The Peloponnesian

War

Sparta v. Athens431 BC

Lead-Up to the War

• Tensions between Sparta and Athens grow– Had been growing for years due to alliances

• Athens becomes a massive naval power– Money from alliance helped to create this

• Both sides begin pressing for attacks– People want to get the upper hand on the other– Eventually tension boils over into war

The War Begins (431 BCE)

• Sparta declares war 431 BC – attacks Athens– Sparta known to be tough on land– Athens known to be tough at sea

• Athens planned to avoid land battles and find a way to attack by sea– Sparta not easily accessible by sea – major problem

• Sparta marches on Athens; burns farmland– Planned to eliminate Athenian food supply– Hoped they would eventually surrender

Athenian Respond to Attacks

• Pericles pulls citizens inside the city walls for protection; trying to avoid land battle w/ Sparta

• Good plan except for two major problems– Major plague hits – kills 1/3 to 2/3 of Athenian population

including Pericles– Athenian attack fails – Athens sends 27000 soldiers to attack

Syracuse to have Sparta retreat and help• Athenian army is completely destroyed

• Athens surrenders after holding off Sparta for 9 years

Philosophers Arise w/ Answers

• Following the time of crisis, people in Athens searching for answers– Philosophers try to provide answers– Philosopher- lovers of wisdom

• Believed in two major principles– The world was put together in a logical way– People could understand the world with logic and

reason• 3 major philosophers to know about

– Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle

The Philosophers• Socrates – 1st major philosopher of Greece

– Encouraged Greeks to question themselves and their moral character

– He was later put on trial and condemned to death for corrupting Athens’ youth; drank poison to die

• Plato – student of Socrates – Most famous for writing The Republic

• Said that there were 3 social classes• Smartest of the upper class would become philosopher-king

• Aristotle – student of Plato and questioned the world– His research provided the basis for the scientific method– Also tutored Alexander the Great; later takes over Greece