Peloponnesian War Sources

Question 1

Thucydides 1.23 -
‘What made war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta.’ Thucydides believed the war was caused due to Sparta being afraid of Athens’ power growing.

Answer 1

Beginning of the Peloponnesian War - 431 BC

Question 2

Thucydides, 1.23 - the plague did more damage in the war than any other factor.

Answer 2

Plague of Athens - 430 BC

Question 3

Kerameikos Mass Grave at Athens

Answer 3

Plague of Athens - 430 BC

Question 4

Thucydides, 1.96-2.13 - At the founding of the Delian League, the total tribute per year to the Delian League was 460 talents
By the start of the war in 431 BC, the total tribute per year to Athens was 600 talents

Answer 4

Cleonymos decree - Increased rate of tribute, and instituted penalties for officials who failed to collect the right amount of tribute. - 426 BC

Question 5

425 BC at 1460 talents;
Plutarch puts the amount collected at 1300 talents

Answer 5

Thoudippos Decree increasing tribute - 425 BC

Question 6

Thucydides - Spartans tried to recover their men at Pylos but failed

Answer 6

Pylos and Sphacteria, Athens rejects a peace proposed by Sparta, Cleon takes 800 hoplites to Sphacteria. The Athenians capture the Spartans there. The Spartan commander surrenders. - 425 BC

Question 7

Thucydides - Sparta’s allies refused to accept the Peace
Amphipolis refused to return to Athens,
Argos did not renew their own Peace with Sparta
Corinth, Argos, Elis & Mantinea form a covert alliance with each other,
Sparta signs a fifty-year defensive alliance with Boeotia in exchange for Panactum.
Argos panics and tries to sign a new Peace with Sparta.
Athens agrees to an alliance with Argos, and includes Elis and Mantinea, for 100 years

Answer 7

The Peace of Nicias - 421 BC

Question 8

Thucydides, 5.74 - The Argives, Orneans, and Cleonaeans had 700 killed; the Mantineans 200, and the Athenians and Aeginetans also 200, with both their generals. On the side of the Spartans, the allies did not suffer any loss worth speaking of: as to the Spartans themselves it was difficult to learn the truth; it is said, however, that there were slain about 300 of them.

Answer 8

The Battle of Mantinea, Their defeat leads to an oligarchic coup in Argos, then signs a fifty-year peace with Sparta. 417 BC all of Sparta’s former allies had returned. - 418 BC

Question 9

Thucydides, 6.15 - Provides Alcibiades’ reasons for being in favour of the expedition Alcibiades wanted to increase his wealth and position.

Answer 9

Debate of the Sicilian expedition and dispatch of the first fleet - 415 BC

Question 10

Thucydides - Alcibiades advises the Spartans to send out a Spartan commander

Answer 10

Siege of Syracuse - Syracuse requests the assistance of the Peloponnesian League. Nicias begins constructing siege walls, Syracuse contemplates surrender. Gylippus arrived from Sparta - 414 BC

Question 11

Plutarch - People could not believe that the Athenians had been defeated in Sicily. The messenger was tortured as they believed he was lying.

Answer 11

Athenian defeat in the Sicilian Expedition, 33,000 Athenians killed in the Sicilian expedition, Demosthenes and Nicias were executed - 413 BC

Question 12

Thucydides - Alcibiades urged the fort at Decelea, Made it harder for Athens to remain strong when engaged in two wars.

Answer 12

Occupation of Decelea, the Spartan King Agis led the army into Attica
and established a fort - 413 BC

Question 13

Thucydides - request of Spartan embassies’ help. Athens resorted to using emergency supplies.

Answer 13

Allied revolts, several allies saw a chance to escape the empire, sent embassies to Sparta to seek assistance for a revolt. Chios and Lesbos revolted. Athens is forced to use their emergency reserves to reconstruct the fleet and re-arm themselves - 412 BC

Question 14

Thucydides. The financial backing of Persia allowed the Spartans to finally begin their own fleet. Supported Alcibiades.

Answer 14

Spartan-Persian alliance resulting in Sparta building their own navy - 412 BC

Question 15

Inscription from Eretria, Euboea - free the city from the Athenians

Answer 15

Revolt at Euboea - 411 BC

Question 16

Xenophon - “Ships gone. Mindarus dead. Men starving. Don’t know what to do.”

Answer 16

Battle of Cyzicus, Took Sparta 3 years to reconstruct fleet, restored democratic rule in Athens - 410 BC

Question 17

Xenophon, Hellenica, 1.5.16 - When the Athenians at home got the news of the battle at Notium, they were angry with Alcibiades, thinking that he had lost the ships through neglect of duty and dissolute conduct, and they chose ten new generals

Answer 17

Battle of Notium - 406 BC

Question 18

Plato - Athenians were unable to recover the bodies of their dead, the assembly tried the generals for misconduct, found them guilty, and executed them

Answer 18

Battle of Arginusae - 405 BC

Question 19

Xenophon, Hellenica - Lysander again moved the theatre of war into the Hellespont, he attacked and seized the city of Lampsacus, gave the Spartans control of the Hellespont, and thereby control of the food supply into Athens. He stopped at each Athenian garrison and cleruchy he encountered, and sent the Athenians there back to the city – increasing pressure on Athens’ limited food reserves. Lysander blockaded Piraeus, Agis and Pausanias laid siege to the city. 404, Athenians were forced to surrender

Answer 19

The Battle of Aegospotami, 405 BC