Causes of the Peloponnesian War Flashcards
Prophasis
A Greek term meaning the truest explanation, which is what Thucydides states is the real cause of the war, which is growing Athenian power and how that caused fear in Sparta.
Aitiai
A Greek term meaning ‘inciting incident’, used in Thucydides account to show how the war was begun. Thucydides’ inciting incidents are the Corcyraean incident, the Potidaeans incident and Aegina, although modern historians usually group the Megarian decree in with the Aitiai.
Corcyra
A significant island Polis, boasting one of the biggest fleets in Greece, situated in the Ionian Sea opposite mainland Epirus. Formerly a Corinthian colony, tensions flared between Corcyra and Corinth in 435 BC over the matter of intervention with the city of Epidamnus. Corcyra defeated the Corinthians at the battle of Leukimme in 435 BC, but after Corinth began to build a new fleet Corcyra appealed to Athens for alliance. Corcyra agreed to make a defensive alliance with Athens, which was verified at the battle of Sybota in 433 BC when the Corcyraeans lost to the Corinthians but the Athenian fleet protected the island of Corcyra from invasion. Corcyra then enters into full alliance with Athens.
Corinth
A major Polis situated in the Peloponnese just west of the Isthmus of Corinth. A member of the Peloponnesian league and mother city to Corcyra, Corinth entered a dispute with Corcyra in 435 over control in the town of Epidamnus, which resulted in Corinth losing to the Corcyraean fleet in 435 BC at Leukimme. In 434, Corinth resolved to build up their navy to face the Corcyraeans, and when Corcyra appealed to Athens for alliance, the Corinthians sent an embassy to Athens warning the Athenians not to meddle in their own allies affairs. The Corinthians defeat the Corcyraean navy in 433 at Sybota, but are prevented from capturing the island by the presence of Athenian ships, which leads Corinth to declare that the Athenians had violated the Thirty Years Peace.
Epidamnus
A small polis in mainland northern Greece opposite the island of Corcyra. Formerly a Corcyraean colony, it became a matter of contention in 435 BC when the city underwent civil war and Corinth and Corcyra backed different factions in the conflict. This resulted in Corinth and Corcyra fighting each other in two pitched battles, Leukimme in 435 BC and Sybota in 433 BC.
Leukimme
A battle which was fought between the Corinthians and the Corcyraeans near Leukimme in 435 BC, a small island near the Corinthian Gulf. The 80 Corcyraean ships defeat the 75 Corinthian ships, resulting in humiliation for Corinth.
Lacedaemonius
The Athenian commander and son of Cimon who is sent to command the Athenian squadron of ships to defend Corcyra. The initial 10 ships lead Plutarch to attest that Pericles sent Lacedaemonius in order to try and make him lose so Pericles could ruin his career, since Lacedaemonius was, like his father, a conservative.
Sybota
A battle which was fought between the Corinthians and the Corcyraeans near the island of Sybota, near Corcyra, in 433 BC. What resulted was a decisive victory for Corinth, who would have besieged the island of Corcyra but grew fearful of the squadron of now 40 Athenian ships defending the island, causing the Corinthians to return home. The battle resulted in Corinth accusing the Athenians of violating the thirty years peace, and then bringing that complaint to Sparta.
Potidaea
A polis on the western most peninsula of the Chalcidice and member of the Delian League. Originally a Corinthian colony, and although allied to Athens Potidaea still accepted Corinthian magistrates each year. In 432 BC, knowing that Corinth was going to try and sway Potidaea into revolt, the Athenians demanded that the Potidaeans surrender their walls, hand over hostages and stop accepting Corinthian magistrates. The Potidaeans refused and revolted from Athens which Corinth’s support. The Corinthians and Potidaeans were defeated in battle, and Potidaea was besieged later in 432.
Naupactos
A polis made up of the revolting Messenians who were allowed to leave Messenia after waiting out the Spartans at Mt Ithome in 454 BC. Naturally, they became an ally of Athens and the polis was very important to Athens as port access to the Corinthian Gulf.
Megarian Decree
A set of laws which were passed in the Athenian assembly in 432, preventing Megara from trading anywhere in Athens or the Athenian empire. The decree caused arguable levels of damage to Megara, who appealed to Sparta, the Spartans then demanding that Athens repeal the Megarian Decree in their second ultimatum to Athens. The Athenians refuse, motivated by Pericles.
Eleutheria
The Greek word used to refer to the Spartans ideal of ‘freedom of the Greeks’ which they demanded that Athens give in their third ultimatum, and when Athens refused it thus became their apparent goal for the Peloponnesian War.
