Read complete books and articles on: Peloponnesian War

Peloponnesian War - pĕlˈəpənēˈzhən, 431–404 b.c., decisive struggle in ancient Greece between Athens and Sparta. It ruined Athens. The rivalry between Athens' maritime domain and Sparta's land empire was of long standing. Athens under Pericles (from 445 b.c.) had become a bastion of Greek democracy, with a foreign policy of regularly

The war began after sharp contests between Athens and Corinth over Corcyra (now Kérkira) (433) and Potidaea (432). The first important action was the initial invasion of Attica by a Spartan army in 431. Pericles brought the rural population within the walls, and the Athenian fleet began raids, winning victories off Naupactus (now Návpaktos). Meanwhile a plague (perhaps bubonic) wiped out (430–428) probably a quarter of the population of Athens, and Pericles died. His successor, Cleon, won a great victory at Sphacteria (now Sfaktiriá) and refused a Spartan bid for peace.

The Spartan leader Brasidas now brilliantly surprised Athens with a campaign in NE Greece, taking (424) Athenian cities, including Olynthus and Amphipolis. Fighting went on over these even after an armistice (423) and ended in a decisive Spartan victory at Amphipolis, in which Brasidas and Cleon were both killed (422). The new Athenian leader, Nicias, arranged a peace (421), but his rival Alcibiades persuaded the Athenians to invade powerful Syracuse. In the greatest expeditionary force a Greek city had ever assembled, Alcibiades and Nicias both had (415) commands, but before the attack on Syracuse had begun, Alcibiades was recalled to Athens to face a charge of sacrilege. He fled to Sparta; at his advice the Spartans set up a permanent base at Decelea in Attica and sent a military expert, Gylippus, to Syracuse. The incompetent Nicias lost his chance to surprise Syracuse, and after two years his force was wiped out (413).

Soon Persia was financing a Spartan fleet. Alcibiades sailed it across the Aegean, and there was (412) a general revolt of Athenian dependencies. At Athens the Four Hundred, an oligarchic council, managed (411) a short-lived coup, and Alcibiades, who had quit the Spartans, received (410) an Athenian command. He destroyed the Spartan fleet at Cyzicus (410). The new Spartan admiral, Lysander, built (407) a fleet with Persian aid and won a naval battle off Notium, and Alcibiades was driven from Athens. The Athenians won one more victory at Arginusae, near Lesbos, in 406 and again declined an offer of peace.

The next year Lysander wiped out the Athenian navy (at Aegospotamos, 405) and then besieged Athens, which capitulated in 404. Lysander installed an oligarchic government (the Thirty Tyrants) at Athens, which never regained its former importance. For about 30 years afterward Sparta was the main power in Greece.

Bibliography

The primary source for the Peloponnesian War (to 411) is Thucydides; Xenophon's Hellenica is an inferior sequel. See also G. E. M. de Ste. Croix, The Origins of the Peloponnesian War (1972); D. Kagan, The Peloponnesian War (2003).

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14 of the Best Books and Articles on: Peloponnesian War

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1.

The History of the Peloponnesian War » Read Now
by Thucydides, Richard Crawley. 658 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...LIBRARY THE HISTORY OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR THE WORLDS MOST COMPREHENSIVE...455 A THE HISTORY OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR by THUCYDIDES TRANSLATED...Thucydides-- The History...
2.

Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History (Chap. 7 "Greece on the Eve of the Peloponnesian War," Chap. 8 "The Peloponnesian War," and Chap. 9 "The Crisis of the Polis and the Age of Shifting Hegemonies") » Read Now
by Sarah B. Pomeroy, Stanley M. Burstein, Walter Donlan, Jennifer Tolbert Roberts. 514 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

The book introduces readers to the history and civilization of ancient Greece in all its complexity and variety, from its first beginnings in the Bronze Age (c. 3000 BC) through the Hellenistic Era (c. 150 BC). Employing a truly balanced approach to history -- integrating its political, military...
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The book introduces readers to the history and civilization of ancient Greece in all its complexity and variety, from its first beginnings in the Bronze Age (c. 3000 BC) through the Hellenistic Era (c. 150 BC). Employing a truly balanced approach to history -- integrating its political, military, social and cultural aspects -- the authors show how the early Greeks borrowed from their neighbours but eventually developed a distinctive culture all their own marked by astonishing creative, versatility, and resilience. They go on to trace the complex and surprising evolution of Greek civilization to its eventual dissolution as it merged with a variety of other cultures. Using the physical evidence of archaeology, the written testimony of literary texts and inscriptions, and anthropological models based on comparative studies, this book provides an account of the Greek world that is thoughtful and sophisticated while remaining accessible to readers who know little or nothing about Greece. The four renowned authors of this book, whose interests range from the study of women in the ancient world to military and diplomatic history, have produced a lively, up-to-date and balanced account of rich civilization.
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3.

A History of the Greek World from 479 to 323 B.C. (Chap. IV "The Great Peloponnesian War: The First Stage, 481 to 421 B.C." and Chap. V "The Peloponnesian War: Second and Third Stages, 420 to 405 B.C.") » Read Now
by M. L. W. Laistner. 494 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...5. The First Peloponnesian War, 459-445 B.C. 34...until the time of the Second Peloponnesian War, a reassessment was made every...foreign. 1 5. THE FIRST PELOPONNESIAN WAR...
4.

Pericles and the Golden Age of Athens (Chap. XII "Causes of the Peloponnesian War" and Chap. XIII "The Outbreak of the War") » Read Now
by Evelyn A. Abbott. 380 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...THE CAUSES OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR 435- 431 B.C...Leotychidas and the Peloponnesian contingents sailed...Athenians to carry on the war by themselves. Nothing...of Pericles...
5.

A History of Greece (Chap. XI "The Peloponnesian War--The First Phase," Chapter XII "An Interlude and Sicily," and Chap. XIII "The Peloponnesian War--The Last Phase") » Read Now
by Cyril E. Robinson. 482 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...153 XI. THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR--THE FIRST PHASE 182...210 XIII. THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR--THE LAST PHASE 228...ATHENS 154 PELOPONNESIAN WAR 183 PYLOS...
6.

Thucydides and the History of His Age, Vol. I (1948) » Read Now
by G. B. Grundy. 553 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...life. Opening years of the Peloponnesian War. Evidence of the Speeches...decrees. Attica during the Peloponnesian War. Significance of Greek mercenary...in the years...
7.

Political Theories of International Relations: From Thucydides to the Present (Chap. 4 "Thucydides' Peloponnesian War") » Read Now
by David Boucher. 443 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

Boucher uses ideas of Western philosophy's most significant thinkers to trace the history of political theory in international relations. He ends by showing how theories compare with and extend the themes addressed by their predecessors.
8.

The Origins of War: From the Stone Age to Alexander the Great (Chap. Four "Classical Greek Warfare") » Read Now
by Arther Ferrill. 240 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

"An excellent reference." San Diego Union "A clear, well-organized survey of the stratagem & tactics of early warfare, true to its sources, fascinating in scope." Northwest Review of Books
9.

The Great Battles of Antiquity: A Strategic and Tactical Guide to Great Battles That Shaped the Development of War (Chap. 5 "The Greek Way of War: Marathon, Leuctra, Chaeronea" » Read Now
by Richard A. Gabriel, Donald W. Boose. 718 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

The "Great Captains" frequently looked to crucial battles to learn lessons that they themselves employed. While the battles of antiquity have often been examined, Western generals looked to the wars of the Greeks and the Romans, the Chinese to their own campaigns, and so on. Never before have...
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The "Great Captains" frequently looked to crucial battles to learn lessons that they themselves employed. While the battles of antiquity have often been examined, Western generals looked to the wars of the Greeks and the Romans, the Chinese to their own campaigns, and so on. Never before have military leaders and other students of military history had the benefit of a systematic look at the key battles throughout the ancient world. In this volume, Gabriel and Boose examine the 31 wars, campaigns or battles from Megiddo (1479 B.C.) to the fall of Constantinople (A.D. 1453) that had the greatest impact on the ancient world, stretching from the Mediterranean through the Middle East to Japan and Korea. Beginning with Megiddo, the first battle in history for which there is a relatively detailed account of strategy and tactics, Gabriel and Boose provide a systematic survey of major battles, wars, and campaigns. Each analysis begins with the Strategic Setting, which places events within the larger political and strategic context: then looks to The Antagonists, providing a comparative look at each army, its equipment, tactics, weaponry, logistics, style of combat leadership, and doctrine to assess its major strengths and weaknesses. The authors then examine The Battle, offering a detailed account of the struggle complete with maps and charts to clarify the analysis of what happened on the battlefield. The final section, Lessons of War, dissects each battle for its successes and failures that are particularly relevant to the development and conduct of war in the modern age. Each survey ends with a bibliography of key sources for further reading. This volume is designed to be an invaluablereference source for military historians and professionals as well as the general reader.
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10.

Fathers and Sons in Athens: Ideology and Society in the Era of the Peloponnesian War » Read Now
by Barry S. Strauss. 284 pgs.

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As history's first democracy, classical Athens invited political discourse. The Athenians, however could not completely separate the politicals from the private sphere; indeed father-son conflict, from patricide to murdering one's son, was a major public as well as a private theme. In a fascinating...
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As history's first democracy, classical Athens invited political discourse. The Athenians, however could not completely separate the politicals from the private sphere; indeed father-son conflict, from patricide to murdering one's son, was a major public as well as a private theme. In a fascinating historical reappraisal, the author explores the consequences, for Athens and us, of the powerful influence of familial ideology on politics.
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11.

The Age of Pericles: A History of the Politics and Arts of Greece from the Persian to the Peloponnesian War, Vol. II (1875) » Read Now
by William Watkiss Lloyd. 436 pgs.

Collections: History, Literature, Entire Library
12.

Thucydides on War and National Character » Read Now
by Robert D. Luginbill. 244 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
13.

Thucydides, Vol. I (1900) » Read Now
by Benjamin Jowett. 379 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
14.

Thucydides, Vol. II (1900) » Read Now
by Benjamin Jowett. 524 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library