The Peloponnesian Wars

1. The Peloponnesian Wars How the Greeks Destroyed Themselves

2. Objectives • Why/How did the Greeks embark on a self-destructive war? • Did the Greeks City-States become “Empires” • How was Pericles considered a “democrat”? • In the end, was there really a victorious power in the Peloponnesian Wars? While one power lost, the “winning” power also failed to fill the power vacuum.

3. The Delian League vs. the Peloponnesian League • The Delian League (Athens) • Cimon’s suppression of Thasos (465 BCE) • Power struggle at home: Pericles becomes leader of a faction • Spartan seeks help of Athens for their rebellion • The Spartans reject Cimon’s help and Ephialtes and others in Athens reconfigure power in the Areopagus • First Peloponnesian War • War begins with a dispute between Megara and Corinth over a boarder dispute. Megara withdrew from the • 461 BCE, Cimon exiled, new policy, Athens alliance with Argos,

4. First Peloponnesian War • Begins over boarder dispute • Early Athenian advantage/ Egyptian campaign • Revolt within Delian league, Truce • War breaks out in Boetia and Megara opening Athens to Spartan invasion in 446 BCE. • Pericles negotiates 30 year peace • Divide was now distinct • Sparta and its alliance on the mainland • Athens and the Athenian Empire in the Aegean

5. Athens Builds during the truce • The Athenian Empire • 449 BCE/ Athens moves Delian League Treasury to Athens • Expanse of Empire • Change from Alliance to Empire • Change due to pressure of war and rebellion and unwillingness of the allies to see to their own defense. • 30 year peace is the key to prosperity and security • Athenian Democracy • Must view democracy in the domestic sense rather than “empire”

6. Athens Builds during the truce • Athenian Democracy • Pericles: under leadership Athens becomes freest government • Opened the leadership offices: No adult male was barred from Archonship due to property. • New Circuit court judges • Democracy was the privilege of citizenship. Citizenship was a valuable commodity. • Citizenship restricted.

7. Athens Builds during the truce • Athenian Democracy • Extent of Democracy • All decisions of the state were approved by the popular assembly, not representatives • Judicial decisions subject to appeal to a popular court of not fewer than 51 citizens. • Main elected officials, generals, imperial treasurers, were nobles. Usually rich, but citizens could choose others • Public officials were subject to scrutiny before taking office & could be called to account for actions in office and removed • All citizens at the end of terms of office were held to compulsory examination and accounting. • No standing army

8. Athens Builds during the truce • Pericles • Elected to Generalship for 15 years consecutively, (30 times in all) • When he lost the confidence of the people they did not hesitate to removed him form office • After Egyptian defeat he became more conservative • Sought to retain the Aegean Empire and live at peace with the Spartans • The “30 years” peace/2nd Peloponnesian War • Peace lasts 445-435 BCE. • Spartan Strategy: land strategy • Athenian Strategy: Large income, Superior Navy

9. Athens Builds during the truce • The 2nd Peloponnesian War • Athenian Strategy: devastation of land, withhold siege • Pericles exists the stage 429 BCE • Peace of Nicias: 50 year peace • Alcibiades: persuaded Athenians to attack Sicily 415-413BCE • Power of Athens destroyed? 411 BCE survived an oligarchic coup, fleet caught napping and destroyed at Aegospotami in 405 BCE. • Spartans under Lysander cut off their food supply & starved the city into submission, 404 BCE Athens surrenders unconditionally. • The Great Peloponnesian War was over

10. Lessons of the Peloponnesian Wars • Utter defeat of Athens • Power Vacuum in Greek world • Sparta makes mockery of Greek freedom • Spartan Hubris • Sparta sets up government in Athens • Athens will regain some freedom under Pausanias, other than Foreign Policy

11. The Greeks of Asia Minor • 405-404 BCE: Greek mercenaries & intervene in Persia on behalf of Cyrus the younger. (Persians were in the middle of a power struggle) • Afraid of revenge, they sent to Sparta for help • The Persians respond by seeking help from the cities disaffected with Spartan domination. • Corinthian War (395-387) Argos, Corinth, Thebes, Athens • Athens rebuilt their wall by 394 BCE • This sudden reemergence alarmed Persians • Spartans turned to their old ways. They disbanded all alliances, except Peloponnesian League, and put friends in power • In 382 BCE, they seized Thebes without warning, and in a time of peace.

12. The Greeks at War with themselves Still • Thebes joined forces with those who had rebelled against Sparta, 371 BCE defeated Sparta • Thebians encouraged the Arcadian cities of the Peloponnesus to form a federal league and freed the Helots (helping them found their own city) • Sparta was no longer able to keep and maintain an army of more than 2000, surrounded by hostile enemies, deprived of farmland and slaves, Sparta ceases to be a first rate power

13. The Second Athenian Empire • Athens in 378 BCE attempt to rebuilt former Delian League • Made promises that they would not be as they were before, only to break them when rebellion among allies breaks out. • Athens did not have the power to suppress resistance as it had before. • By 355 BCE Athens had to abandon most of their empire, • After 2 centuries of almost continual warfare the Greeks return to the chaotic, disorganized city-states that hey were before the founding of the Peloponnesian League