Relationships of the Peloponnesian league and Delian League and Persia Flashcards
3 examples of Spartan leadership in the P league
® Hellenic League leadership is evidence of their good leadership: “the other members of the confederacy had stipulated for a Lacedaemonian commander” [Herodotus, Histories, Book 8]
® Leotychides and the Peloponnesians go home when they see bridge across Hellespont is down, Athenians under Xanthippus want to keep fighting, so go to besiege Sestos [Herodotus, Book 9]
® Peloponnesians retreat (unhappily) on Agis’s orders from attacking Argos despite having a huge force: “The Lacedaemonians and their allies followed his lead, as their law required” [Thucydides]
6 examples of relationships in P league deteriorating over time
® Sparta’s allies refused to sign the peace treaty (Peace of Nicias) as they didn’t find the terms fair. [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 5.22]
® “Do not force the rest of us in despair to join a different alliance” [Thucydides, 1.71]
® “slow to go to war” +“when one is deprived of one’s liberty one is right in blaming not so much the man who puts the fetters on as who had the power to prevent him, but did not use it” [Thucydides]
® Argos refused to make a new peace treaty and fearing a war with her, Sparta made an alliance with Athens. [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 5.22]
® Sparta centric: Pleistoanax’s enemies accused him of bribing the Delphic priestess so he could be king again so he wanted peace in order to divert attention away from him. [Thucydides, 5.16]
® At this time “Spartan opinion was, in fact, in favour of peace” due to Spachteria, forts in Pylos and Cythera, threat of helot revolt, their 30-year peace with the Argos was running out, and “the two people who on each side had been the most opposed to peace” were dead. [Thucydides]
why did corinth and megara not like each other
® (460-59) Megara joined the Delian League because it of a border war with Corinth and “it was chiefly because of this that the Corinthians began to conceive a bitter hatred for Athens.”. [Thucydides]
4 examples of the influence Spartas allies had on them
® The Spartans sent an embassy to the Athenians on not building walls, mainly because their allies “were alarmed both by the sudden growth of Athenian sea-power and by the daring which the Athenians had shown in the war against the Persians” [Thucydides, 1.90.1]
® “war could be avoided if Athens would revoke the Megarian Decree” [Thucydides, 1.139]
® The Athenians said the reason for the Megarian decree was because the Megarians farmed on some sacred land and also because they gave some shelter to some escaped slaves. [Thucydides, 1.139]
® Megarian Decree was imposed due to some of Aspasia’s (Perikles’ mistress) prostitutes being stolen by Megarians. [Aristophanes, The Archanians, 524-39]
explain the origin of the Delian league (7)
Origin due to Sparta: Established in 478BC. Unclear if Athenians always meant to develop a naval empire and hid that behind the goal of defeating of Persians, or if their goal simply changed later on
® “the Athenians made the insufferable behaviour of Pausanias their excuse of depriving the Lacedaemonians of the command” [Herodotus Histories 8.3]
® The Spartans “no longer wanted to be burdened with the war with Persia” [Thucydides 1.95.7]
® Sparta was not happy to give up naval hegemony as Thucydides says. [Diodorus Siculus, 11.50]
® Pausanias was seen “dressed in the Persian style of clothing” [Thucydides 1.130]
® Pausanias had inscribed his name on the Serpent’s Column but this was erased by the Spartans [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.131]
® “the justice of Aristides and the affability shown by Cimon” [Plutarch, Life of Aristides, 23]
® Athenian delegation defending imperialism in 432: “We did not gain this empire by force. It came to us at a time when you were unwilling to fight on to the end against the Persians.” [Thucydides]
Explain how the D league becomes an empire (9)
® “Athenian navy grew strong at their expense” [Thucydides 1.99.3]
® Scyros (476/5BC), town in Eion, was rich in mineral wealth, as well as timber for fleet. Taken to grow Delian League and not because of the Persians. [Thucydides]
® Euboean town of Carystus is forced into Delian League in 472 and is the first example of Athenian coercion. [Thucydides]
® (469) Naxos “was the first case when the original constitution of the League was broken and an allied city lost its independence” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.98]
® Revolting members of the Delian League were “inadequately armed and inexperienced in war” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian war, 1.99]
® Kimon “accepted money or empty ships from all those peoples who were unwilling to serve abroad” [Plutarch Life of Kimon 11]
® “sunk into the position of tributaries and subjects instead of allies” [Plutarch Life of Kimon 11]
® Aristides sets the tribute the Delian League to originally pays at “460 talents” [Thucydides 1.96] Plutarch agrees but Diodorus Siculus says they had to pay 560 talents.
® The Delian League’s money was spent on Athenian public works [Plutarch, Life of Aristides, 24]
how does no persian threat lead to crumbling relationships in the d league (6)
® “security, honour, and self-interest” stopped Athens getting rid of their empire [Thucydides]
® (429) Perikles: “Your empire is now like a tyranny: it may have been wrong to take it; it is certainly dangerous to let it go” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 2.63]
® “no man did more than Cimon to humble the pride of the Great King” [Plutarch Life of Kimon 12]
® (468) Eurymedon “so dashed the king’s hopes that he accepted the terms of that notorious peace” [Plutarch, Life of Kimon, 13]
® Theopompos said “the treaty (peace of Callias) with the Persians is a fake” [Harpokration]
® Herodotus claims that Kallias did go to Susa during the reign of Artaxerxes. [Herodotus, 7.150.1]
Give examples of revolts in the D league (7)
® The oath the Chalcidians (from Chalcis on Euboea) had to swear (446) “I will not revolt from the people of Athens” after their attempted revolt [Aelian Varia, Historia, 6.1]
® The Spartans would have helped the people of Thasos in their revolt (465) if not for the earthquake [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian war, 1.101]
® Euboea revolts (446) offering Sparta a chance to invade Attica, but Pleistoanax had them turn back unexpectedly [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.114]
® Treaty after Battle of Coronea (447): “The Athenians then made a treaty by which they got back their prisoners at the price of evacuating the whole of Boeotia” [Thucydides, 1.113]
® Samos revolted in 440, problematic due to status as a ship providing ally, and Peloponnesians were going to interfere but the Corinthians “prevented the Peloponnesian states from helping Samos” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.41]
® The cities in the North of Greece were ready to revolt and to turn towards Brasidas in 424 as he said his mission was to liberate Greece. [Thucydides, 4.108]
® “the whole of Hellas, after the great disaster in Sicily, turned immediately against Athens” + neutral states joined Sparta and “the subjects of Athens were all ready to revolt” [Thucydides]
Describe persian and greeces relationship at the start of period (11)
® “Master, remember the Athenians” [Herodotus, histories, Book 6]
® 492BC Persia invades. Set up fair tribute and democracies to pacify Ionia. [Herodotus, Book 6]
® “Eretia and Athens as his main objectives”: Mardonius goal in 492 [Herodotus Histories 6.43]
® During the reigns of Darius, Xerxes and Artaxerxes, “Greece suffered more evils than in the twenty generations before Darius was born” [Herodotus, Histories, 6.98]
® In the 2nd Persian Invasion, Darius asks for “earth and water” and most cities do medize, causing part of the Persian’s forces to be Greeks [Herodotus, Book 6]
® Herodotus describes the Theban’s as “Persia’s firm friends” at Platea.
® Miltiades gave Callimachus the decision at Marathon “either to enslave Athens, or to make her free” [Herodotus, Histories, 6.109]
® (490) “the Athenians advanced at a run towards the enemy” [Herodotus, Histories, 6.112]
® The Athenians were “the first who dared to look without flinching at Persian dress and the men who wore it” [Herodotus, Histories, 6.112]
® At Marathon, 6400 Persians died and only 192 Athenians died. [Herodotus, Book 6]
® Serpent’s Column is evidence of states being willing to fight
persians relationship with Delian league from 478-450 (8)
® Athenians under Xanthippus decided to stay after the Peloponnesians left and “laid siege to Sestos” [Herodotus, Histories, book 9] and Thucydides agrees
® “no man did more than Cimon to humble the pride of the Great King” [Plutarch Life of Kimon 12]
® Battle of Eurymedon (468) “Kimon, like a champion athlete, carried off two victories in a single day”. [Plutarch, Kimon, 13]
® Eurymedon “so dashed the king’s hopes that he accepted the terms of that notorious peace” [Plutarch, Life of Kimon, 13]
® Peace of Callias (468/451): Theopompos said “the treaty with the Persians is a fake” [Harpokration]
® Herodotus claims that Kallias did go to Susa during the reign of Artaxerxes. [Herodotus, 7.150.1]
® 460-5: “At first the Athenians were masters of Egypt” to the point that the Persians (unsuccessfully) ask the Spartans to help by invading Attica, “but after six years of war, this great venture of the Hellenes came to nothing” [Thucydides]
® During the Revolt of Samos (440), the Samians made an alliance with the Persians in order to try and gain their independence. [Thucydides]
What help did the Persians give during the Peloponnesian war (3)
® Archidamos says they make “new allies both among Hellenes and among foreigners” [Thucydides]
® Pharnabazus was competing with Tissaphernes to “gain the credit for bringing the Spartans into alliance with the King.” [Thucydides, 8.6]
® Peloponnesians only get real help from Persians when Darius puts his son Cyrus in charge 407BC, and he even prevents Athenian embassy trying to win over his dad. [Xenophon, Hellenica]
Describe the help the Persians gave the Spartans in 412/11 (6)
® (412/11) The first treaty that the Spartans and the Persians made recognised the Persians claims over all their previous territories, which handed over Boeotia and Thessaly as well as Ionia. [Thucydides]
® (412/11) The second treaty the Spartans made with the Persians was not much of an improvement for them, but at least ensured that the Persians would pay to maintain their troops when they asked for their aid [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 8.37]
® (412/11) Third treaty: “it was intolerable for any agreement to stand under which the King was to rule over all the states that ever had been ruled over in the past by himself or by his fathers” [Thucydides]
® The reason for Tissaphernes to stall bringing the 147 Phoenician ships was “to wear down the Hellenic forces and to keep matters in suspense” [Thucydides, 7.27]
® Cyrus “gave to Lysander all the tribute which came in from his cities and belonged to him personally” [Xenophon, Hellenica, 2.1.13]
® “he made the ships of his enemies empty” by having Cyrus pay the sailors 4 obols instead of 3.
Describe the Persians influence on the relationship between greek states (4)
® “the other members of the confederacy had stipulated for a Lacedaemonian commander” [Herodotus Histories 8.2]
® Serpent’s Column shows that 31 cities opposed the Persians.
® “punish all men of Greek blood, who without compulsion yielded to the Persians” [Herodotus, Book 7]
® “I think that his chief motive was apprehension of losing Athenian support” [Herodotus, 8.63]
Describe Corinths relationship with other cities (9)
® Herodotus tells us that Adiementus and the Corinthian contingent at Salamis were running away, however this was likely due to Corinth and Athens’ bad relations at the time of writing.
® (460-59) Megara joined the Delian League because it of a border war with Corinth and “it was chiefly because of this that the Corinthians began to conceive a bitter hatred for Athens.”. [Thucydides]
® 9440) Corinthians to Athenian assembly: “we prevented the Peloponnesian states from helping Samos” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.41]
® Delegation from Corcyra to Athenians: Corinth is your enemy and is also influential at Sparta” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.33]
® Fearing Potidea may revolt after Sybota (433), Athens ordered them to take their walls down, not have Corinthian magistrates and to send hostages. Potidaea asked for help and so the Corinthians “therefore sent a force of volunteers from Corinth itself and of mercenaries” [Thucydides]
® “Corinth was now quite openly hostile” to Athens after Battle of Sybota (433) [Thucydides]
® “when one is deprived of one’s liberty one is right in blaming not so much the man who puts the fetters on as who had the power to prevent him, but did not use it” [Thucydides]
® “Do not force the rest of us in despair to join a different alliance” [Thucydides, 1.71]
® After Peace of Nicias “Corinth and various other cities in the Peloponnese were trying to upset the agreement, and Sparta found herself immediately in fresh trouble with her allies”.
Describe relations between greek states during the Persian war (6)
® “punish all men of Greek blood, who without compulsion yielded to the Persians” [Herodotus, Book 7]
® In the 2nd Persian Invasion, Darius asks for “earth and water” and most cities medize, meaning some Persian’s forces are Greek [Herodotus, Book 6]
® Herodotus describes the Theban’s as “Persia’s firm friends” at Platea.
® Serpent’s Column shows that 31 cities opposed the Persians.
® Peloponnesians constantly suggesting retreating to the Isthmus, which some allies didn’t want as that would leave their territory unguarded, [Herodotus]
® “the Athenians made the insufferable behaviour of Pausanias their excuse of depriving the Lacedaemonians of the command” [Herodotus Histories 8.3
Describe Athenses rleationship with its allies (Thrace, Boetia and Ionia) (6)
® Originally liked by Ionians: “the justice of Aristides and the affability shown by Cimon” [Plutarch, Life of Aristides, 23]
® Spartans and allies defeat the Athenians at Battle of Tangra (457) but 62 days later, the Athenians return and win the Battle of Oenophyta, securing Boeotia and Phocis. [Thucydides, 108]
® After Cornoea (447) “The Athenians then made a treaty by which they got back their prisoners at the price of evacuating the whole of Boeotia” [Thucydides, History of The Peloponnesian War, 1.113]
® “The Athenians also feared that their allies would revolt, since Brasidas was […] constantly declaring wherever he went that his mission was the liberation of Hellas”. This and Athens’ defeat at Delium (424) inspired them and they “begging him to march on their territory” [Thucydides]
® One year peace is signed in 423, which Thucydides says the Spartans do because they want the hostages back, and the Athenians to buy time to fortify their allies against invasions by Brasidas.
® “the whole of Hellas, after the great disaster in Sicily, turned immediately against Athens” + neutral states joined Sparta and “the subjects of Athens were all ready to revolt” [Thucydides]
Describe relationships between sparta and Argos (2)
® (421) Argos refused to make a new peace treaty and fearing a war with her, Sparta made an alliance with Athens. [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 5.22]
® Battle of Mantinea (418): Argive army marches to meet Spartans with 1000 Athenian hoplites and a Mantinean force. Overwhelming Spartan victory. Reasserts military superiority. [Thucydides]
Describe the relationship between sparta and athens during the persian war (6)
® (490) Sparta fails to show up for Marathon: Spartans “did not wish to break their law” by sending help before the full moon. [Herodotus Histories 6.106]
® (480) “the other members of the confederacy had stipulated for a Lacedaemonian commander” [Herodotus, Histories, Book 8]
® Eurybiades and the allies are only willing to fight at Salamis after Themistocles threatens to have the Athenians leave for Siris in Italy to create a new city, as without Athens their forces were insufficient: “I think that his chief motive was apprehension of losing Athenian support” [Herodotus, 8.63]
® (478) “the Athenians made the insufferable behaviour of Pausanias their excuse of depriving the Lacedaemonians of the command” [Herodotus Histories 8.3]
® Thucydides says the Spartans were fine allowing the Athenians to take the hegemony, but Diodorus Siculus 11.50 shows the debate over the hegemony (477) and paints a different picture.
® (479) After the second offer from Mardonius to medize, the Spartans are slow to mobilise, causing the Athenians to have to leave Athens, and Herodotus suggests this is because the Isthmus wall was nearly finished and that the Peloponnesians only really cared about protecting the Peloponnese.
describe the tensions between athens and sparta during pentecontaetia (5)
® Pentecontaetia= 50 years between Persian and Peloponnesian Wars. It led to rise of Athenian power as head of Delian League, which worsened relations between leading Greek states
® Counter: Athens and Sparta were still allies in 464BC which led to Sparta asking them for help in besieging Mount Ithome. Counter to the counter: The Spartans ended up mistrusting the Athenians and sending them home, which worsened relations. [Thucydides]
® Corinthians to Athenian delegation: “we prevented the Peloponnesian states from helping Samos” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.41]
® (c.478 but uncertain) Themistocles had the Athenians keep the Spartan envoys sent to check if the wall was being built in Athens until the walls were high enough. [Thucydides, 1.91]
® Battle of Tanagra (457) was the first battle they thought against one another and was a victory for Sparta although soon afterwards Athens took control of Boeotia. [Thucydides]
Explain the corinthian complaint (4)
® Corinth and Athens already had poor relations: (460-59) Megara joined the Delian League due to a border war with Corinth and “it was chiefly because of this that the Corinthians began to conceive a bitter hatred for Athens.”. [Thucydides, 1.103]
® “war could be avoided if Athens would revoke the Megarian Decree” [Thucydides, 1.139]
® “Do not force the rest of us in despair to join a different alliance” [Thucydides, 1.71]
® “when one is deprived of one’s liberty one is right in blaming not so much the man who puts the fetters on as who had the power to prevent him, but did not use it” [Thucydides]
describe positive relations between athens and sparta (4)
® The 5 Year Peace (451) that Thucydides tells us about could be evidence of good relations.
® Cleon and Brasidas died at Amphipolis “the two people who on each side had been most opposed to peace” [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 5.16]
® (421) Post Peace of Nicias when Spartan allies were unhappy with them due to the terms of the treaty being unfair. “Sparta and Athens shall be allies for fifty years” [Thucydides, 5.23]
® 411 there was an oligarchic coup that took Athens over from the democracy and it is plausible that whilst it was in place it was a period of good relations as these oligarchs were pro-Sparta.
describe hostile examples between athens and sparta (6)
® Demosthenes and epiteichismos (425) : He captured Pylos and set up a fort.
® 292 of the 440 hoplites at Sphacteria were captured alive and 120 of these were of the Spartan officer class. [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 4.38]
® The Spartans attempt to make a truce with Athens whilst Sphacteria and Pylos are ongoing, but due to the unreasonable terms presented by Cleon, it does not succeed. [Thucydides, 4.21-2]
® Battle of Mantinea (418): Argive army marches to meet Spartans with 1000 Athenian hoplites and a Mantinean force. [Thucydides]
® Thucydides says Peace of Nicias did nothing, as it would be “an error of judgement to consider the interval of agreement as anything else except a period of war” as neither side gave back everything they should, and Mantinea happened during this time.
® After the events of the earthquake, the Athenians rescind the alliance with Sparta that existed due to the Hellenic League and the Persian Wars. [Thucydides
describe the bad relations between sparta and athens at the end of the period (3)
® The war “concluded by the foresight and skill of one man” [Plutarch, Life of Lysander, 11]
® Ionian war was a war of attrition where Athens slowly lost its resources.
® The Corinthians, in the second congress of the Peloponnesian League in 432 say that once Athens loses a battle at sea, the war will be over for them. [Thucydides] Appears to use benefit of hindsight as this indeed is what happens after Aegospotami in 406.
