One of the most significant events in ancient Greek history, which enveloped the cities of the ancient Greek world and forever changed the Ancient Greek region was The Peloponnesian War.
The Peloponnesian War was one war fought in ancient Greece between Athens and Sparta: the two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece at that time (431 to 405 B.C.E.). This war resulted in a power shift from Athens to Sparta, and Sparta became the most powerful city in the region. The war featured two periods of combat warfare separated by a six-year truce.
Athens and Sparta had previously quarrelled in the decades prior to the war. One of Sparta’s allies, The Corinth, had directly engaged the Athenian army. As a Spartan ally, Corinth resumed hostilities toward Athens when Corinth’s interests in the region surrounding Corcyra were threatened by Athens.
This eventually got Sparta involved in the conflict. The Spartan army began by raiding lands within Attica, a particular region near Athens and an Athenian allied territory. The Athenians had built walls stretching from their seaport to the city of Athens.
The walls had helped protect Athens from direct assault, and its leader, Pericles, urged Athens not to engage in direct land battles with the Spartans. Instead, the Athenians used their navy to deliver troops into the Spartan territory to conduct raids on their settlements.
After years of open combat and warfare, Sparta offered peace and Athens accepted. The agreement was made official with the signing of the Peace of Nicias. The treaty stated that Athens and Sparta would defend each other for the next fifty (50) years. However, the treaty only lasted six years of truce.
Hostilities resumed between Athens and Sparta with an Athenian assault launched at Sicily. Sparta decided to retaliate. Learning from its past experiences with the Athenian navy, they established a fleet of warships.
It would be another decade of warfare before the Spartan general Lysander defeated the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami. This defeat led to Athenian surrender. As a result, the Peloponnesian War was concluded. Occurring at the same time with the end of this conflict, came the end of the golden age of ancient Greece.
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