Week 9: Peloponnesian War Pt. I Flashcards
What is the name for an older, more mature homosexual lover?
Erastes
What is the name for a young boy lover in a homosexual relationship?
Eronemos
How did Eronemos show sexual restraint?
By refusing sex from the older Erastes
Why did Eronemos want to show sexual restraint?
Because sexual restraint was seen as highly attractive
What was unacceptable in homosexual sex and why?
Anal penetration.
Because to be penetrated is to have NO power. ex. only women get penetrated NOT men.
In Homer’s Illiad, who is Achilles’ Eronemos?
Patroklus
The Spartans viewed pederasty as an _____________.
Educational experience
Which two places had institutionalized pederasty that inspired it in Athens?
Sparta & Crete
The main focus of ancient Greek Pederasty was _________.
Education (not sex)
Where did one go to find an Erastes?
At the various Gymnasions
How did Gymnasiums restrain pederasty in their institutions?
- They banned anyone with a record of child rape to enter the gymnasia
- And they generally prohibited untrustsworthy individuals from entering the gymnasia
True or False:
Laws were made against customers of male prostitutes and male pimps.
TRUE
Most Greeks were accustomed to a pederastic homosexual relationship, BUT, some looked down upon ___________
Adult to Adult homosexuality
How many years did the Peloponnesian War last?
27
Which historian predicted the events and began to take notes on the Spartan-Athenian tension since day 1?
Thucydides
What did Thucydides say the TRUE cause of the Peloponnesian War was?
Spartan fear of Athenian power
How did Thucydides predict this war from day 1?
He said that since the two states were at the height of their power, war was INEVITABLE
Which 2 natural phenomenons occurred A LOT more frequently in the Peloponnesian War compared to the previous Persian wars?
- Solar Eclipses
- Earthquakes
What is the main difference between the type of warfare between the Persian wars and the Peloponnesian wars?
- Persian wars were decided in 2 land battles and 2 sea battles
- Peloponnesian war raged for decades, with long term major campaigns
What are the 4 causes of the FIRST Peloponnesian war?
- The Naupactus incident
- Athens builds the Long Walls
- Athens fights against Corinth, Sicyon, Aegina and even Sparta briefly
- Athens annexes Boeotia, Phokis and Aegina
What 3 places did Athens annex to the great annoyance of the Spartans?
- Boeotia
- Phokis
- Aegina
Which 2 states are the first to successfully LEAVE Athens & the Delian League in revolt?
- Euboea
- Megara
In what year was the 30 Years Peace declared?
445 BC
What are the 2 conditions of the 30 Years Peace?
- Athens gets bases in the Peloponnese
- Non Interference clause
(don’t fuck with each other’s allies)
What occurred in Corcyra in 433 BC?
- The Corcyrans were at war with Corinth over control of Epidamnus
- Both sides plea to Athens for help
- Athens chooses Corcyra
What 3 places are seen as the causes of the Peloponnesian War?
- Epidamnus (corinth and corcyra war)
- Potidea
- Megara
In what year did Sparta release an ultimatum?
432 BC
Which state did Athens demand the allegiance of after it sided with Corinth?
Potidea
Who did Athens embargo after they switched allegiances to Sparta?
Megara
In the 432 BC ultimatum, Sparta threatened to attack unless Athens…………. (3 things)
- Expelled the “accursed” from Athens (Alkmeonidae)
- Stopped its embargo of Megara
- Stopped its blockade of Potidea
In what 3 ways did Athens find funding for the war?
- Taxing the Delian League Allies
- The Acropolis treasury
- Melting down statues from the Acropolis
True or False:
Athens didn’t have the money to wage a proper war.
FALSE
Athens was SUPER RICH and had more than enough money.
What 2 things worried Athens at the onset of the Peloponnesian war?
- Concern over allies tribute payments and unsustainable financial regulations
- Concern over Sparta’s superior land forces
What did Pericles say Athens was in his Funeral Oration?
The “School of Greece”
How does the Plague undermine Pericles’ Funeral Oration’s message?
- The plague showed that when democracy is truly tested, lawlessness and anarchy take over
- It also infers that you can plan an idealize democracy all you want, but wildcards do exist, and it will shake the system
What is Pericles’ strategy for winning the Peloponnesian War?
- Rely on our navy (keep up naval trade, and blockade pro-spartan cities)
- Don’t take any big risks
After Pericles’ death, what do the Athenians do about his strategy?
They forget it and drop it
According to Thucydides, Athens democracy is more of a monarchy, and is _______________
“Government by the first citizen”
What prevented Athens from having skilled political leadership after Pericles’ death?
- Because Pericles was so good a statesman, everyone listened to him, so he didn’t have to worry about losing power
- But, his successors, who weren’t ass skilled or well liked, worried more about their power than the governing itself
According to Thucydides, why did Athens lose the Peloponnesian War?
- Athens Democracy is more like a monarchy
- Internal political conflict after Pericles’ death
True or False
Our account of the Funeral Oration was written by Pericles himself.
FALSE
Thucydides was there and wrote it down how he remembered it after.
Where was the mass grave pit for plague victims in Athens?
Keirameikos Cemetery
Which Athenian admiral defeated a Spartan navy at Naupactus in 429 BC?
Phormio
(this is a sign of the superior Athenian navy)
Who claimed victory in Phormio’s naval action in Naupactus in 429 BC?
The helots of Naupactus who helped the Athenians
Where was the first use of siege equipment?
- Used by the Spartans during the siege of Plataea
429 BC- 427 BC
Why don’t the Athenians help the Plateans when the Spartans besiege them?
Because Athens is dealing with the Plague back home
After they surrendered to the Spartans, what was the fate of the Plataeans?
- All Platean prissoners are executed
- Women and children sold into slavery
- The city is given to the Thebans (who hated the plateans)
- The Thebans raise the city to the ground
What occurs during the trial of the Plateans after the siege?
- King Archidamus of Sparta asks the Plateans what they had done for Sparta
- Plateans said they fought valiantly in the Persian Wars
- Plateans begged not to have the Thebans take them over
Where was the capriciousness of Athenian democracy shown best?
The Revolt of Mytilene 428 BC
- Mytilene revolts against Athens
- Cleon says kill all Mytelenians
- But, assembly changed their minds the next day
- They send a ship to race to Mytilene to prevent the slaughter (they arrive barely on time)
Where did Spartans seemignly surrender for the first time?
Pylos (the island of Sphacteria)
- Cleon (with no military knowledge) masterfully pins the Spartans on the small island of Sphacteria and blockades them
- A spartan campfire accidentaly burns all trees, giving away their cover
- For weeks, Athenian archers on boats picked them off one by one
- The 292 (120 of them spartiates) Spartans SURRENDER
When does Athens refuse the first Spartan peace offer?
425 BC
How many times did Athens refuse Spartan peace offers in the Peloponnesian War?
3 times
What was the name of the pro-Spartan leader in the Athenian colony of Amphipolis that took over the city with the help of Spartan troops?
Brasidas
(he dies later in the battle but is worshipped as a hero)
What Athenian general is sent to deal with the situation in Amphipolis?
Thucydides (yes the historian)
How does Thucydides’ command go?
Very Poorly
- Thucydides arrives far too late, and is SACKED from command
Which Athenian general is sent to replace Thucydides?
Cleon
(he dies in this battle)
Why does Thucydides hate Cleon?
Because Cleon was a commoner who worked his way up
Despite hating him, what good quality did Thucydides attribute Cleon?
Honour (death in battle)
Who does Alcibiades decide to pick on for his own glory?
Melos
Explain Melos’ neutrality
- Melos had very distant ancestral links to Sparta, and gave them 3 oxen a year for a common sacrifice.
- BUT, the Melians are NOT allies with Sparta, NOR Athens. They are firmly neutral.
The Melian dialogue is a dialogue between ……..
Alcibiades and the Melians
Summarize the Melian dialogue
- Alcibiades says either pay Athens tribute or be destroyed
- Melians say there is no need to destroy us we are neutral
- Alcibiades says THE STRONG DO WHAT THEY CAN, AND THE WEAK SUFFER WHAT THEY MUST\
What is Alcibiades’ super famous quote from the Melian dialogue?
The strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must.
What is the fate of Melos?
Athens besieges it and slaughters all the men and sells the women and children into slavery
Who does Thucydides use as an image of what is wrong with Athens?
Alcibiades
The First Peloponnesian War is often known as…..
The Archidamian War (after the Spartan king who started it)
Who initiated the First Peloponnesian War?
King Archidamus of Sparta
