- A war with Sparta ended Athens Golden Age.
- The Peloponnesian war was the longest war in Greek history lasting 27 years. (431-404 BCE)
- After defeating the Persians, Athens spent most of the 5th century BCE bullying the city states it had previously helped.
- Sparta found Athens to be unfair and hypocritical, they decided to stand up and speak out against Athens.
- Open war between Sparta and Athens erupted in 431 BCE.
- Sparta's Hoplite army was superior to that of Athens but Athens navy controlled the sea.
- In 429 BCE a Typhus outbreak in Athens killed roughly one-third of the population including Pericles.
- In 421 BCE both sides sign a peace treaty.
- After Pericles death Alcibiades (one of the last members of an ancient aristocratic family) tries to gain control of Athens by urging them to send their army to Sicily's aid.
- This led to military disaster for Athens, Alcibiades flees Athens and join sides with Sparta.
- Alcibiades eventually flees Sparta on accounts of adultery accusations and joins sides with the Persians.
- Sparta struck a deal with the Persians who provided them with a fleet of their own triremes (war ships).
- At this time Alcibiades returns to Athens and leads Athens naval force to two quick victories over the Spartans.
- After these two wins made by the Athenians they had become cocky and were sure of their victory.
- The Persians were angered by Alcibiades actions and once again came to the Spartans aid.
- Persia gave Sparta money, men, and ships.
- In 407 BCE Sparta challenged the Athenians.
- In 404 BCE the Spartan army successfully entered Athens and the war was over.
- Alcibiades flees Athens once again to Anatolia in hopes to persuade the Persians to give him an army to destroy the Spartans.
- Instead Alcibiades is murdered by the Persians.
- Corinth and Thebes urged the Spartans to level the city of Athens and enslave its population.
- Instead they destroyed all of Athens fortifications, scattered their fleet, and installed a group of 30 antidemocratic Athenians to govern the city.
- The thirty tyrants of Athens were only in power for a very short time, approximately 8 months. (404-403 BCE)
- The thirty tyrants killed/exiled more than 15 hundred Athenians.
- The Athenian citizens were outraged by the thirty tyrants acts of violence, they wanted to restore democracy back to the city.
- The Athenian citizens eventually regained control of Athens with the help of the Spartan leader Pausanias.
- Despite the sadness caused by the Athenian hubris (greed) the Spartans agreed that Athens democratic principles should be restored in honor of them winning the Persian war.
- The thirty tyrants were defeated.
- In 401 BCE democracy was restored to Athens.
- Following the end of the Peloponnesian war the Spartans became reclusive.
- Greece was left weakened due the Peloponnesian wars.
- Because of Greece's weakened state they became a tempting target for Persia and other outsiders.
- Persia did contemplate another invasion on Greece but was beat to the punch.
Credits:
Created with images by Kristoffer Trolle - "Lady sitting in front of Parthenon on Acropolis, Athens, Greece" • madmrmox - "hoplite_pilos" • Dimitris Graffin - "Αθηναϊκή τριήρης - Athenian trireme (trieres)" • Masked Builder - "Spartans"