Synopsis

History 101 W001B

Parkland College Song Gao

THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR: THE CLASH OF THE TITANS

The Peloponnesian War, ranging from 431 to 404 BC, was a war fought between the powerful
and dominant Athenian empire and the Peloponnesian League led by its strongest member,
Sparta. Up until the war, Athens was a powerhouse: a strong economy, democratic political
system, and a supreme navy. Sparta, on the other hand, was noted for its militant society, in
which its citizens were expected to be good soldiers, trained from infancy. This resulted in one of
the strongest military forces in the history of mankind, let alone ancient Greece. The meeting of
two of such great powers would undoubtedly reshape the Greek world.
The Peloponnesian War can be divided into three parts: the Archidamian War, the era of peace
following known as the Peace of Nicias, and finally the Decelean War/Ionian War. By the end of
the Peloponnesian War, one titan, Athens, would be permanently crippled and would never reascend to its former glory. Widespread poverty would affect everyone involved, and civil unrest
would swell to a dangerous level.
The war caused a shift in power, culture, and ideals. My paper will detail the historic components
of the war (the causes, effects, events) and also the impact on the Hellenistic world as a whole.
INITIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Peloponnesian War (ancient Greek History)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia
Britannica, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
"Peloponnesian War." Peloponnesian War. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
Thucydides, Thomas Hobbes, and David Grene. The Peloponnesian War. Chicago: University of
Chicago, 1989. Print.
Tritle, Lawrence A. A New History of the Peloponnesian War. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.:
Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print.