In the years following the Persian War, Athens was rebuilt and the Greek navy expanded its domination of the Aegean Sea. Further naval victories over Persia resulted in the freeing of several Ionian Greek colonies from the Persian yoke and the increased prestige of Greece as a sea power. Athenian control of the Greek navy was made possible the by creation of the Delian league, a group of Greek colonies located in the Aegean Sea united for defense. Although this league was nominally a confederation, it was dominated by Athens, and eventually became the foundation of the Athenian Empire. Athens became very wealthy due both to its domination of trade in the region and also to the inflow of tribute that had to be paid to Athens in return for protection from Persia.

PHIDIAS AND THE STATUE OF ATHENA AT THE PARTHENON.

The most important statesmen in Athens in the years immediately after the Persian War, were Cimon, son of Miltiades, and Aristides. Both were involved in the organization of the Delian league and the rebuilding of Athens, including the construction of a fortified wall around the city to protect it from future invasions. Sparta opposed the building of walled cities, lest they fall into enemy hands, but the Athenians insisted and eventually a great wall was built from Athens to the sea, wide enough to drive two Chariots abreast. During the same period, great temples and state houses were built, funded mostly from the Delian league tributes, on a scale never before seen on the continent of Europe.

In 461 BC one of the greatest statesmen in Greek history came into power in Athens. Pericles, more than any other person, determined the character of classical Athens. He was a patron of the arts and architecture, and he extended the democratic franchise to virtually all Athenian citizens. Greek theatre thrived under his leadership, and all four of the great Greek playwrights, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes, lived during his thirty year reign. He made Athens the cultural center of the Mediterranean and paid pensions to philosophers, artists, sculptures, and poets, to encourage their contributions. The Parthenon and many other great public buildings were built under his leadership, and the famous Greek Historians, Herodotus, and Thucydides were both contemporaries.

Sparta, although shunning luxury and empire, looked upon Athens with distrust and jealousy. As Athens became more arrogant and contemptuous of the rights of its colonies, the dispute between the cities grew, and eventually Sparta and its allies declared war on Athens, and thus began the Peloponnesian War. It was a futile and drawn out affair, lasting almost 30 years, with many horrendous atrocities, and its only long term effect was to critically weaken and depopulate all of mainland Greece. Athens for the most part, avoided meeting Sparta in battle on land and instead trusted to its fortified walls and control of the seas to provide for its people during the long years of siege. The first ten years of warfare resulted in almost no change in the state of affairs and eventually a ceasefire was arranged.

The Peace of Nicias lasted several years, until Athens, under the influence of Alcibiades, undertook an ill-fated expedition to conquer the island of Sicily. This disastrous campaign was the turning point of the war. It destroyed Athens naval supremacy and greatly weakened it in its continuing struggle against Sparta. For ten more years the conflict raged on, until Sparta defeated the last remnant of the Athenian navy at the battle of Agos Potami, and starved the walled city into submission.

Even during the Peloponnesian war, Athens produces some of its greatest geniuses. Socrates, Aristophanes, Euripides and Thucydides all lived during this period, and their writings are among the most cherished in Western Civilization. Undeniably, however, the Peloponnesian war was a disaster from which Greece and Athens never fully recovered. Athens eventually regained its reputation as a center of culture and education, but was never again dominant over the other unruly city states.

Character/Date	Short Biography
Arts and Literature
Aeschylus 525–456 BC	First of the three great Greek Tragedians. Wrote plays including the tragedies of Oedipus and Antigone.
Sophocles 496–406 BC	Wrote Greek Tragedies, including the tragedies of Agamemnon, Electra, and Orestes.
Euripides 480–406 BC	Third of the great Greek Tragedians. Wrote Alcestis, Medea, Orestes, Electra and many others.
Aristophanes 448–388 BC	Greatest of Greek Comedian playwrights. Wrote Frogs, Clouds, Peace, Birds, and many others.
Pindar 518–438 BC	Most famous of Greek Lyric Poets.
Phidias 500–432 BC	Built statues of Athene in the Parthenon and Jupiter at Olympia. Friend of Pericles.
Herodotus 484–425 BC	Wrote Histories of the Persian War and empires of the east.
Thucydides 460–400 BC	Historian of Peloponnesian War. An Athenian general sent into exile after he failed a mission.
Science and Philosophy
Anaxagoras 500–428 BC	First Great Philosopher of Athens, thought to be a teacher of Socrates.
Socrates 469–399 BC	First moral philosopher, immortalized by Plato.
Hippocrates 460–377 BC	Father of modern medicine. Set up medical school to train doctors by scientific methods.
Statesmen
Pericles 499–429 BC	Athenian statesman during Golden Age of Athens. Made Athens cultural center of Greece.
Aspasia ~ 450 BC	Foreign born courtesan, and wife of Pericles. Highly educated for a woman of her age.
Archidamus 476–427 BC	Spartan King during the early years of Peloponnesian War. Sought peace with Athens, but was forced into the war.
Artaxerxes I d. 424 BC	King of Persia during early part of Peloponnesian War, allied with Sparta
Military
Cimon d. 449 BC	Athenian statesman and general. Fought Persians in Ionia after the war. Friend of Sparta.
Cleon d. 422 BC	War mongering politician, opposed Sparta's peace proposals.
Brasidas d. 422 BC	Eloquent Spartan general, turned tide of Peloponnesian War in Sparta's favor. Died at Amphipolis.
Lysander d. 395 BC	Spartan naval Commander who defeated Athens in Peloponnesian War.
Gylippus ~ 413 BC	Lead the resistance in Syracuse that defeated Athenian forces during Peloponnesian War.
Alcibiades 450–404 BC	Controversial statesman and general of Athens, who betrayed the city, then returned as hero.
Nicias d. 413 BC	After death of Pericles, emerged as leader of peace party. Led disastrous Sicilian Expedition.
Demosthenes d. 413 BC	Important Athenian general in the Peloponnesian War. Perished at Syracuse.
Lamachus d. 415 BC	Admiral who with Nicias and Alcibiades led the Sicilian Expedition. Died in early combat.

BC Year	Event
477	The Delian League of sea-faring Greek city-states is organized under the leadership of Athens.
475	Cimon conquers the pirates of Scyros and brings the bones Theseus back to Athens.
472	Themistocles, the hero of Salamis, is exiled from Athens.
467	Tragic playwright Aeschylus presents "Seven Against Thebes".
466	Delian Navy, under Cimon, destroys the Persian fleet at Eurymedon River
462	A widespread helot Rebellion, following a severe earthquake in Sparta, is put down.
456	The "long walls" from Athens to the port at Piraeus are completed.
453	Treasure of the Delian League is moved to Athens.
447	Construction begins on the Parthenon.
445-431	Pericles leads Athens during the "Golden Age" of the Athenian Empire.
445	"Peace of Pericles" leads to 14 years of peace between Spartan allies and Athens.
430	Phidias begins work on the Statue of Zeus at Olympia.
420	Herodotus completes work on "The Histories". .
431-404	> Peloponnesian War, fought between Athenian Empire and cities allied with Sparta.
430	The plague at Athens kills thousands of besieged citizens, including Pericles.
428	A Revolt at Mytilene is crushed when the city attempts to rebel from the Athenian league.
427	Destruction of Plataea by Sparta.
425	Cleon leads Athens to victory over Sparta at the Battle of Sphacteria.
422	Warhawks Brasidas of Sparta and Cleon of Athens are killed at the Battle of Amphipolis
421	"Peace of Nicias" provides 6 year break in hostilities
415	Sicilian Expedition led by Nicias and Alcibiades ends in disaster for Athens.
406	Athenian generals are executed for dereliction of duty after their Victory at Arginusae.
405	Spartan hero Lysander destroys the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegos Potami.
404	Athens surrenders after city is besieged and port is blockaded by a Spartan fleet.
406	Death of Euripides great tragic playwright of the classical period.

Book Title	Selected Chapters (# chapters)
Core Reading Assignments
Guerber - The Story of the Greeks	Cimon Improves Athens to Death of Alcibiades (12)
Macgregor - The Story of Greece	Delian League to Walls of Athens Destroyed (26)
Supplemental Recommendations
Harding - Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men	Aristides the Just to Socrates, the Philosopher (4)
Tappan - The Story of the Greek People	After the Persian War to Fall of Athens (5)
Morris - Historical Tales: Greek	Four Famous Men of Athens to Socrates and Alcibiades (7)
Church - Pictures from Greek Life and Story	In the Theatre at Athens to The Lion's Cub (11)
Church - Stories from the Greek Comedians	entire book
Church - Stories from the Greek Tragedians	entire book
Church - Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition	entire book
Easy Reading Selections
Haaren - Famous Men of Greece	Cimon to Socrates (5)
Shaw - Stories of the Ancient Greeks	Glorious Days to A Wasted Life (3)
Cowles - Our Little Athenian Cousin of Long Ago	entire book
Church - Three Greek Children	entire book
Gould - Tales of the Greeks: The Children's Plutarch	The Admiral of the Fleet to Three Powers (5)