The Peloponnesian War: Athens The Instigator
Athens the Instigator
“If we do go to war, have no thought that you went to war over a trivial affair” (Thucydides, in Hunt 101). The Peloponnesian War lasted longer than any other pervious war in Greece. The war began in 431 BCE with Sparta’s invasion of Athens. The Athenians sacrificed the destruction of their private property in order to hide in the safety of their city. The Long Walls of Athens protected its citizens and preserved its population. The Spartans however had the upper hand in infantry while the Athenians were superior at sea. With the aid of Persia, Sparta eventually defeats Athens at Syracuse in 404 BCE after a continuous twenty-seven years at war (Hunt 104). The creation of the Delian League, the reign of Pericles, the aggravation of Corinth, and the refusal to negotiate made Athens the sole instigator for the long and violent Peloponnesian War.
The Delian League began after the Persian War as a democratic alliance between Athens and the city-states of northern …show more content…
Pericles’ supporters said he was defending Athenian honor and protecting foreign trade. Pericles sternly orated to the Athenian assembly to not yield to Spartan demands (Hunt 101). Historian Thucydides, outlines Pericles speech to the assembly:
If you yield to their demands, they will immediately confront you with some larger demand, since they think that you only gave way on the first point out of fear. But if you stand firm, you will show them that they have to deal with you as equals… (Thucydides, in Hunt 102)
Pericles’ influence and the assembly’s refusal to negotiate, led the Spartans to believe that they must strike first in order to preserve their empire. The Athenians refusal negotiate with Sparta led to the first militaristic conflict in Peloponnese in fifteen
“If we do go to war, have no thought that you went to war over a trivial affair” (Thucydides, in Hunt 101). The Peloponnesian War lasted longer than any other pervious war in Greece. The war began in 431 BCE with Sparta’s invasion of Athens. The Athenians sacrificed the destruction of their private property in order to hide in the safety of their city. The Long Walls of Athens protected its citizens and preserved its population. The Spartans however had the upper hand in infantry while the Athenians were superior at sea. With the aid of Persia, Sparta eventually defeats Athens at Syracuse in 404 BCE after a continuous twenty-seven years at war (Hunt 104). The creation of the Delian League, the reign of Pericles, the aggravation of Corinth, and the refusal to negotiate made Athens the sole instigator for the long and violent Peloponnesian War.
The Delian League began after the Persian War as a democratic alliance between Athens and the city-states of northern …show more content…
Pericles’ supporters said he was defending Athenian honor and protecting foreign trade. Pericles sternly orated to the Athenian assembly to not yield to Spartan demands (Hunt 101). Historian Thucydides, outlines Pericles speech to the assembly:
If you yield to their demands, they will immediately confront you with some larger demand, since they think that you only gave way on the first point out of fear. But if you stand firm, you will show them that they have to deal with you as equals… (Thucydides, in Hunt 102)
Pericles’ influence and the assembly’s refusal to negotiate, led the Spartans to believe that they must strike first in order to preserve their empire. The Athenians refusal negotiate with Sparta led to the first militaristic conflict in Peloponnese in fifteen