Peloponnesian War

History of the War

The cause of the Peloponnesian War dates back to the time of the Greek wars with the Persians in the early 5th century BCE. Sparta, with its totally land-based military, had taken command of the Hellenic League. The seafaring powers resented [Page 970]Sparta's leadership, especially over naval forces. Athens, a sea power, accepted leadership of a new league of sea-power states called the Delian League in 479–478 BCE. Sparta remained the leader of the land-power states called the Peloponnesian League. Tension mounted between Athens and Sparta until war broke out in 460 BCE. The causes of the conflict, sometimes called the First Peloponnesian War, include Spartan suspicion of the growing Athenian empire, the defection of the city of Megara to Athens, and the Athenian construction of a long wall to the sea. The war continued until the both sides ratified the Thirty Years' Peace in 445 BCE.

The conflict restarted in 431 BCE, beginning the Peloponnesian War. Historians divide the war into three phases: the Archidamian war (431–421), the Sicilian campaigns (420–413), and the Decelean war (413–404). In the Archidamian war, Sparta launched brief land invasions into Attica in hopes of scaring Athens into capitulation. This strategy did not work, for two reasons. First, Sparta was far from home, which made sustaining operations difficult. Second, Sparta's slave class, the Helots, was always at risk of revolting when the army was away. Therefore, the Spartan army tended to keep excursions brief in order to prevent a Helot uprising. Athens, following the advice of their army general, Pericles, chose to fight a passive war, to remain behind her strong city walls, and to avoid a direct land battle. Athens did raid the Peloponnesian coast using her superior navy. Their aim was to harass Sparta and her allies in the hope that the Spartans would withdraw to Peloponnesus and sue for peace. Neither strategy worked nor could one side exploit the other side's weakness in order to win a decisive battle. This period concluded with the Peace of Nicias in 421 BCE.

The peace reflected poorly on Sparta in that its allies thought Sparta had sold them out; however, it gave the Athenians time to rest, rearm, and reevaluate their strategy. Athens, with a new general named Alcibiades, a new fleet, a replenished treasury, and a pacified empire, decided to take the offensive. Athens convinced Argos, Sparta's greatest rival, to join the alliance. Athens sent troops to Argos for a battle with Sparta, but they were too few in number. Sparta won the battle and regained the momentum; Athens had lost an opportunity to win the war.

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