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What Was the Peloponnesian War?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

The Peloponnesian War was a military conflict in Ancient Greece which lasted from 431 BCE to 404 BCE. This period of conflict radically changed the political landscape of Greece, greatly weakening the classical system of city-states which had dominated the region for over three hundred years prior to the outbreak of war. The events of the Peloponnesian War were also remarkable because this was one of the the first military conflicts to be chronicled by a contemporary, Thycidides, who wrote The History of the Peloponnesian War, a text which is still read and discussed today.

Most historians break the Peloponnesian War into three distinct phases: the Archidamian War, the Sicilian Invasion, and the Decelean or Ionian War. These conflicts were marked by wide-spread casualties in which many civilians and bystanders died or suffered greatly as a result of the destruction of crops and military maneuvers which packed people together, increasing the risk of diseases such as plague. By the end of the Peloponnesian War, a greatly weakened Athenian state had fallen, and there was widespread poverty throughout Attica, the region of Greece which Athens once ruled.

During the Peloponnesian War, the maytime-based, Athenian-led Delian League faced off against Sparta and its allies in the Peloponnesian Confederacy.
During the Peloponnesian War, the maytime-based, Athenian-led Delian League faced off against Sparta and its allies in the Peloponnesian Confederacy.

During the Archidamian War, the Greek city-state of Sparta invaded Athens and the surrounding area. The two sides exchanged wins and losses as they struggled for dominance in Attica for 10 years, eventually signing the Peace of Nicias to end the conflict in 421 BCE. Shortly thereafter, however, Athens invaded the city of Syracuse on the island of Sicily, sparking a new round of conflict. During the Athenian assault on Syracuse, the Athenians suffered a number of defeats, weakening the Athenian military and especially their navy, and setting the stage for the final stage of the war, when Sparta invaded Athens with assistance from the Persians.

The Peloponnesian War was fought between the democratic and mercantile city state of Athens and the oligarchical and closed city state of Sparta.
The Peloponnesian War was fought between the democratic and mercantile city state of Athens and the oligarchical and closed city state of Sparta.

During the Decelean War, the Spartans also encouraged Athenian subjects to revolt, so Athens found itself attacked from within as well as without. This ultimately proved to be too much for the belabored city-state, which ceded victory in 404 BCE. At the end of the Peloponnesian War, Sparta had succeeded in fracturing the city-state system, dominating Greece and setting the stage for further civil wars and internal struggles which ultimately brought Greece to its knees.

Aristotle was one of several Greeks who commented on and wrote about the Peloponnesian War.
Aristotle was one of several Greeks who commented on and wrote about the Peloponnesian War.

In addition to Thycidides, other Greeks also commented on and wrote about the Peloponnesian War, including Aristophanes, who satirized it in plays, Euripides, Sophocles, and Aristotle. The events of the Peloponnesian War attracted a great deal of attention among the Athenians and Spartans, who sensed that the war would have a dramatic impact on Greek society, as indeed it did.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

BioNerd

The connection between Athens and Sicily was an old connection, the maritime Athenians had been sailing to Sicily for a long time, and even to this day, Sicily is often identified as being a very Greek region in comparison to the rest of Italy.

hangugeo112

Although Sparta led Greece before and following the Peloponnesian war, their dominance waned when they were defeated by Thebes and the various towns which had come under Thebes' domination. Thebes subsequently fell to Alexander's empire, and Sparta attained relative independence through defying Phillip and Alexander. This independence was ultimately ended by the Roman Empire. The inhabitants of Sparta eventually went on to settle nearby areas.

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    • During the Peloponnesian War, the maytime-based, Athenian-led Delian League faced off against Sparta and its allies in the Peloponnesian Confederacy.
      During the Peloponnesian War, the maytime-based, Athenian-led Delian League faced off against Sparta and its allies in the Peloponnesian Confederacy.
    • The Peloponnesian War was fought between the democratic and mercantile city state of Athens and the oligarchical and closed city state of Sparta.
      By: Dimitris Karkanis
      The Peloponnesian War was fought between the democratic and mercantile city state of Athens and the oligarchical and closed city state of Sparta.
    • Aristotle was one of several Greeks who commented on and wrote about the Peloponnesian War.
      By: Panos
      Aristotle was one of several Greeks who commented on and wrote about the Peloponnesian War.
    • Though the Athenian navy, which was largely composed of triremes, had won decisive victories during the Persian Wars, it was badly defeated by an enemy coalition led by Sparta at Sicily during the Peloponnesian War.
      By: Juulijs
      Though the Athenian navy, which was largely composed of triremes, had won decisive victories during the Persian Wars, it was badly defeated by an enemy coalition led by Sparta at Sicily during the Peloponnesian War.