karl Walling’s article, “Never had so many human beings been exiled, or so much human blood been shed” (4). The Delian League was a military alliance led by Athens. The dispute over Corcyra was a result of the dispute of the Epidamnus and leads to the dispute of the Potidaea. The Delian League did not cause the Peloponnesian War, but it contributed to it and played a major part in the war. Athens went ahead and laid siege to the city anyway, shortly after, also issuing the Megarian Decrees. Athens wanted timber and minerals from Thrace and so demanded Poteidaia remove their fortifications. Athenian imperialism Since the end of the Persian War, Athens had emerged as a city-state to which others could look to for The principal Spartan strategy was to annually attack Athenian lands, starting in 431 BCE, creating as much destruction as possible such as burning farms, chopping down olive trees and vineyards. Cartwright, Mark. The war featured two periods of combat separated by a six-year truce. b. Sparta had the more powerful army, and Athens knew it. Both powers had demonstrated a reluctance for head-on war over matters peripheral to their respective spheres D. Many greeks outside of athens resented athenian domination. a. Sickness Broke out, and Athens was conquered. The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian... Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. The war was not between Greece and Persia. What has become known as The First Peloponnesian War (c. 460-446 BCE) was less intense than the second and fought mainly between Athens and Corinth with occasional intervention by Sparta. The causes of the Peloponnesian War constitute such a persistent theme in discussions of fifth-century Greek history, in part because of the complexity of the aetiological view of our earliest source, Thucydides. The Peloponnesian War was a 30-yearlong battle between the Grecian cities of Athens and Sparta. This sample essay explores Thucydides' work "The Histories", which is considered to be one of the first uses of scientific historical studying practices of which there are records.. Thucydides' views about the Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War was a war fought in ancient Greece between Athens and Sparta—the two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece at the time (431 to 405 B.C.E.). This period of the war was concluded in 421 BC, with the signing … His special interests include pottery, architecture, world mythology and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share in common. Start studying Causes of the Peloponnesian War. However, under Kleon and Nikias, the Athenians enjoyed a successful campaign in the Corinthian Gulf in 429 BCE and hopes for an early Spartan victory now seemed hopelessly ambitious. The war lasted 27 years, with a 6-year truce in the middle, and ended with Athens' surrender in 404 BC. cause of Athenian imperialism and the tipping point of the Megarian decree as two possible causes for the Peloponnesian War. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases. Peloponnesian War Summary. The Causes of the Peloponnesian War: Ephorus, Thucydides and Their Critics. Starting with the repression of Naxos, however, the League swiftly came to resemble an Athenian empire rather than a collection of equal allies, a process confirmed by the moving of the treasury to Athens in 454 BCE. This war shifted power from Athens to Sparta, making Sparta the most powerful city-state in the region. Piraeus & The Long Wallsby Dept. Athens was not beaten yet though and she continued to raid the Peloponnese from the sea. With battles occurring at home and abroad, the long and complex conflict was damaging to both sides but Sparta, with financial help from Persia, finally won the conflict by destroying the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami in 405 BCE. The fundamental cause of the Peloponnesian War was А) Sparta's fear and jealousy of the power and wealth of Athens B Athens's fear of Sparta's growing empire in Greece Rome's attempt to expand into Greece Alexander the Great's conquest of the Persian Empire. We have also been recommended for educational use by the following publications: Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. Related Content However, trying to crush Thebes, Sparta lost the crucial battle of Leuctra in 371 BCE against the brilliant Theban general Epaminondas. The practical consequence of the Delian League was that Athens’ navy could now strike anywhere. But before going into all the details, here are the main points to remember: Who Fought in the Peloponnesian War? Athens could also and did retaliate by landing troops by sea into Spartan territory and inflict similar damage. He holds an MA in Political Philosophy and is the Publishing Director at AHE. They were already a feature of Greek warfare but they increased dramatically in number during the Peloponnesian Wars, reaching around 100, 58 of which were successful (for the attackers). The Reasons for the Peloponnesian War in More Detail The Peloponnesian War is the name given to the long series of conflicts between Athens and Sparta that lasted from 431 until 404 BC. However, the Plataeans responded to this threat by building even higher walls. If a city did finally fall then death or slavery was the usual result for the defeated. Sparta, following the advice of Alcibiades, built a fort at Dekeleia to more easily disrupt Attic agriculture with their annual attacks on Attic farmland. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. 2. Cartwright, M. (2018, May 02). Greek Hoplites [Artist's Impression]by The Creative Assembly (Copyright). In 426 BCE Demosthenes led 40 triremes in a campaign against Pylos (they were in fact on their way to Sicily) where they defeated the Spartans occupying Sphakteria. What was the cause of the peloponnesian war? The war was followed by the Thirty Year’s Peace although in reality hostilities never fully ceased and broke out into full war once again from 431 BCE. However, individual commanders in the field refused to hand over cities and an alliance was formed between Mantineia, Argos, Elis, Corinth and the Chalkidians. Causes of the war. What was the cause of the peloponnesian war? Like all great conflicts, the Peloponnesian War brought about changes and developments in warfare. Sparta seems to have been particularly alarmed at the growing power of Athens, able to build an ever-bigger fleet of ships thanks to tributes from its allies and dependants. License. The Peloponnesian War is the name given to the long series of conflicts between Athens and Sparta that lasted from 431 until 404 BC. Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 02 May 2018. Here are 10 interesting facts about the causes, outcome, effects and history of this historic ancient Greek war. Disease B. While Thucydides seemed quite certain that he had settled the question of the cause of the Peloponnesian War for all time, historians continue to debate the origins of the war. Sparta was also suspicious of the Athenians' project to rebuild their Long Wall fortifications which protected their harbour of Piraeus. Peloponnesian War reshaped the ancient Greek world. The Ancient History Encyclopedia logo is a registered EU trademark. Peloponnesian War. This war broke out because of a series of incidents, which were mentioned, in the previous paragraph. The League, at its greatest size was composed of over 300 members who paid tribute to Athens, the strongest naval power in Greece, in the form of either ships or money in return for Athenian protection against a perceived threat from Persian and perhaps also Mediterranean pirates. Cite This Work Now unable to man another fleet, with the Delian League disbanded and Athens itself under siege, the Athenians had no option but to sue for peace. In 420 BCE Sparta formed an alliance with Boeotia. It may have been a Spartan strategy to entice the Athenians out from behind their fortifications into open battle, a temptation that Athens, and particularly Pericles, always resisted. The dispute of the Peloponnesian... Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted b. 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