Peloponnesian War - War and Conflict - Ancient Greece


Some of the greatest thinkers of the ancient world emerged from Greece
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Ancient Greece Home

Greece Timeline

Section 1.1

Section 1.2

Section 1.3

Section 1.4

Section 1.5

Section 1.6

Section 1.7

Section 1.8

Section 1.9

Section 1.10

Section 1.11

Section 1.12

Section 1.13

Section 1.14

Section 1.15

Politics

The City States

Government

The Tyrants

Section 2.4

Section 2.5

Section 2.6

Section 2.7

Section 2.8

Section 2.9

Section 2.10

Section 2.11

Section 2.12

Section 2.13

Section 2.14

Section 2.15

Gods and Heroes

Zeus

Apollo

Athena

Aphrodite

Heracles

Achilles

Theseus

Perseus

Section 3.9

Section 3.10

Section 3.11

Section 3.12

Section 3.13

Section 3.14

Section 3.15

Greek Expansion

Philip, King of Macedonia

Alexander The Great

Section 4.3

Section 4.4

Section 4.5

Section 4.6

Section 4.7

Section 4.8

Section 4.9

Section 4.10

Section 4.11

Section 4.12

Section 4.13

Section 4.14

Section 4.15

War and Conflict

The Trojan War

The Persian War

The Peloponnesian War

Section 5.4

Section 5.5

Section 5.6

Section 5.7

Section 5.8

Section 5.9

Section 5.10

Section 5.11

Section 5.12

Section 5.13

Section 5.14

Section 5.15

Language

Section 6.1

Section 6.2

Section 6.3

Section 6.4

Section 6.5

Section 6.6

Section 6.7

Section 6.8

Section 6.9

Section 6.10

Section 6.11

Section 6.12

Section 6.13

Section 6.14

Section 6.15

Education

Section 7.1

Section 7.2

Section 7.3

Section 7.4

Section 7.5

Section 7.6

Section 7.7

Section 7.8

Section 7.9

Section 7.10

Section 7.11

Section 7.12

Section 7.13

Section 7.14

Section 7.15

Science and Medicine

Section 8.1

Section 8.2

Section 8.3

Section 8.4

Section 8.5

Section 8.6

Section 8.7

Section 8.8

Section 8.9

Section 8.10

Section 8.11

Section 8.12

Section 8.13

Section 8.14

Section 8.15

Philosophy

Section 9.1

Section 9.2

Section 9.3

Section 9.4

Section 9.5

Section 9.6

Section 9.7

Section 9.8

Section 9.9

Section 9.10

Section 9.11

Section 9.12

Section 9.13

Section 9.14

Section 9.15

Art and Architecture

Architecture

Pottery

Sculpture

Section 10.4

Section 10.5

Section 10.6

Section 10.7

Section 10.8

Section 10.9

Section 10.10

Section 10.11

Section 10.12

Section 10.13

Section 10.14

Section 10.15

Entertainment

Storytelling

Theatre

Section 11.3

Section 11.4

Section 11.5

Section 11.6

Section 11.7

Section 11.8

Section 11.9

Section 11.10

Section 11.11

Section 11.12

Section 11.13

Section 11.14

Section 11.15

Becoming Alexander

King or Villain?

History Meets Hollywood

A Great Transformation

Preparation for the Role

Section 12.5

Section 12.6

Section 12.7

Section 12.8

Section 12.9

Section 12.10

Section 12.11

Section 12.12

Section 12.13

Section 12.14

Section 12.15

The Olympic Games

The Origins

Olympia

Events

Development

Olympics 2004

Section 13.6

Section 13.7

Section 13.8

Section 13.9

Section 13.10

Section 13.11

Section 13.12

Section 13.13

Section 13.14

Section 13.15

Play : Olympic Challenge

Section 14.1

Section 14.2

Section 14.3

Section 14.4

Section 14.5

Section 14.6

Section 14.7

Section 14.8

Section 14.9

Section 14.10

Section 14.11

Section 14.12

Section 14.13

Section 14.14

Section 14.15

Play : Alexander's Army

Section 15.1

Section 15.2

Section 15.3

Section 15.4

Section 15.5

Section 15.6

Section 15.7

Section 15.8

Section 15.9

Section 15.10

Section 15.11

Section 15.12

Section 15.13

Section 15.14

Section 15.15

Play : Trojan Horse Quiz

Section 16.1

Section 16.2

Section 16.3

Section 16.4

Section 16.5

Section 16.6

Section 16.7

Section 16.8

Section 16.9

Section 16.10

Section 16.11

Section 16.12

Section 16.13

Section 16.14

Section 16.15

Section 17

Section 17.1

Section 17.2

Section 17.3

Section 17.4

Section 17.5

Section 17.6

Section 17.7

Section 17.8

Section 17.9

Section 17.10

Section 17.11

Section 17.12

Section 17.13

Section 17.14

Section 17.15

Section 18

Section 18.1

Section 18.2

Section 18.3

Section 18.4

Section 18.5

Section 18.6

Section 18.7

Section 18.8

Section 18.9

Section 18.10

Section 18.11

Section 18.12

Section 18.13

Section 18.14

Section 18.15

Section 19

Section 19.1

Section 19.2

Section 19.3

Section 19.4

Section 19.5

Section 19.6

Section 19.7

Section 19.8

Section 19.9

Section 19.10

Section 19.11

Section 19.12

Section 19.13

Section 19.14

Section 19.15

Section 20

Section 20.1

Section 20.2

Section 20.3

Section 20.4

Section 20.5

Section 20.6

Section 20.7

Section 20.8

Section 20.9

Section 20.10

Section 20.11

Section 20.12

Section 20.13

Section 20.14

Section 20.15

War and conflict

The Peloponnesian War

The Peloponnesian Wars were effectively the world war of Ancient Greece. The fighting lasted for 27 years from 431 to 404BC, involved nations from across the Greek world and took place not just in mainland Greece, but as far away as Sicily and Byzantium.

Politics was the root of the trouble. Athens had become the richest and most powerful city in Greece, and its democratic system of government was being widely copied, much to the alarm of die-hard oligarchies such as Sparta. Gathering allies from across the Dorian Greek region, Sparta formed the Peloponnesian League and waged war. In response, Athens sided with other Ionian Greeks in the Aegean region and western Asia Minor to fight under the Delian League.

It was a war of attrition, with a lack of military technology making progress slow and hard. Both sides won victories but, in the end, Sparta toppled Athens from power, only to find itself in control of an exhausted Greece.

Photos: Ancient Art and Architecture Library