1. GOLDEN AGE - ATHENS

2. Aftermath of Persian Wars– Division of Poleis
States divided generally between eastern coastal & island cities worried about Persian revenge and mainland, western cities dependent on Sparta’s infantry

3. Peloponnesian League
Mainland states, mostly in southern Greece turned to Sparta as leader.

4. 477 BC - Delian League
Representatives from about 150 poleis met on the island of Delos, holy to Apollo, and forged an agreement. Athens, with the greatest fleet, led the alliance. Aims were twofold:
Defensive – to protect each other from Persia
Aggressive – to free Greek poleis still under Persian hegemony
All member states had an equal vote
Large cities supplied ships and troops for the allied fleet, commanded by Cimon, the Athenian.
Smaller, poorer cities supplied money or in kind tribute to support the effort
Aristides, the Just, was selected as treasurer

5. 471 BC – Themistocles, hero of Salamis, ostracized; Cimon, son of Miltiades becomes strategos and leader in Athens
464 – Helot revolt in Sparta and, with Cimon’s urging, Athenians went to help
463 – northern island of Thasos wishes to leave the Delian League and Cimon is sent to bring them to heel by force—he spends two years in the siege, losing popularity back home
461 – Cimon ostracized – Pericles becomes leader in Athens
Pericles sees Sparta, not Persia, as the greatest danger to Athenian wealth and standing
Athens made an alliance with Argos, enemy of Sparta

6. Building Program going on in Athens under Pericles

7. Acropolis

8. st Peloponnesian War
Fighting Sparta and allies in west and fighting Persia in east took toll on Athens
454 Delian League treasury moved from Delos to Athens
449 Pericles made peace with Persia, but League tribute and taxes continued – Athenian economics had come to depend upon it
446 Pericles made ’30 Year Peace with Sparta’

9. 433 Athens allied with Corcyra, a colony of Corinth which was an ally of Sparta
Corinth complained to Sparta, Sparta accused Athens of intruding
Pericles stood firm
Athens supported democratic factions in various poleis/Sparta supported oligarchic and aristocratic factions
431 War again between Sparta & Athens
Long Walls to Piraeus constructed to keep supply route secure
430/429 Plague in Athens – Pericles’ famous funeral oration (See handout).

10. Long Walls

11. Within a year Pericles dies of the plague
421 Armistice agreement – ‘Peace of Nicias’
418 War is on again
416 Athens destroys Melos which wanted to leave alliance
415 Sicilian Expedition – Athenians vote to send enormous armada to Sicily to conquer island nation and bring it under Athenian control – Generals are Nicias, Lamachus, and Alcibiades
415 Mutilation of the Herms – household religious figures at every doorway broken to scandal of all
413 Sicilian Expedition fails – entire enterprise destroyed, men and fleet
411 Sparta allies with Persia and Oligarchs in Athens take over
410 Democracy restored in Athens

12. 404 BC Athens surrenders Long walls from Athens to Piraeus torn down
Athenian navy reduced to 12 ships
Political autonomy of Athens dissolved
30 Oligarchs (known as ’30 Tyrants’) selected by Sparta put in charge of Athens – all 30 conservative aristocrats
Acropolis garrisoned with 200 Spartan troops
Athenian walls destroyed
Within a year the Oligarchs are overthrown, but…

13. The 30
Declared they would ‘purify’ the city of ‘unjust men’ and turn citizens toward ‘virtue and justice’
Seized property, condemned suspect citizens, executed on their say-so
Attacked and killed wealthy men to gain their property
Attached and killed respected citizens who might oppose them
Drew up list of ‘safe’ 3,000 men who were to have full citizenship

14. Many fled from Athens to Thebes & Megara
Party of refugees organized and marched south to seize a fortress in northern Attica
30 marched out with their 3,000 citizens and tried to get the fortress back – unsuccessfully
30 sent out the Spartan force which was defeated
Rebels marched to Piraeus – 30 withdrew to Eleusis
Two sides talked and reconciliation occurred—all could return to Athens EXCEPT for the 30 and their nearest cohorts
A new committee of 20, elected annually, began to rebuild the constitution, which lasted until 322, when Philip of Macedonia imposed a new regime

15. 399 – Socrates condemned to death