HELLAS:NET - History

The plague suddenly raged through Athens a year after the Archidamian wars had started. Athens was filled with people from the villages in Attica, and a third of the people got killed, including Pericles who died in 429. Nevertheless was Athens very active: at Potidaea, in north-west Hellas, at Corcyra, and at the annual return of Sparta and her allies to the plains of Attica. In 425 the strategos Demosthenes even managed to conquer a stronghold in the Peloponesse, close to Phylos. The victory at Phylos was partially the work of Cleon who was in favour of a more aggressive tactic. This implied that Athens stopped with Pericles' careful tactics after he died.

Change of Athenian strategy.

An attempt to retake Phylos ended in the embarrassing capitulation of 120 full Spartan citizens, a number that could not be spared: 4000 Spartans had to control 80000 helots and also participate in the war. Athens' position became better when it managed to take the cities Cythera and Nisaea in 424. Sparta finally realised that the tactic of yearly looting the plains of Attica in the hope of making the Athenians submit did not work. It was even prepared to start peace negotiations, but Athens ignored this offer as it had become reckless because of the recent victories. The next step for Athens was to conquer Thebe with the help of local democrats. The plan leaked out however, and the Athenian hoplites were defeated in the battle at Delium. This convinced Sparta that the time had come to change its strategy.

However for a more offensive war Sparta needed manpower, which her social system was ill equipped to provide, and money to pay for the increasing expenses. Only Persia could give Sparta the money it needed, but why would it help Sparta? Sparta had expressed its wish to liberate every Greek city, so also the cities in Asia Minor. Of course would Persia not give any money until it got guarantees from Sparta that it would not attempt to liberate Asia Minor. Sparta on its turn could not give these guarantees as the obligation to her own League made it impossible. Persia also did not have a good reason why it would disturb the good relationship with Athens created by the peace of Callias.

The Peloponessian Wars was not only a war between Greek city-nations, also the still mighty Persian empire got involved in a later stage.

Sparta invades central Hellas.

So Sparta had to strike a blow at Athens without the help of Persia. The answer was in the resumption of her old central-Greek aspiration. The first step was the founding of a large-scale military colony in 426, at Heraclea-in- Trachis, at the southern approach to Thessaly. Subsequently marched the Spartan Brasidas with a small army of mercenaries and released helots to Thracy. Several Athenian allies were either forced or convinced to choose the side of Sparta, and in the winter of 424/423 he even managed to take the Athenian colony Amphipolis by surprise. Athens attempted to retake Amphipolis in 422, but failed. However, during the battles were both Cleon and Brasidas killed. Now Sparta and Athens were both prepared to start the peace-negotiation. This resulted in 421 the peace of Nicias, named after Cleon's Athenian opponent Nicias, who had been in favour of continuation of Pericles' strategy.

The result of this war was that none of the parties had gained anything as the successes of one party were cancelled by victories of the other party. Still, Athens had won the Archidamian war as Sparta had failed to destroy the Athenian empire.