Topic 3: Peace and Conflict 446 - 431 Flashcards
Thirty years peace -
446 BC
Thucydides
- Each tribe kept their allies once the treaty ended.
- Athens had to give up lots of land it recently obtained.
- Revoke the Megaian decree and give Aegina independace
- # If any ally revolted it would break the teaty
- Any neutral state could ally itself with either alliance
- They could settle desputes through arbitration without war
- Argos was excluded from the peace treaty and was at peace with Athens.
Samos and Miletus
Thucydides and Plutach
- Part of the Delian league, Miletus asked Athens for help so they overthrew Samos oligrrachy and replaced with democracy.
- The Samian leaders asked to the Pesian satrap for help and they pushed the Athenian leaders out.
- Athens fougbt back and after 9 months the Samians surrendered. They were forced to hand their navy to Athens and oay them tribute.
- Athens took 50 boys and 50 men as hostages
- Plutarch doesnt believe that Pericles treated the Captains that way as it was porbably exaggerated to make Athens look bad.
- Plutarch is more eliable as he doesnt blindly beleive what is written by others, and was influenced by Thucydides.
- This resulted in tention between Athens and Sparta who tried to stat a war but were stopped by th ePelopponesian league.
Epidamnus and Cocyra
Thycydides
- In 435 Epidamnus asked corcyra for help and refused, so they asked Corinth who accepted.
- They wanted to gain influence in Corcyra.
- Corinth sent them militay forces leading to a seige and the battle of Leucimme.
- Corcyra were a potential ally for Athens as it had 120 ships and it was neutral.
- Corinth argued that they couldnt ally with Athens as it was in revolt.
- Corinth had given Athens 20 ships and prpevented the Pelop league from helping Samos.
- In the end Athens allied themaleves with Corcyra and in 433 the Corinthians attacked them.
Potideae
Thucydides
- It was in awkwad position as it was a su bject state of Athens but also a Corinthian colony.
- Athens’ 4 demands were pull down the fortifications
- Send hostages to Atheens
- Banish Corinthian magistrates adn refuse to recieve those who wee send out annually to replace Corinth.
- In response, Sparta agreed to invade Attica uf Potidaea was attacked by Athens.
- In the edn they didnt wnat a war with Athens so when Potidaea revolted the Corimthians sent an amy to support which loed to a three year seige.
Megara
All/Thucydides.
- Issues arise from the Megarian decee, which banned Megarians from using Athenian ports and agora’s. This did significant damage to Megara’s economy.
- 4 reasons for the Megarian decee were that it was to deter any other states from helping Athens’ enemies, since Megara had sent 8 ships to help Corinth against Athens.
- That they had killed an envoy which was a serious religious crime.
- To distract Athenians attention away from Pericles’ friends’ trial for embezzlement.
- Some blamed Pericles’ mistess for passing the decree.
- Thucydides suggests this tention may have been a significant cause for the Pelopponesian war.
- He also claims that it was a majo bsource ofcinflict with Sparta.
Aegina and Ambracian Gulf
- Aegina was allied with Athens but not given the independance promised from the treaty.
- Thucydides says that they had a considerable pat in fomenting the war behind the scenes.
- Conflict was also taking place in the Ambracain Gulf between three groups:
- The Ambracians
- The Amphilochians
- And the Acarnanians.
- They appealed to Athens for help and they agreed, meaning that they wee yet again interfeing with Corinthian affairs.
Spartan decision to go to war
Thucydides
- Thucydides blames Corinth for the increase in tention due to the Corinthian Complaint.
- In this the Corinthians accused Sparta of not listening to their grievences and instead suspecting them.
- The Corinthians warned Sparta that they had knowledge of the Athenian methods of attack.
- The Corinthians seem to be trying to warn and intimidate Sparta with their knowledge.
- Athens responds by sayin that Spatans way of life doesnt mix well with the way of othes even if they did take the Athenian empire.
- King Archidamus ii worried that they didnt have enough money or resources.
- But if they waited Athens would only grow stronger.
Athenian decision to go to war.
- Sparta offeed one last time to not go to wa if Athens gave the greeks thei freedom.
- But this would mean giving up their source of wealth and trade and go against the terms of the original 30 year peace treaty.
- Acting under the advice of Pericles, Athens rejected thi final offe which made war inevitable.
- Pericles said that Sparta didnt use arbitation, instead settling complaints by war.
- It was insulting that they ordeed Athenes to give up their empire.
- Pericles argued that if the poeple firmly declared war that they would be heroic and brave rather than seemingly fearful.
Sources
*THUCYDIDES - After 9 months the Samians surrendered and pulled down their walls”
* THUCYDIDES - Corinth complained thatt by “helping Corcyra they would be making war on Corinth” they cant make an alliance just because they revolted.
* THUCYDIDES - “This gave Corinth its first cause for wa against Athens.
* THUCYDIDES - “What had been done so fa had been done on the private initiative of Corinth.” - aboutb Potidaea.
* ARISTOPHANES ACHARNIANS - Perincles’ mistress.
* THYCIDIDES - “Wa could be avoided if they revolked the Megarian decree”
* THUCYDIDES - “Corinth used Aegina to accuse Athens of breaking the treaty.”