The Difference Between Athens And Sparta

The Difference Between Athens And Sparta

Athens and Sparta were both Greek city–states that shared the same language and a similar religion but on a social, political and a cultural basis the two states remained antithetical to each other (Hanson, 491). In 430 BC the city–state Megara supported and helped Corinth to fight against Athens so Pericles decided to remove all Megarian products from the Athenian market. Corinth and Megara supplicated to Sparta which in return asked Athens to abolish this Megarian decree. Pericles would only agree to Sparta's demands if Sparta would accept foreign states to take part in trading with Laconia. Sparta refused but proposed as a requirement for peace that Athens should surrender her Empire and recognize the independence of all Greek cities. Pericles and the Athenians refuse ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...After Sparta's declaration of war the conflict between the two rivals officially began in the spring of 431 BC when the Spartans breached the thirty–year peace treaty by invading Attica (Hanson, 501). On the eve of battle Pericles himself said that the War was inevitable (Hanson, 490).



Alcibiades role in the Peloponnesian War fully began when he was first appointed as a general in Athens in 420 BC when he was in his early thirties (Kagan, 211). In 416 a quarrel in Sicily between Egesta and Selnius began, Selnius appealed to Syracuse while Egesta appealed to Athens, and Alcibiades was eager to respond (Rhodes, 270). After Egesta's cry for help an Assembly was held in Athens to decide whether to take action or not. The Assembly ultimately declared war against Syracuse and Alcibiades and Nicias were given the command of this Sicilian

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