History UsefulNotes / ThePeloponnesianWar

The Aftermath of the Peloponnesian War lingered for decades afterwards. After conquering Athens, Lysander ordered the destruction of its walls and forced Athens to enter the Peloponnesian League and then demanded that Athens remove its democratic system in favor of an oligarchy run by Thirty Tyrants. These Thirty Tyrants, of which the most notable is Critias, a former student of Sokrates, submitted Athens to a ReignOfTerror that was especially violent and shocking by the standards of its time, with thousands murdered for political reasons by the Thirty until a revolution led by Thrasybulus deposed the Thirty and restored the democracy. The Spartan King Agis II had grown weary of Lysander and disliked the Thirty and so [[DefeatMeansFriendship eventually the Spartans helped the Athenians to restore democracy]]. However in the aftermath of that, a climate of fear and disgust persisted, leading to the Trial and Execution of Sokrates in 399 BCE. At the end of the war, Sparta reigned as the superpower of Ancient Greece which lasted until their defeat at the Battle of Leuctra and the rise of the Macedonians as the Hegemon of Ancient Greece.

* Thucydides' ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' is one of the first modern analyses of a war. He died sometime before the end of the war, so it doesn't cover the last seven years, but nevertheless, it's usually accepted as a nice (generally) unbiased version.

* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: ''The Melian Dialogue'' deals with Athenians sacking and destroying Melos, to MakeAnExampleOfThem by invoking DontMakeMeDestroyYou and warning them that ResistanceIsFutile.

The Aftermath of the Peloponnesian War lingered for decades afterwards. After conquering Athens, Lysander ordered the destruction of its walls and forced Athens to enter the Peloponnesian League and then demanded that Athens remove its democratic system in favor of an oligarchy run by Thirty Tyrants. These Thirty Tyrants, of which the most notable is Critias, a former student of Sokrates, submitted Athens to a ReignOfTerror that was especially violent and shocking by the standards of its time, with thousands murdered for political reasons by the Thirty until a revolution led by Thrasybulus deposed the Thirty and restored the democracy. The Spartan King Agis II had grown vary of Lysander and disliked the Thirty and so [[DefeatMeansFriendship eventually the Spartans helped the Athenians to restore democracy]]. However in the aftermath of that, a climate of fear and disgust persisted, leading to the Trial and Execution of Sokrates in 399 BCE. At the end of the war, Sparta reigned as the superpower of Ancient Greece which lasted until their defeat at the Battle of Leuctra and the rise of the Macedonians as the Hegemon of Ancient Greece.

'''Phase Two''' saw an attempted Athenian invasion of Sicily in 415 BC. The war pitted Athens against the city-state of Syracuse, which was nominally supported by Sparta. The Athenians expected support and help from local anti-Syracusan states but this support never materialized upon their arrival. In a shocking turn, the entire invading Athenian army was massacred in 413 BC, changing the tide of the war. Alkibiades, the commander who proposed this invasion, was called back to face what are most likely highly trumped up charges of religious impropriety and blasphemy. Instead Alkibiades defected to Sparta after reaching Sicily, and warned the Syracusans of the Athenian presence and expedition, and further advised Sparta to build a fortress in Attika, called Dekelia, from which the Spartans could more permanently and lastingly besiege and attack the Athenian countryside. Alkibiades' back-and-forth switching of sides in this time would make him proverbial, and controversial.

The Peloponnesian War [431-404 BCE] was the largest conflict in the Greek City State era. It pitted the Athenian-led Delian League (sometimes also known as the Athenian Empire or Athenian Hegemony) against the Spartan-led Peloponnesian League. The causes of the war was the result of a century plus simmering conflict in Ancient Greece that resulted from the development of Democracy in Athens, and its consequent triumph and expansion in power, wealth, and influence in the UsefulNotes/GrecoPersianWars. Sparta was wary of Athens' rise in power and influence even if they had allied with Athens during the Second Persian Invasion. A society that was always paranoid about helot uprisings inwards always believed in maintaining stability across Greece to better defend their society. The Athenians for their part were flush with success, confidence, and pride at their institutions and military success and under the statesman Perikles, launced an extensive investment in public works that resulted in several majestic works of sculpture and architecture, of which the Parthenon is the most famous and enduring monument.

!!Depictions in fiction:

* Thucydides' ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' is one of the first modern analyses of a war. He died sometime before the end of the war, so it doesn't cover the last few years, but nevertheless, it's usually accepted as a nice (generally) unbiased version.

The Athenians dominated naval trade across the Aegean Sea, and established extensive colonies and polis (i.e. city-settlements) across Greece and in process exported their form of democracy across Greece. The catch was their colonies were expected to pay taxes, and attempts to rebel or resist Athenian Hegemony was dealt with harshly. Athenians found allies in those communities who supported or welcomed their democracy such as the village of Methymna in the island of Lesbos but found opponents among oligarchs who clamored for old privileges and who looked to Sparta to restore order. The Spartans for their part, were reeling from some incidents close to home, namely an earthquake in 463 BCE which destabilized the region and led to a helot uprising that the Spartans put down harshly. The Spartans even called its allies across Greece, including Athens, for help in putting down some of these uprisings, but famously, when the Athenians showed up to help, the Spartans turned them away which the Athenian general, Cimon, saw as a snub but which the Spartans believed was necessary because they believed the Athenians would back the helots. Athens and Sparta did sign a pact called the Thirty Year Peace which identified and recognized different spheres of influence and non-intervention but this was tested when the Athenians intervened and put down a rebellion in Potidaea (where Sokrates himself served in battle). Then there was the Corinthian War where Corinth went into a clash with the island settlement of Corcyra who turned to Athens for help, leading the Athenians to fight the Corinthians and repelling and making the Corinthians then turn to Sparta to agitate for war against the Athenians.

'''Phase One''' lasted from 431-421 BC. It ended with a stalemate after the Battle of Amphipolis where the Athenians lost but the Spartans scored a PyrrhicVictory and this led to the Peace of Nikias. This phase established the Athenian Navy as a preeminent dominant force in the sea, able to suppress dissent in its empire as well as foil Spartan invasions in the Athenian home state of Attica. The Spartans laid siege on Athens but its long walls and its navy allowed Athenians to hold them at bay, with the two sides (a major land power against a major sea power) effectively balancing each other out. The Athenians suffered a major setback in the Plague of Athens which broke out in 428 BCE and killed thousands in the city including Perikles himself. In the aftermath, the Athenian General, Demosthenes scored a brilliant victory at the Battle of Sphacteria where he forced the Spartans to surrender (something Spartans are usually not supposed to do) and this led the Spartan General Brasidas in a brilliant counter-campaign to win over moderate allies in the North of Greece. At the Battle of Amphipolis, Brasidas died, as did Kleon, Athens' WarHawk political leader. The death of both figures allowed for a period of peace. Between the two phases, both Athens and Sparta recuperated while still putting down rebellions. The Athenians most famously submitted the Island of Melos to harsh reprisals during this time.

'''Phase Two''' saw an attempted Athenian invasion of Sicily in 415 BC. The war pitted Athens against the city-state of Syracuse, which was nominally supported by Sparta. The Athenians expected support and help from local anti-Syracusan states but this support never materialized upon their arrival. In a shocking turn, the entire invading Athenian army was massacred in 413 BC, changing the tide of the war. Alkibiades, the commander who proposed this invasion was called back to face, what are most likely, highly trumped up charges of religious impropriety and blasphemy. Instead Alkibiades defected to Sparta after reaching Sicily, and warned the Syracusans of the Athenian presence and expedition, and further advised Sparta to build a fortress in Attika, called Dekelia, from which the Spartans could more permanently and lastingly besiege and attack the Athenian countryside. Alkibiades' back-and-forth switching of sides in this time would make him proverbial, and controversial.

The Aftermath of the Peloponnesian War lingered for decades afterwards. After conquering Athens, Lysander ordered the destruction of its walls and forced Athens to enter the Peloponnesian League and then demanded that the Athens remove its democratic system in favor of an oligarchy run by Thirty Tyrants. These Thirty Tyrants, of which the most notable is Critias, a former student of Sokrates, submitted Athens to a ReignOfTerror that was especially violent and shocking by the standards of its time, with thousands murdered for political reasons by the Thirty until a revolution led by Thrasybulus deposed the Thirty and restored the democracy. The Spartan King Agis II had grown vary of Lysander and disliked the Thirty and so [[DefeatMeansFriendship eventually the Spartans helped the Athenians to restore democracy]]. However in the aftermath of that, a climate of fear and disgust persisted leading to the Trial and Execution of Sokrates in 399 BCE. At the end of the war, Sparta reigned as the superpower of Ancient Greece which lasted until their defeat at the Battle of Leuctra and the rise of the Macedonians as the Hegemon of Ancient Greece.

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'' takes place in and around 431 BC, at the beginning of the Archidamian War.

The Aftermath of the Peloponnesian War lingered for decades afterwards. After conquering Athens, Lysander ordered the destruction of its walls and forced Athens to enter the Peloponnesian League and then demanded that the Athens remove its democratic system in favor of an oligarchy run by Thirty Tyrants. These Thirty Tyrants, of which the most notable is Critias, [[APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil a former student]] of Sokrates, submitted Athens to a ReignOfTerror that was especially violent and shocking by the standards of its time, with thousands murdered for political reasons by the Thirty until a revolution led by Thrasybulus deposed the Thirty and restored the democracy. The Spartan King Agis II had grown vary of Lysander and disliked the Thirty and so [[DefeatMeansFriendship eventually the Spartans helped the Athenians to restore democracy]]. However in the aftermath of that, a climate of fear and disgust persisted leading to the Trial and Execution of Sokrates in 399 BCE. At the end of the war, Sparta reigned as the superpower of Ancient Greece which lasted until their defeat at the Battle of Leuctra and the rise of the Macedonians as the Hegemon of Ancient Greece.

The Aftermath of the Peloponnesian War lingered for decades afterwards. After conquering Athens, Lysander ordered the destruction of its walls and forced Athens to enter the Peloponnesian League and then demanded that the Athens remove its democratic system in favor of an oligarchy run by Thirty Tyrants. These Thirty Tyrants, of which the most notable is Critias, [[APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedEvil a former student]] of Sokrates, submitted Athens to a ReignOfTerror that was especially violent and shocking by the standards of its time, with thousands murdered for political reasons by the Thirty until a revolution led by Thrasybulus deposed the Thirty and restored the democracy. The Spartan King Agis II had grown vary of Lysander and disliked the Thirty and so [[DefeatMeansFriendship eventually the Spartans helped the Athenians to restore democracy]]. However in the aftermath of that, a climate of fear and disgust persisted leading to the Trial and Execution of Sokrates in 399 BCE. At the end of the war, Sparta reigned as the superpower of Ancient Greece which lasted until their defeat at the Battle of Leuctra and the rise of the Macedonians as the Hegemon of Ancient Greece.