The Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War became known as “the greatest war in history,” after its expansion and devastation that lasted twenty-seven years, and nearly involved the entire Mediterranean (Cole 102). Most historic information on The Peloponnesian War, or rather a series of two wars interrupted by a short time of peace, is found in the writings of Thucydides. Thucydides was an Athenian who first handedly experienced, fought in, and survived the war. His writings today are considered
traits valued in the Spartan society. Sparta was a dominant power in Greek politics for much of its history. This was thanks largely to its well and experienced army. No army in Greece was said to match the powers of the Spartans. Spartan’s held great pride in its soldiers, who “served their city in the place of bricks” (1). But it was this pride that led to the downfall of Sparta, and its defeat by neighboring city-states. The Spartans held much dominance over the Peloponnesian peninsula, where
This cultural exchange that happened between Athens and Sparta that led to the Peloponnesian war would affect both societies greatly in ways they did not see coming. Driven by their King Darius, Persia attempted to conquer Athens in 490 BC. During the war between the Athenians and the Persians, Athenians used the sea to drive
500 and 338 B.C.E during this time they also engaged in violent conflicts. The Persian Empire was then defeated by the Greeks. The destroying of their own political system was caused by them turning against one another which then lead into the Peloponnesian War. Athens had a powerful democracy, spending their days talking about politics and culture. Sparta was completely different, they were born to fight. Anya who was an author stated that, “Athens controlled a large, mostly coastal territory with
Greek historians credited for documenting history. Not only are Herodotus and Thucydides credited for writing the first accounts of ancient Greek history, but they each shaped the future of historical writing in there own unique ways. The Peloponnesian and Persian wars were both important conflicts that focused on independence. Herodotus earned the designation “The Father of History” because of the way he went beyond just storytelling in explaining history. He has been anointed as the world’s first
The first factor that contributed to the decline of the Greek polis was the devastation of war on Athens. The series of wars shattered the population, military, and economy of Athens. A twenty-seven year war obviously took a toll on Athens, especially with the empire it attempted to maintain. Athens and other city-states formed the Delian League in 477. Although it was intended as a league, Athens began to dominate this group. Over time, the Delian League transformed into the Athenian Empire
Both physically and mentally strong, the Spartan woman was educated, with knowledge of the arts, music, philosophy, and more. Spartan women were allowed rights that were not afforded to any other women in the Hellenistic world during the Bronze Age. In Constitution of the Lacedaimonians, Xenophon describes a practice where a man could father children with a woman who was not his wife, so long as he obtained the permission of her husband, Or an older man could chose a younger, healthier man to father
how they operate their society. Both Sparta and Athens were located in Greece; were as Athens was the capital and largest city, and Sparta is located in Laconia. Athens and Sparta both had purposes, Athenians wanted to create a community with equal opportunities, and Spartans wanted to advance their soldiers. While both Athenians and Spartans are similar, they both have different focuses when it comes to their government, military, and view of women. When it comes to Spartan and Athenian government
the Spartans to fight bravely during the Second Messenian War. They were a form of propaganda to enforce Spartan devotion and bravery, and thus were taught as a part of the Spartan education. Soldiers advanced into battle to the poetry of Tyrateus to rouse the spirit and to inspire military efficiency. Apart from fragments, four of Tyrtaeus' elegies have survived. Who he really was remains a mystery. Ancient Greek stories described him variously as a poet sent by Athens to help the Spartans, a lame
Spartan and Athenian Political Structure The political systems of ancient Greece’s Spartan and Athenian societies stood opposite to each other. Where Sparta was ruled by the few in an Oligarchy, Athens developed the humanities’ first democracy. This paper compares and contrasts some of the differences between these two Greek powers during the Archaic and Classical periods (800-323 BCE). Historical Background On one side was Sparta, a warrior society that focused on land-based armies and agriculture