Peloponnesian Wars

Tribute

A type of taxes they payed as a sign of allegiance

War Crimes

1. Sparta put to death anyone captured at sea 2. Athens executed two diplomats without any charge or trial 3. Citizens of Potidaea became cannibals when they ran out of food 4. Scione and Melos (Athenians) = enslaved whole cities 5. Athens cut off prisoners hands as a symbol 5. Athenian commander ordered prisoners of one battle thrown overboard

Syracuse/Sicily Campaign

415 - 413 The Athenians decided to attempt to cut of Sparta's food source in Sicily which would have gone well if the Mysteries did not happen. The attack that Alcibiades snitched to Spartans about. Nicias led the expedition eventhough he was opposed to it because he didn't think it would work now that Alcibiades snitched, still went on the mission then when things were going poorly he sent in reinforcements. Then Demosthenes comes in and helps some, but Sparta had all the momentum and the war in Sicily had long been a battle for allies and they accumulated enough to outwit Athenians; some literally jumped to their deaths from a cliff, lost a lot of money, men, and ships Note: Persia allies with Sparta

Profanation of Mysteries and Mutilation of the Herms

415 BC Reports of young drunken men profaning sacred mysteries, damaged statue of Hermae (patron of travelers), this terrified the Athenians because they are about to take there mission to Sicily, the druekn men are friends of Alcibiades, the government proceeds to put them on trial, he goes on the expedition before they can do so, they still have the trial and sentence him to death, someone catches up to his ship and tells him of this news and he escapes to Sparta. He then explains to Sparta that he is valuable because he knows the Athenians war plans, Sparta turns on him so then he flees to Persia then to the oligarchic Athenians, and then eventually the Athenians need him so they take him back and drop his charges

Peace of Nicias

421-418 Supposed to last 50 years only lasted 3 Corinth among others rejected it because of how many colonies or alliances were exchanged as part of the peace

Xenophon

428-354 Favored Sparta, only other source whose work has survived, who witnessed the events he describes

Megara

432, causes 2nd war, Megara switches to Sparta's side during 1st war, geographically important because it is between Sparta and Athens, Megara had apparentlu taken lands too close to Athens and had taken sides with Corinth agaisnt Corcyra and Athens. Pericles ordered the first embargo in recorded history, leading Corinth to beg Sparta to declare war on Athens

Thirty Years Peace Treaty

445 Between Leagues (Ending the 1st War) Didn't allow any city state (Athenian or Spartan) to change sides, all future conflicts had to be "talked out" (arbitration) between Sparta and Athens before anyone could attack,

Plutarch

46-127 AD Most chronologically distant Born in Greece, Boeotia Became a Roman citizen but lived in Greece Achieved widespread popularity because of his writings Served as the equivalent of priest, mayor, judge, ambassador

Thucydides

460-397 Tried to prove through detail and logic Rants about Herodotus claiming his methods were incorrect however there are still similarities between the 2 of them

Ephors

5 of the highest Spartan magistrates, who with the kings formed the main executive wing of the state, elected from assembly

Phalanx

50 shields across, 7-8 deep, forms a turtle shell

Ionian Greeks

A tribe in Asian minor on the other side of Aegean, allied with the Athenians, provoked Persians but after Greeks win thanks to Athens

Oligarchic Revolt

Alcibiades convinces Persians (his new ally) to encourage Athenian oligarchs to other throw the democracy, which fails

Laconia

Another term for Sparta

Assembly

Any male citizen could "attend, vote, make proposals, and debate" Met 40 times a year Voted on everything (expeditions, number and specific nature of ships and men, where the funds should be spent, commanders, and the instructions to give the commanders)

Demosthenes

Athenian general, light-armed javelinmen, sophisticated tactics to compensate for being outnumbered, was friends with Kleon so he had some input but when Kleon died he no longer had a say in things, could have changed the fate of the war

Theramenes and Thrasybulus

Athenians, Lysander, The 2 captains that were asked to stay behind to help save the wounded where the weather got bad and their men refused to follow orders, then they went straight back to Athens presuming that they would have to defend themselves but at first they didn't, slowly though word spread about the unretrieved bodies so the generals wrote to assembly blaming the captains, they are ordered back for trial and they both flee, they are voted to death, and they lose attempts to serve as generals, Lysander defeats the Athenian strategy and sends troops on land to get camp too, Athens still has 10 ships left, and no money to fund = war over, athenian prisoners killed in response to the general devastation of war, Lysander sends prisoners to Athens and then orders death penalties to anyone sending grain through Hellespont to Athens, replaces democracies with oligarchies, Sparta told Athen's allies that they were the side fighting to liberate Greece, implying that Athens was the destroyer of freedom, Athens surrenders

Force levels at the beginning of the war

Athens: Strong Navy and Treasury 13k aged 20-45, 16k above or below who could guard; 400 ships; 1000 talents annual revenue (400 internal, 600 tribute); 6000 total in treasury (about 3 years' worth) Sparta: Lots of soldiers, few ships, no treasury possibly 60k; 100 ships; no treasury

Brasidas

Best spartan general of first ten years of war, died at battle of Amphipolis, same battle Kelon died at; considered the most bellicose leaders of each side

Potidaea

Causes 2nd War, Founded by Corinth, became a member of Delian League, in 432 they rebelled against Athens, Athens knew Corinth wanted revenge so Athens asked Potidaea to cut of any relations with them but they refused. Since Potidaea was so far away from Athens it costed them alot of money to stop their rebellion and Athen's tries to surround the colony but Sparta demands that Athens surrender, through the process Athens loses alot of money, men, and food.

Plataea

Causes 2nd war, Tiny ally of Athens, between Athens and Thebes (spartan allied city), Thebes plotted with people in Plataea to overthrow the Athenian government and change it into an Ogliarchy, the attack failed, the democratic Plataeans took the them hostage and went too far executing them Leading to both sides having allies who have clearly broken the terms of the 30 years of peace, so Sparta sends an army to invade as close to Athens as possible and Athens sends its navy to attack as close to Sparta

Corcyra

Causes Second Peloponnesian War, Corcyra, a former former corinthian colony, attacks another former Corinthian colony nearby (Epidamnus), which angered Corinth, then Corinth intervenes and wins the battle. Corcyra and Corinth try to gain Athens as an ally because of the Athenian navy. Athens chooses Corcyra's side, which causes Corinth to be angry and claimed if Sparta or Athens started allying with other (neutral) city states at war then would be an act of agression, important because it is a demonstration of how a local issue becomes an international one Corinth begs Sparta to start containing Athens because Corcyra wasn't a member of either league so Athens did not violate the 30 years peace

Helots

Conquered Slave Population

Boule

Daily decision makers, council 500 chosen randomly to prepare bills to vote on Often richer citizens were the ones who could afford the time to serve

Delium

Disastrous battle for Athens. Lost momentum from Pylos Socrates fought in as a hoplite Alcibiades in cavalry Fascinating tactics by Spartans

End of Persian Wars

Ends in 449

Epidamnus

Former Corinthian colonly attacked by Corcrya

Peloponnesian/Spartan League

Founded by Sparta and Athens do defend against the Persians If the spartans used it they risked a Helot revolt behind their lines at home If they didn't use it then allies would defect Didn't last for long, was a bit outdated

Delian League

Founded in 478, an alliance among the greek city-states united against Persia, treasury moves from Delos to Athens, Persian War ends but the Athenians continue to use it to intimidate other greeks into obeying them and paying taxes, and abandoning their navies Start of the Peloponnesian War

Themistocles

Godfather of triremes, mobile, fast ships with bronze battering ram, that would place in Athens' future, important during the Persian war, built walls

Mytilenean Debate

Has to do with Mytilene, member of Delian League but an oligarchy, Mytilene revolted twice against Athens, after the first revolt, they voted to execute everyone and destroy the city

Spartan Assembly

In the situation of Megara and Potidaea, the ephors call the Spartan assembly in order to discuss complaints against Athens, even those who wanted to avoid war also said to prepare for war, they didn't attack for a year and sent three missions to Athens

Ionian War

Last phase of the war, called this because Sparta sparks revolutions in Ionia, Sparta doesn't start off well though (wants to defend whats theirs), Sparta attempts to create a deeper alliance with Persia, plans to cut off Athens food supply in Hellespont, Oligarchic revolt in Athens which falls apart, nevertheless a group of people use assassination, intimidation, and violence to end the Athenian democracy (which succeeds), try to make peace with Sparta and keep themselves in power, which states that Sparta will give up their sea-based empire and they try to start an oligarchic revolution in Samos one of the biggest Ionian Island (fails), Alcibiades allies with the moderates and they try to stop the oligarchs from a plot to let Sparta just conquer Athens, so the Athenian oligarchy starts to crumble, Spartan Allies win a battle at Euobea, Athenians win at Cynossema in Hellespont and Abydos and Cyzicus, Spartans ask for peace, and Athens rejects it, Athens restores its democratic rights, then Athens loses some Ionian battles, the Alcibiades wins a few battles and is able to return to Athens and is elected general.

Nicias

Leader of "peace party", was against Sicily/Syracuse campaign but Athenians elected him general anyway

Lysander

Lysander rose to power in Sparta (best naval commander/thinker they had) simultaneously with Cyrus' rise in Persia, and they both needed a big military victory to solidify their power/futures, Alcibiades has to leave to go to a meeting and tells his subordinate to not attack Lysander no matter the circumstances, the subordinate does it anyway, causing the Athenians to lose at Notium

Arginusae

Lysander, Huge Athenian upset, Athens decides to spread out their ships (risky move because Sparta could isolate them but harder to outflank them), then to prevent spartan ships from getting in between two Athenian ships and ramming them, the Athenians had their first and second lines staggered (could have changed the war if they had done more of this), Sparta proposes peace and Athens rejects it, Spartans have to give Lysander back command b/c there was nobody elese

Aegopotami

Lysander, In Hellespont, at Aegospotami (name of the battle and the shoreline), Alcibiades shows up again offering soldiers from nearby kingdoms but generals didn't trust him or his motives so they turned him down

Archons

Magistrates, supervising loval government

Corinth

Major trading post

Melian Dialogue

Melos: Athens tried to force them to join Delian League and pay tribute in 416

Naupactus

Moment when Athens could have won, Phormio overcoming 2:! odds at Naupactus

First Peloponnesian War

Mostly between Athens and Corinth, Thasos, a greek city state (In the Delian League who tried to leave), was trying to take control of a local gold mine that Athens claimed they controlled as the head of the league, Athens attacks Thasos, Spartans get involved when they promise to help Thasos to invade Attica, which forces Athens to keep their forces in Attica rather than Thasos, but then their is an Earthquake in Sparta and the Helot take advantage of this and try to revolt, Sparta attempts to get help from Peloponnesian League even though the League had been outdated for a while, Athens comes and is rejected by Sparta (because the Spartans though Athens had a plan to sabotage them), the wall building was going on, see Boeotia and Megara and Thirty Years peace notes

Hellenes

Name of Greeks of all places

Kleon

Pericles' successor, popular with the people, he won control of Athenian military through charismatic speeches to assemblies; used military to crush Spartans in one particular battle Refused a Spartan peace offer b/c it had to be negotiated in secret

Persian Empire and Persian Wars

Persia conquered Ionia and other allies of Athens, when some of those allies tried to resist Persia they got help from their Athenian allies, they attack Marathon, in attica, (the region where athens was), Athens wins eventhough they were outnumbered 3 to 1, Persia attacks Athens directly, Athenians flee their army behind an island (Salamis),

Attica

Region around Athens

Hermae

Ritual busts of Hermes, messenger of Zeus and patron of travelers

Kyrpteia

Secret teenage police force to control helots trying to organize a revolution

Hoplon

Shield, 20 lbs

Alcibiades

Son of a military commander, he was born into Athenian nobility, raised by Pericles, while Pericles must have been a great rolemodel we was preoccupied with the government, therefore he grew up very selfish, he attempts to make peace on his own but when he couldn't be the center of attention he undermined it, lost a huge battle, had to redeem himself, doubled down on aggresiveness, led to the "War Party"

Boeotia

Sparta had taken it and they became anti-Athens, Athens reconquers it and then Sparta conquers in again during the 1st war

Results of War

Sparta puts 30 tyrants in charge of Athens, overthrown by Thrasybulus, within 30 years, Spartans lost major battle to Thebes and power is broken

Sparta and Ogligarchy

Sparta's government was an Ogliarchy, which means that they had few people in power that were very wealthy and considered the elite

Lacedaemon

Sparta, named after it's mythical founder

Periokoi

Subordinates in Sparta, traders

Apothetae

The cliff where the unfit babies were thrown, not proven true, lack of bones

Hellespont

The key waterway between Athens and its major food source

Pericles

The main figure in Thucdides: was the leading Athenian politician and general Supported use of Delian League funds to improve quality of life and cult worship in Athens, which caused him to gain popularity amongst the Athenians (and he built temples with that money) Strengthened walls built by Themistocles

Archidamian War

The name for the first phase of the war; named after a Spartan leader whose strategy was to surround Athens and deprive it of food by forcing them to remain in their own walls, Pericles brags about how Athens will win because there democracy is better than the Spartan Oligarchy but then he dies right after his speech, there is also a Typhoid Fever spread within the walls of Athens and a majority of them die, (25-50%)

Plutarch Ideas

The parallel lives: 23 paired bios of a Greek and a Roman, to teach morality through stories One of only sources on Spartans, but writing 500-1000 years after events he describes Used sources from the period of decline of Sparta; often exaggerated things like Sparta courage of egalitarianism Level of detail he used was encouraging that he had access to sources that are now extinct and places that have been destroyed

Argos

They had a 25 year treaty alliance with Sparta that was expiring in the time of the Peace of Nicias, then they agreed to another treaty but this time with Corinth and then allied with democratic city states in the Peloponnesus to rebel against Sparta but they lose Battle of Mantinea and have to switch back to Sparta;s side

Dorian Greeks

Tribe of greeks who settled in Peloponese

Athenian democracy and culture

We get our democracy today from it Athens' 100 political dominance from their democratic government Has a humiliating defeat at the end of the Peloponnesian War Fifth Century had a radical democracy because the citizens voted directly on most matters of pressing public concern Representative democracy turns into a direct one Citizens of Athens contrast with the Helots Citizens voted on 10 generals and had to report to assembly at least 10 times a year, could punish them if they made a mistake

Diodorus

Wrote in 1st century BC, italian prospective Had acess to Thucydides and others that we know existed and had been written close to the event but that have not survived through to us