DatA Key Dates for Peloponnesian War

Sparta insults Athens by refusing them help in battle against helot uprising so Athens breaks alliance against Persia with Sparta, allying instead with Argos (Sparta's enemy) and Thessaly

465/4 BC

Dates of First Peloponnesian War

460 BC - 446 BC

Five-year peace truce with Spartans that confirmed Athens' gains in central Greece and Peloponnese

451 BC

Cimon leads campaign against Persian forces in Cyprus and Athens wins great victory, resulting in alleged Peace of Callias

450 BC

Athens loses most of holdings in major defeat against Sparta

447/6 BC

Athens is forced to accept 30-year truce with Sparta

446/5 BC

Athens intervenes with Samos and Miletus conflict, siding with Miletus, besieging Samos for 9 months and subduing city

441/0

Athens receives request for alliance with Corcyra, a Corinthian colony and enemy, which Corinth claims contradicts the treaty of 446/5 with Sparta and its allies

433 BC

Athens attacks Potidaea, a Corinthian colony in the Delian league; Potidaea resists, accepting Corinthian help, but Athens besiege the city

432 BC

Beginning of Second Peloponnesian War: Spartans invade Attica (after Corinth and other Peloponnesian allies complain to them that Athens has grown too powerful and needs to be subdued)

431 BC

Stage 1 of Peloponnesian War: Archidamian War

431-421 BC

Attican farmers are forced to move into fortified Athens, and due to overcrowding plague spreads rapidly within the city walls

430/29 BC

Pericles dies of plague

429 BC

Athenian demos vote to tax rich Athenians heavily to fund war and democracy payments

428 BC

Revolt of Mytilene

428 BC

1st Athenian expedition to Sicily and siege of Plataea

427 BC

Athens try and fail to recover Amphipolis

422 BC

Peace of Nicias: Athens and Sparta agree to 50-year treaty (which is not kept)

421 BC

Argive-Athenian army lose to Sparta in Mantinea in Peloponnese (despite peace treaty)

418 BC

Stage 2 of Peloponnesian War: Attack at Syracuse; Athens try to take over Sicily, specifically Peloponnesian ally Syracuse

415 BC

Stage 3 of Peloponnesian War: Athens loses most of its men and navy against Syracuse and fails the invasion. Spartans raid Athenian territory from outpost in Decelea

413 BC

Athens has become very poor

411 BC

Exiled Athenian general Alcibiades (previous Spartan and Persian co-operator) suggests he can get the Persians on Athens' side if they agree to change their government; in hope of this, a group of Athenians establish an oligarchy (vote to stop payment of roles, disperse Council of 500 for Council of 400, and restrict citizen body to 5,000 Athenians, who were never established)

411 BC

Oligarchs accused of being pro-Spartan and Athenians vote for real 5,000 citizens to rule instead, killing all 400 oligarchs who hadn't fled

mid 411 BC

Democracy in Athens is restored

410/9 BC

Sparta try to offer peace but Athens gets confident from victories and refuse, even melting Athena Nike statue to pay for war

between 410/9-405 BC

Decisive victory at Aegospotami for Sparta; Athenian navy almost completely destroyed at Hellespont and grain supply cut off

405 BC

Athens surrenders and submits to truce dictated by Spartans (Spartans control Athenian foreign policy, Athens takes down defending walls and reduces fleet to 12 triremes)

404 BC

Tyrannical reign of 30 men known as 'the Thirty', who took over running of Athens with Lysanda (Spartan general)'s help

404/3 BC

Athenian exiles revolt against the Thirty, Spartan king Pausanias defeats revolters but stops fighting and brings peace between parties, with democracy being restored soon after

403 BC