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Greek vs. Greek
Peloponnesian War
History Alive
Ancient Greece 2.3
Athens
• Located on Attica peninsula
• Near sea, strong trade, became powerful and
prosperous
• Long walls – 4 miles – allowed safe transport of
goods
• Silver mines – helped finance social and military
programs
• Most important Greek city-state because
– Democratic form of government
– Strong encouragement of the arts
Delian League
• Formed after defeat of Persians in 479 BCE
• Mutual defense pact against future Persian
aggression
• Athens became dominant member
• Paid annual tribute to Athens for protection
• Used these funds to form a naval empire and to
fight its major enemy - Sparta
Sparta
• Located in Peloponnesus
• Fertile plain – strong farming economy
• Used cheap forced labor for farming – called
Helots
• Strong stable oligarchic government and military
lifestyle
• All male citizens performed full-time military
service
• Dominant military power
• Scorned wealth, splendor and the arts
Peloponnesian League
• Formed about 550 BCE
• Helped Athens defeat Persia during Persian
Wars
• Sparta began to fear spread of Athenian
democracy - might lead to uprising of helot
class
• Began to seek ways to curb Athenian influence
Peloponnesian War
• Rivalry between Sparta and Athens intensified
• Sparta issued Athens an ultimatum – free all cities
under its control or face a war – Athens refused
• War broke out and lasted for 27 years – 431-404
BCE
• Primarily fought between Athens’ Navy and
Sparta’s army
• Spartan invasion of Athenian countryside in
second year of war
– Population gathered inside city walls
– Terrible plague struck – 1/3 of Athens population died
including Pericles
• For 26 years fighting continued victories and
defeats for both
• Persians provided Sparta with funds to build up a
stronger fleet
• 404 BCE Athens surrenders - fleet destroyed and
population starving
• Sparta forced Athens to tear down city walls
After the Peloponnesian War
• Fighting among City-states starts up again
• Sparta ruled Greece for a short time
• 300s BCE Thebes – aided by Persia – emerged as
leader of Greece – other states refused Thebes’
power and fighting continued
• mid-300s as a result of fighting city-states Greece is
conquered by emerging power to the north –
Macedonia led King Philip II
• In 338 BCE after conquering it Philip creates one
kingdom - Greece