Delian League Research Paper

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The Delian League Was the Delian League a success? In order to answer the question we should look at why the League was formed, how it operated, and how it transformed. Ultimately the success of the Delian League depends on who you are. The Delian League was established after negotiations on the island of Delos, in the temple of Apollo and Artemis, began in 477 BCE. The meeting created an alliance of Greek city-states against the threat of a Persian resurgence (Halsall, 1999). The war with Persia had ended only three years before, in 480 BCE, with the destruction of the Persian fleet at Salamis. It was the actions of the Athenians at Salamis, and the reluctance of the Spartans to pursue the enemy, not wanting to be too far from home, that…show more content…
In 467 Cimon was able to defeat the Persians in the battle of the Eurymedan River in Southern Asia Minor, effectively ending the threat of another Persian invasion, and allowing access to the gold mines in the area. The Thasians considered the area and the gold mines as a part of the Thasos region, and resented Athenian control in the area. In 465 Thasos withdrew from the Delian League, Athens with the support of other member states laid siege for three years, crushing the dissent. As punishment they were forced to pull down their defensive walls and pay dues and fines to the League (Martin,…show more content…
A pattern was becoming clear; attack the Persians, or pirates, or dissatisfied citizens, take control and force the territory to join the League, or pay fines if they were already a member (University of Vermont, n.d.). Allies were required to use Athenian coins, weights, and measures, supply ships, and troops for the war effort. Members who could not supply ships or troops were considered subordinate and had to pay a tribute (Moulton, 1998). States who found it taxing to supply manpower due to the prolonged fighting, especially in the areas previously occupied by the Persians, opted to pay the tribute. In the 454 BCE, the earliest surviving, list of tributes seventeen city states are listed as providing ships to the League, ten years later and only Lesbos, Chios, and Samos are listed along with Athens, all others were paying a tribute. 454 BCE is also the year Pericles, (ca. 495 – 429 BCE), moves the treasury of the Delian League from the island of Delos to Athens for safe keeping. With the transfer of the League treasury, the control of the League and its pupose seem to have completed the transformation from alliance of free-states to an empire of semi-autonomous regions paying tribute for the benefit of Athens. After a failed campaign against the Persians in Egypt, led to the signing of the Callias Peace Treaty in 449 BCE
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