Decisive Battle CHANGED history of SPARTA | Battle of Athens vs Spartan (History Documentary)

Decisive Battle CHANGED history of SPARTA | Battle of Athens vs Spartan (History Documentary)
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In the annals of ancient history, the Peloponnesian War stands as a cataclysmic conflict of staggering proportions. For nearly thirty years, the indomitable forces of Athens and Sparta waged a ferocious struggle for supremacy, engulfing the Greek world in a relentless storm of blood and fire. Over 200,000 warriors clashed on hellish battlefields, while colossal fleets of over 400 triremes fought for dominance across the stormy Aegean Sea. Cities were razed, entire populations enslaved or slaughtered, and legendary heroes rose and fell in a brutal dance of death. Athens, wielding a fearsome navy, faced the unyielding Spartan phalanxes, whose iron discipline and savage determination were unmatched.
Decisive Battle CHANGED history of SPARTA | Battle of Athens vs Spartan (History Documentary)
The Peloponnesian War, a colossal clash of civilizations, was not merely a conflict—it was an earth-shattering cataclysm that would forge the destiny of Western civilization.

How and why the Peloponnesian war started
Following the Persian Empire's decisive loss at the Battles of Plataea and Mycalae in 479 BCE, the ancient Greek world was radically different from what it had been before the invasions. The many city-states on the Greek mainland had used a variety of strategies to withstand the Persian invasion, including fighting, running away, and medizing, which required surrendering.
Decisive Battle CHANGED history of SPARTA | Battle of Athens vs Spartan (History Documentary)
Sparta, a traditional hegemon, had stood defiant against Persia, a fact for which many city-states were thankful. However, momentum was building for another emerging city-state, this one with a large and formidable fleet. Known as Athens, this city-state was a minor force in the Greek world, characterized by political unrest before to the Persian invasion.

Although Athens and Sparta had both been key in defeating Persia, they soon clashed over post-war actions. Sparta, conservative and content with its Peloponnesian sphere, opposed further conflict. Athens, emboldened by victories, sought to liberate Hellenic city-states in Asia Minor. In 478 BCE, the Delian League was formed, led by Athens to continue fighting Persia. The League's treasury, moved from Delos to Athens in 454/453 BCE, funded Athenian public works and navy, causing discontent among allies. Revolts, like Erythae in 451/450 BCE, failed to dent Athenian power. During its expansion, Athens established colonies and Perikles reformed democracy and the navy. Conflicts with cities like Aegina and Samos were subdued, leading to the Thirty Years Peace in 445 BCE.
Decisive Battle CHANGED history of SPARTA | Battle of Athens vs Spartan (History Documentary)
The period from 460-445 BCE is seen as a Cold War between Athens and Sparta, with Argos allied to Athens and Megara to Sparta.

Eventually, the cold war heated up as Athens' trade expansion caused friction with Corinth, a key Peloponnesian League member. Corinth, a major naval power with many colonies, faced political crises, such as in Epidamnus, where a Democratic coup ousted Oligarchs in 435 BCE. The Epidamnian Democrats sought help from Corinth, drawing in Corcyra, which then called on Athens for assistance. This led to the Battle of Sybota, escalating tensions.

Athens further inflamed the situation with the Megarian Decree in 432 BCE, imposing economic sanctions on Megara, a Corinthian ally. Sparta demanded Athens rescind the decree and relinquish Aegina, but Athens refused. Conflict intensified when Potidaea, a Corinthian colony, revolted against Athens with support from Chalcidice, Bottiaeans, and Macedonian King Perdiccas, who helped their forces move inland to Olynthus.
( Battle of Athens vs Spartan (History Documentary)