Download SJP MUN VII Joint Historical Crises: The Peloponnesian War 1

SJP MUN VII
Joint Historical Crises: The Peloponnesian War
1
Letter from the Chair
τι κάνετε Peloponnesian Delegates,
My name is Aidan Gorrell and I am the chair of the Peloponnesian League at SJPMUN
VII. I’m a junior at the Prep and I am very excited to chair what is to my knowledge the
first ancient Greek crisis committee at the Prep. It’s a new committee that should be a very
interesting experience for all involved. I look forward to seeing you in December, but until
then I encourage all of you to research the position of your city-state thoroughly. Learn who
is representing your city-state and the political and economic conditions in that city-state at the
time. The rest is up to me, however, and I hope that I have done a good job with helping you
learn more about the causes, strategies, and outcomes of the Peloponnesian war.
Pleistoanax, King of Sparta
With any question please email me at:
[email protected]
γειά σου Delian Delegates,
My name is Jake Kramer, and I will be the chairman of the Delian League at SJPMUN
VII. I am currently a senior at the Prep, and this is my third year in the Model UN Club. I can’t
wait to meet all of you come December, and until then, it would behoove you to research your
own individual position. However, Aidan and I have done our best to help you with that, so, with
that said, I will see you at the conference.
Cleocritus, Archon of Athens
With any question please email me at:
[email protected]
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Explanation of Committee
This is a historical joint crisis committee simulating the final decade of the
Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE), fought between the Peloponnesian League and the Delian
League. The Peloponnesian League, headed by Sparta, includes all city-states in the
Peloponnesian Peninsula. The Delian League, headed by Athens, includes city-states from all
over the Attican peninsula as well as city-states in the Aegean Sea and Asia Minor. Each
delegate will represent a single city-state that is a member of either the Peloponnesian or Delian
League. Both committees can vote on actions that their side as a whole will take in the war.
City-states could also act independently. For example, each city-state can send its troops and
ships to attack any other city-state, or can ally itself with any other city-state without permission
of the chair or other delegates. If a delegate asks for an alliance, they can send a note to another
delegate. If he or she wants to attack another delegate, he or she must send a note to the chair,
which will be read to the committee and then deferred to a the crisis committee who will decide
the outcome. If a city-state is unhappy with its lot in its current situation, it may also attempt to
revolt and join the other side. Delegates have been assigned certain military resources, which
were determined by the chairs based on historical research of ancient Greece, and are listed at
the end of the paper.
Information about other resources that can be used as leverage in political
or military situations is provided in the block position section of the paper. For further
clarification, see the links to maps in the Works Cited.
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Statement of the Problem
WE ARE AT WAR! We have been at war for 18 years. Syracuse, the lone
Peloponnesian ally on Sicily, has just attacked a Sicilian ally of Athens in an attempt to extend
its own sphere of influence, a move that Athens will not allow. The Delian League is committed
to aid its ally in Sicily and must decide how to do it. In turn, the Peloponnesian League must
diplomatically decide how to respond to the actions of the Delian League. All options are on the
table and must be discussed. The greater task for each individual delegate is to ensure the wellbeing of his or her own city-state, whether that be as part of the Delian or Peloponnesian League,
or as an independent entity. All decisions should consider the relative merits and costs, military
and financial, of each action. Options include using the political and economic resources of the
known Mediterranean basin. Persia in particular is a major power and a strong potential ally,
while various other regions offer different economic and/or military benefits.
History of the Problem
Before the Greco-Persian wars, Greece was a geographic expression referring to the
warring city-states on the Peloponnesian and Attican Peninsulas that shared a language and some
cultural characteristics. In 499 BCE, the Acheamenid Dynasty in charge of Persia invaded
Greece. In order to prevent the destruction of their own city-states, the largest, most powerful
Greek city-states united to repel the invading Persians.
Once the external threat from Persia had ended, the rivalry between Athens and Sparta
became the largest influence in Greece. Sparta and Athens were the two most powerful citystates in Greece, and each of them wanted to defeat the other and become the single most
powerful city-state. Athens had a sprawling empire, called the Delian League, which spanned
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much of northern Greece and spread all the way into Asia Minor (modern Turkey), and Sparta
had organized an alliance with most of the city-states in Peloponnese, called the Peloponnesian
League. The Peloponnesian League was created by Sparta with Corinth and Elis after ridding
Corinth of tyranny1 and helping Elis get the rights to host the Olympics, and eventually it
included all states in Pelopennesus. Only Sparta could call the meetings, but Sparta did not
have to abide by the decisions made at the league meetings. Similarly, the Delian League was
dominated politically by Athens.
From 459-445 BCE, Athens and Sparta had a bitter conflict, the First Peloponnesian War,
over the Athenians’ presence on the Isthmus of Corinth. The war ended in a truce that saw
Athens leave Corinth and peace remain until 431. The Delian League, however, was full of citystates that had to pay high tribute to Athens with little real voice or independence. Many of them
were unhappy and would have liked a larger degree of autonomy. Athens used its naval
superiority to repeatedly attack the city-states on the coast of Peloponnese, such as Pirgos and
Patras, and suppress rebellions inside its own empire, which was mainly made up of island and
coastal city-states.
The Second Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE) was fought between the Delian League
and the Peloponnesian League. Every year since the war began in 431 BCE, Sparta has invaded
Attica; however, they would only stay for a brief time because they needed to return to Sparta
for the harvest because Sparta could not support itself without agriculture. The war started
because Sparta first invaded Attica, an annual event that continued until the battle of Sphacteris
in 425 BCE. In this, a major naval victory for the Delian League took place when the General
Demosthenes blockaded the Spartan-controlled island of Sphachteris, trapping approximately
1
Tyrant: one who illegally seizes power.
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three hundred Spartan soldiers, one hundred twenty of whom were elite Spartiates. Sparta
immediately asked for a peace treaty. Athens refused, because they perceived Sparta’s behavior
when faced with the loss of its own troops as weakness. Moreover, Sparta lost credibility in the
eyes of potential allies, and Athens continued the war with no small advantage. However, the
belief in Athenian invincibility was proved false after the Peloponnesian forces, led by Brasidas,
captured the important Athenian colony of Amphipolis. They defeated the Athenian general
Thucydides, who was immediately exiled for his failure. Upon failed peace negotiations, our
current situation emerges. Following an attack by Syracuse on one of Athens’s Sicilian allies,
Athens began a campaign to defend its allies. Although Argos was not originally part of the
Peloponnesian League, they joined at this point because of the massive scale of the war and the
involvement of all city-states around it.
Issues to Address
The Peloponnesian War is first and foremost a war, and as such, each side should be
trying to defeat the other. This conflict has gone on for eighteen years, giving each side plenty
of time to familiarize themselves with the other. The goal is to win, but the bigger picture is for
each delegate to try and get the best possible outcome for their city-state.
1. What are some strategies that can help your side win?
2. As our day opens, Athens is planning an invasion of Sicily. What is your city-state’s
opinion on this issue and how are you going to make your city-state’s voice heard?
3. How can your side entice the Persian Empire to give you military assistance?
4. What does your city-state gain from being part of the alliance in which it is currently
situated? What are the costs of being in that alliance? Is there a possibility that your
city-state could ensure more favorable terms, and if so, how?
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Bloc Positions
Sparta and Athens
While Sparta and Athens are not actually delegates, it is important that all delegates
understand the positions of the leaders of the two sides. Sparta initially founded the league
originally with Tegea, and later with most of the peninsula. However, each city-state only made
an alliance with Sparta, and therefore had to make separate alliances with other city-states.
Sparta did not require any taxes or tribute until wartime, whereupon Sparta could order up to one
third of that city-state’s military.
Each of the members of the Delian League owed taxes and military assistance to Athens,
the head of the Delian League, and were diplomatically obligated to side with Athens. Members
were all expected to maintain the same political allies and enemies.
Syracuse and Corinth
Syracuse is a massive Sicilian city, nearly as large as Athens, with strong and disciplined
troops. They are interested in extending their sphere of influence beyond their city and
challenging the dominance of Athens. Corinth is similar to Syracuse: a large and influential city
between Peloponnesus and Attica. They have the most men and voice, and should push their
own interests hard. Corinth and Syracuse also have the two largest navies in the ancient
Mediterranean after Athens. These two cities will provide the majority of the naval power for the
Peloponnesian League.
Argos
Argos tried to remain out of the conflicts that surrounded them in the battle-filled ancient
Greek world. They are more of an art city than a military one, contrary to the time. Argos
refused to give aid and men during the Greco-Persian wars, which earned them the ire of many
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other city-states. However, they have troops to give and this war has prompted them to offer
those troops to the aid of Sparta.
Olympia, Sikyon, and Elis
These three city-states, while not massive militarily, had booming economies. As such,
they could finance some of the costs of war. Like Argos, they are city-states that do not
prioritize warfare and are leaders in arts. Sikyon has large silver mines and is a top producer of
coins, which gives them much economic influence, making up for their lacking military power.
Mycenae
Mycenae’s golden age has passed. It used to be the hub of Greek civilization, but that
was more than half a century ago. They still are a city with decent size, but the economy is not
large, and as such, they would not be a very valuable ally to have.
Amaliada, Pyrgos, Pisatis, and Patras
Amaliada, Pyrgos, Pisatis, and Patras are not very influential cities. They do not have
great armies, navies, or other economic contribution to the war. Their greatest assets to the
cause is their ability to give men.
Corfu, Akova, Epidaurus, Sphacteris, Messene, Pylos, Skyros, Skiathos, and Oreos
These are the smallest city-states in the conflict with few resources or men, and as such
have little to no power. The city-states in the Delian League are unhappy with their position as
subjects of Athens. The city-states in the Peloponnesian League, however, are more content
with their place, because Sparta treats its allies much better than Athens does.
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Rhodes
Although a member of the Delian League, Rhodes did its best to remain neutral
throughout the Peloponnesian War and subsequently made efforts to politically distance itself
from the conflict. Rhodes has large iron mines, which are very valuable in times of war.
Thasos
Thasos is under the tight control of Athens, due to both its massive gold mines and its
penchant for rebellion. Over a span of forty years, Thasos revolted twice, both times due to the
enormous tribute Athens demanded of them, and as a result, Athens stripped Thasos of its voting
privileges in the Delian League.
Laurium
Laurium is the site of a colossal network of silver mines, and, as such, is an economic
powerhouse in the Athenian bloc. Laurium’s silver mines are worked by 30,000 slaves, some of
whom could be sent to help in the war effort, albeit at the cost of significant monetary resources.
Byzantium
Byzantium is one of the largest cities in the Delian League, and as a result, it is also one
of the most powerful. Additionally, Byzantium is the center of the Mediterranean trade in slaves,
giving it a strong economic advantage over other city-states.
Slaves, building materials, food, precious metals, livestock, miscellaneous.
List of Delegates and the men at their disposal, as well as the city-states’ pronunciations
Peloponnesian Delegates
Sparta (chair)-90,000 men, 70 ships
Akova (a-KO-va)-200 men, 10 ships,
Amaliada (a-MAL-ee-A-da)-14,000 men, 50 ships
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Argos (AR-gus)- 9,000 men, 100 ships
Corfu (COR-foo)-1,000 men 20+70 ships
Corinth (COR-inth) -20,000 men, 300 ships
Elis (e-lis)-4,500 men, 30 ships
Epidaurus (e-pi-DAUR-os)-1,000 men, 10 ships
Mantinea (man-tin-AY-a)-2,000 men, 10 ships
Messene (MESS-een)-2,000 men, 10 ships
Mycenae (My-SEE-nay)-10,000 men, 40 ships
Olympia (O-Limp-I-a)-9,000 men, 30 ships
Patras (PA-tras)-10,000 men, 30 ships
Pisatis (pi-SA-tis)-4,000 men, 30 ships
Pylos (PIE-los)-1,800 men, 50 ships
Pyrgos (Per-gus)-10,000 men, 30 ships
Sikyon (SICK-yon)-5,000 men, 20 ships
Sphacteris (SFAC-ter-is)-1,800 men, 10 ships
Syracuse (SEE-rack-use)-75,000 men, 100 ships
Thebes (THEEBS)-60,000 men, 10+50 ships
Delian Delegates
Athens (chair)-175,000 men, 500 ships
Andros (AN-drus)-2,500 men, 10 ships
Assos (ASS-ose)-7,000 men, 50 ships
Byzantium (biz-ANT-zee-um)-85,000 men, 100 ships
Didymoteichitai (di-dee-MOCH-e-tie)-6,000 men, 20 ships
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Halicarnassus (Hall-i-car-NASS-us)-29,000 men, 20 ships
Heraclion (Haer-a-CLEE-on)-45,000 men, 50 ships
Imbros (IM-bros)-2,200 men, 10 ships
Karystos (car-IST-os)-3,500 men, 10 ships
Laurium (LOR-ee-um)-14,500 men, 20 ships
Lesbos (LEZ-bos)-35,000 men, 40 ships
Maroneia (mar-o-NAY-a)-1,700 men, 10 ships
Naxos (Nack-sos) (non-voting)-8,500 men, 20 ships
Neapolis (nee-AP-o-lis)-8,000 men, 20 ships
Nymphaion (Nim-FAY-on)-20,000 men, 70 ships
Oreos (What do you think? The cookie)-900 men, 10 ships
Rhodes (ROADS)-45,000 men, 80 ships
Skiathos (skee-A-thus)-1,500 men, 10 ships
Skyros (SKY-rus)-800 men, 10 ships
Thasos (Thay-sus) (non-voting)-3,500 men, 10 ships
Works Cited
"Cleon." Cleon. Accessed June 14, 2012. http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/cleon/cleon.html.
This source is very helpful for background information on the war, such as
important battles. it does not, however, give details on the city-states opinions on
issues, and so is not fully reliable for positions
"Chronology of the Peloponnesian War." Chronology of the Peloponnesian War. Accessed June
14, 2012.
This is a complete history of the war, but it only lists event, not the explanations
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behind them, and as such is not the most thorough source
"The Internet Classics Archive | The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides." The
Internet Classics Archive | The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides.
Accessed June 12, 2012.
Thucydides was an Athenian general exiled after his defeat at Amphipolis. During
his exile, he compiled a complete historical account of the Peloponnesian War,
from 440-401 BCE.
"Peloponnesian War." Wikipedia. December 06, 2011. Accessed June 12, 2012.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peloponnesian_War.
This is a complete summary of the war, with major events and figures. Don’t
plan
for the war to continue exactly as it goes in the article; there will be numerous
differences and additional crises.
Thucydides on the Fall of Amphipolis." The Fall of Amphipolis. Accessed June 14, 2012.
The account of Thucydides, an important Athenian general, on the Peloponnesian
conquest of Amphipolis, an Athenian colony on the northeast coast of Greece.
The tone is understandably bitter, considering that his failure to hold Amphipolis
resulted directly in his being stripped of his command and exiled. In exile,
Thucydides wrote a history of the Peloponnesian war which became the most
acclaimed historical source on the conflict.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Map_Peloponnesian_War_431_BC-en.svg
This is a map of the sides on the eve of the war, and shows who is allied with
whom.
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http://brfencing.org/hist643/delian_files/PeloponnesianWarMap.jpg
This shows the route taken by the Delian army to Syracuse and other Spartan
campaigns, as well as a more general outline of teach group of allied city-states.