The Peloponnesian War

431– 404 B.C.

 Thucydides: Historian
 Historian who
wrote the History
of the
Peloponnesian
War
 Fought in the
Peloponnesian
War
 Provided
balanced
viewpoint of the
war
 Why did the war start?
 Competition
between Sparta
and its allies
(Peloponnesian
League) and
Athens and its
allies (Delian
League) for
control of
Greece.
 Why did the war start?
 Athens was using Delian League
treasury money to beautify Athens
and rebuild the acropolis (for
example: building the Parthenon)
 Why did the war start?
 Athens started
to create an
empire and
demanded
tribute from
member-states
 People were
resentful of
Athenian
domination
Athenian Empire
Who do
you
think
will
win?
What were the major battles/events?
 Pericles, (Athenian General) had walls
built around Athens to defend against
Spartan attacks; he ordered all
Athenians to live inside the walls,
where a plague broke out that killed
roughly half of the Athenian population
including Pericles himself
What were the major battles/events?
 Battle of Aegospotami – combined
force of Spartans and Persians
defeated Athens, destroying 168 of
180 of Athenian ships
 What were the results of the war?
 Sparta wins, but both sides
are majorly weakened
– This left them vulnerable
to attack from Phillip II
and Alexander the Great
from Macedonia
– Athens forced to submit
to Sparta as a “junior
ally”
– Athens allowed to keep
only 12 ships
 Marks the end of Greece’s
Golden Age