Recognizing Athensâ weakness, the Spartans decided to try and turn the tables. However, this time, there would be no major battle. After conquering many kingdoms and warring with many communities, Sparta spread to a major empire around 400 BCE. Athens and Sparta are two prominent Greek rival city-states. However, this did not sit well with some of the more powerful city-states that were not Athens or Sparta, the most significant being Corinth. The Peloponnesian War was fought over land and sea. }, But when Sparta was put in charge of reigning in the Corinthians, this was seen as an affront to their sovereignty, and they reacted by reaching out to one of Spartaâs biggest enemies outside of Attica, Argos. scrollbar: true, Before too long, Athens would be encouraging the helots to revolt so as to weaken Sparta and pressure them into surrendering. They entered Boeotia and provoked a revolt, which Athens tried, but failed, to squash. Long-term causes are usually tied to ongoing geopolitical and trade conflicts, whereas short term causes are the proverbial âstraws that break the camelâs back.â Historians since have spent time dissecting the causes outlined by Thucydides, and most agree the long-term motivations were: As far as short term causes, most historians agree that the attack on a Theban envoy made by the citizens of Plataea was what finally drove these two city-states to war. Political instability within Athens had made it difficult for the government to function, its fleet had been destroyed, and its treasuries were empty. The idea was that if they did not expand, someone else would, and this would put their precious democracy at risk. Athens and Sparta were two rival city-states, while the latter had very well trained military and soldiers, the former boasted of a good navy. In Athens women did chores such as weaving or cooking, but in Sparta the women were free of all such chores. This book is essential reading for anyone interested the military history of the classical world.??As seen in All About History Magazine. However, as the Athenians made their way around the coast, helots frequently ran to meet the Athenians, as this would have meant freedom from their destitute existence. Sparta sent forces to support Doris, a city-state in Northern Greece with which it maintained a strong alliance, in a war against Phocis, an ally of Athens. Sparta was a warrior society of fierce, often unbeatable soldiers, and only warriors participated in political life. One This war shifted power from Athens to Sparta, making Sparta the most powerful city-state in the region. As mentioned, the Archidamian war officially broke out after the Plataea sneak attack in 431 BCE, and the city remained under siege by the Spartans. The Parthenon, Democracy, Socrates and Plato all carry an Athenian flavor. In short, Corcyra, another Greek city-state which was located in northern Greece, picked a fight with Corinth over a colony located in what is now modern-day Albania. The city lies at the southern end of the central Laconian plain, on the right bank of the Eurotas River. Although the term “Peloponnesian War” was never used by Thucydides, the fact that the term is all but universally used today is a reflection of the Athens-centric sympathies of modern historians. What Were the Main Reasons for the Peloponnesian War? Traces the history of the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta, describes its distinctive military society and the unusual freedom of Spartan women, and discusses the influence which its culture has had on later civilizations. This changed, ironically, after the two sides actually came together to fight as part of a pan-Greek alliance against the Persians. The Peloponnesian War was soon followed by the Corinthian War (394â386 BC), which, although it ended inconclusively, helped Athens regain some of its former greatness. Athens was ruled by archons, who were elected The Parthenon in Athens. Sparta was one of the most powerful city-states in Ancient Greece. In Ancient Greece, people often expressed loyalty to and took pride in their local communities. Just seven years later, in 433 BCE, another major event took place that once again put considerable strain on the peace that Athens and Sparta had agreed to maintain. The Road to Sparta is the story of the 153-mile run from Athens to Sparta that inspired the marathon and saved democracy, as told--and experienced--by ultramarathoner and New York Times bestselling author Dean Karnazes. The democratic government in Athens, though de cently equal, fair and fairly advanced for its time, did not meet the As a result, Athens had no choice but to surrender, and in 404 BCE, the Peloponnesian War officially came to an end. Two Greek City States Location and Populations Athens • Named for the goddess Athena -Goddess of wisdom and knowledge • Population -140,000 •40,000 slaves • Most populous in Hellas Sparta • Existence dates back to the Neolithic • 8,000 Spartiates ruled over 100,000 enslaved and semi-enslaved peoples Geographically they are very close to each other, but have sometimes had very different values, lifestyles, and cultures. Athens conquered Chalcis, a city-state near the Corinthian Gulf which gave Athens direct access to the Peloponnese, putting Sparta in tremendous danger. Slavery This eventually led to war between all the Greeks. The Acropolis played an integral role in Athenian life. links: '#99ffff' It was exceptional in that and in many other respects, some of which have already been noted: it sent out few colonies, only to Taras (Tarentum, in southern Italy) in the 8th century and—in the prehistoric . However, this peace treaty was signed in 421 BCE, just ten years after the start of the 27-year Peloponnesian War, meaning it would also fail and fighting would soon resume. They would use their naval supremacy to attack strategic ports along the Peloponnese while relying on the high city-walls of Athens to keep the Spartans out. In Athens and Sparta, people lived according to such contrasting traditions that it almost seems as though they were from different countries entirely. Sparta grew to rival the size of the city-states Athens and Thebes by subjugating its neighboring region of Messenia. In response, Athens and Sparta, along with several other powerful city-states, such as Corinth, Argos, and Arcadia, formed an alliance to fight against the invading Persians, and this joint force was eventually able to stop the Persians at the Battle of Salamis (480 BCE) and the Battle of Plataea (479 BCE). At this point, Athens was receiving almost all of its grains from the Hellespont, also known as the Dardanelles. Athens, on the other hand, wanted to control The Ancient World 27.7 - Spartan Government Sparta was different from Athens in almost every way, beginning with its government. After students learn about the differences and similarities between two major city-states of Ancient Greece, Athens and Sparta, students can create a T-Chart with images and text that can compare and contrast the city-states based on different categories such as: government, economy, education, and social structure. The two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece, Athens and Sparta, went to war with each other from 431 to 405 B.C.The Peloponnesian War marked a significant power shift in ancient Greece . This was reflected in the buildings and architecture of Sparta, simple and functional the Spartan buildings were that of farmers, and this is what Sparta was a collection of the toughest, strongest and most battle ready farmers in ancient Greece. ancient Greece, including the significance of the invention of the idea of citizenship (e.g., from Pericles' Funeral Oration). Moreover, such a study reveals timeless truths about human nature that are applicable in any age. He ran campaigns in Boeotia and Aetolia to drive back the Spartan forces stationed there, and he was able to have some success. All of this jockeying led to a confrontation between Sparta and Argos at Mantineia, a city in Arcadia just to the north of Sparta. and Solon: Lawgivers of Sparta and of arts or sciences. (This applied only to boys, however: var stampdays = new Array( "Sunday","Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday","Saturday"); However, Corinth, one of the few city-states in the Peloponnesian League that could stand up to Spartaâs power, was adamantly opposed to this move, and so the notion of war was tabled for some time. annually. Make up the tune or use the Star Spangled Banner if you like. It fell to Athens without much of a fight. The war featured two periods of combat separated by a six-year truce. }, Sparta had a powerful army and Athens knew that they could not beat them but they had the power of a naval unit which Sparta didn’t have. Spartans lived in harsh conditions without luxuries. A region settled with interacting city-states constituted a city-state culture and Polis opens with a description of the concepts of city, state, city-state, and city-state culture, and a survey of the 37 city-state cultures so far ... This conflict played an important role in the eventual outbreak of war between the two Greek cities. Observing history and how it all unfolded, the birth of Democracy was born in Athens and the Western Culture has much to owe Athens for this huge . } At the time, Sparta had the most formidable army in the Greek world, yet it continuously refused to commit a significant amount of troops. Spartan Kings would fight alongside their soldiers; The Spartans were different from Athens in culture Democracy refers to a system of government in which every person has the right to participate. Both Athens and Sparta had an Assembly, whose members were elected by the people. Ancient Greece was comprised of small city-states, of which Sparta and Athens were two. Athens became the foremost trading power of the Mediterranean by the 5th century BC. The Spartans emphasized only on expanding their power and gaining control over other kingdoms while the Athenians also grew infrastructure wise in ancient times. One of the main ways they were similar was in their form of government. But before going into all the details, here are the main points to remember: The Peloponnesian War was fought mainly between Athens and Sparta. But no matter which way we look at, this tremendous conflict between two of the most powerful cities of the ancient world played an important role in writing ancient history and in shaping the world we call home today. Five Ephors were elected annually, accompanied by two kings, who passed on the crowns to their chosen sons. Athens then won a decisive victory and the captured Spartan soldiers were taken back to Athens as prisoners of war. Known in Greek as Sparti. However, most historians agree this was merely propaganda designed to win support for a war Athenian leadership wanted in its quest to expand its power. This strategy ended up backfiring slightly as a plague broke out in Athens in 430 BCE that devastated the city. This meant Athens had to increase its tribute demands on its allies throughout the Aegean, which strained its relationship with the many of the members of the Delian League/Athenian Empire. loop: false, The Peloponnesian War lasted 27 years between 431 BCE and 404 BCE. Athenians liked to trade. 706 BCE. As a result, the Peloponnesian war featured many battles where one side was forced to fight to the other sideâs strengths. Once a boy was 6-7 years old, he would go to an actual school; girls did not receive an education outside the home. While Sparta was a state, and indeed the most independent Greek state, it was not a city. The Athenian victory at Pylos gave them an important stronghold in the Peloponnese, and the Spartans knew they were in trouble. In 431 BCE a war broke out between Athens and Sparta. to war between all the Greeks. Athens Economy. Lesson Planet. (That element presents a particular difficulty when one . -->, if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-socialstudiesforkids_com-box-3-0')};Athens and Sparta: Similar Yet Different, Although they had been enemies for years, Sparta recognized the contributions Athens had made to Greek culture and did not want to see it destroyed. Sparta, on the other hand, was recognized for its military strength. The Peloponnesian War was fought mainly between Athens and Sparta. This victory left Athens without access to important staple crops, and because the treasuries had all but been depleted due to nearly 100 years of war (against both Persia and Sparta), there was little hope of regaining this territory and winning the war. Based on its brilliant education system it was able to provide future civilizations with a Democracy. Pylos, which is located on the southwestern coast of the Peloponnese, became an Athenian stronghold after the Athenians won a decisive battle there in 425 BCE. This is a very simple worksheet comparing and contrasting the major cultural and demographic aspects of the ancient city-states of Athens and Sparta, such as their geography, military, education, and social. Athens was democratic, and Sparta was ruled by a select few. var stampmonths = new Array( "January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December"); The main difference between Athens and Sparta is that Athens was a form of democracy, whereas Sparta was a form of oligarchy. The Spartans were famed for their military strength. This was an area close by to the markets and social centre of Athens, the “agora”. Athens and Sparta National Anthems - Get with a partner. However, this would not last long. The two-volume A Companion to Sparta presents the first comprehensive, multi-authored series of essays to address all aspects of Spartan history and society from its origins in the Greek Dark Ages to the late Roman Empire. The wealthy merchants hoping to overthrow the oligarchy appealed to Corinth for help, and they got it. Unlike the Spartan woman they were not allowed to own property, or participate in sports (O'Neal, 2001, para. Monumental advances in math, science, philosophy, government, literature, and art have made the Ancient Greeks the envy of worldâs past and present. behavior: 'all' This set off a rebellion inside the city of Plataea, and the Thebans, along with their allies the Spartans, sent troops to support those who had been trying to seize power in the first place. This engagement became known as the Battle of Sybota, and it put the Thirty Yearsâ Peace to its biggest test yet. Timeline In true Greek spirit, Sparta refused to burn the city of However, while this strategy was sound in logic, it ended up not leading to a decisive Spartan victory. Given that ancient Greece was very much a man’s world, most books on ancient Greek society tend to focus on men; this book redresses the imbalance by shining the spotlight on that neglected other half. This idea eventually led to war between the Greeks. Landlocked. Organized in conjunction with the Onassis Cultural Center's groundbreaking exhibition Athens-Sparta, the International Conference explored the archaeological and historical elements of the ancient relationship and conflict between the rival ... But he still had many enemies, and after being sent to campaign in Asia, a plot was hatched to have him killed. The two city-states didn't have many things in common, such as their religion and language. but you didn't have to. This near breakdown in cooperation took place when Samos, a powerful ally of Athens at the time, chose to revolt against the Delian League. The two city-states that best represent each form of government were Sparta (oligarchy) and Athens (democracy). Spartan political system was a combination of monarchy (kings), oligarchy (Gerousia) and democracy (ephoroi, ephors). Ancient Greece is a land of many city-states, called polies. Diffen LLC, n.d. The Athenians committed a small defense force, and it proved to be rather effective, as Spartan soldiers were not able to break through until 427 BCE. However, this move cost the Argives the support of the Corinthians, who were not willing to make such an affront to their longtime allies on the Peloponnese. Where were Athens and Sparta city-states? office. The one feature of the Spartan agoge most admired. Athens. Thanks! Ancient Sparta was not as sophisticated as Athens, did not create arts and crafts, and has not left us any written masterpiece. features: { invading Persians. of getting along with the rest of the Greeks. sparta & athens military. Get Free Access See Review. In Ancient Greece, there were many city-states. During this chapter of the conflict, there was little direct fighting between Athens and Sparta, but tensions remained high, and it was clear almost immediately that the Peace of Nicias would not last. Although The Peloponnesian War was technically fought between 431 and 404 BCE, the two sides did not fight constantly, and the war broke out as a result of conflicts that had been brewing for a better part of the 5th century BCE. As such, to really understand the Peloponnesian war and its significance in ancient history, itâs important to turn the clock back and see how and why Athens and Sparta had become such bitter rivals. Ancient Greece brought to light the concept of democracy and ideas in the field of science and art.