Peloponnesian War and Alexander the Great

Peloponnesian War and the Fall of Greece

Delian League

  • The Delian League was moved to Athens.
  • Greek city states were required to pay dues to Athens as members.
  • Dues were intended to strengthen the Athenian navy.

Misuse of Delian League Funds

  • The Athenian assembly used much of the money to rebuild Athens.
  • Temples, including the Parthenon, and sculptures were constructed using expensive materials.

The Split Begins

  • Sparta resented Athenian domination and misuse of league funds.
  • Sparta feared “the power & growth of Athens.”
  • Sparta formed its own league, the Peloponnesian League, in defiance of Athens.
  • Many city states broke away from the Delian League and joined Sparta’s league.
  • The purpose of the Peloponnesian League was to defend Sparta and its members.

Map of Ancient Greece

  • Depicts the locations of Macedonia, Pella, Amphipolis, Thasos, Potidaea, Lemnos, Lesbos, and other regions.
  • Shows Athens and allied states, Sparta and allied states, and neutral states.

War Breaks Out

  • The Delian and Peloponnesian Leagues fought for control of the Greek world, leading to the Peloponnesian War.
  • Sparta had superior infantry and wanted a land war.
  • Athens had a superior navy and wanted a sea war.
  • Spartans outnumbered Athenians 2:1.
  • Sparta believed it would be an easy victory, but the war lasted 27 years.

Athens' Plan and Strategy

  • Athens made surprise naval attacks and retreated behind the polis (city-state) walls.
  • Thousands were killed over several years.
  • Athenian general Pericles was killed.
  • New leaders were risky and incompetent war planners.

Pause in Fighting

  • Athens and Sparta agreed to a 50 Year Peace Treaty in 421 B.C.
  • Wars resumed in 415 B.C., 6 years after the start of the treaty.
  • Athenian leader Nicias was convinced to invade Syracuse, a Spartan ally.
  • The invasion was a complete failure.
  • Sparta received money from the Persian Empire to build a navy to crush Athens.

End of the Fighting (404 BC)

  • Sparta raided the Athenian countryside, burned crops, and took over silver mines.
  • Without food supplies and money, Athens was forced to surrender.
  • The Athenian Empire collapsed.
  • Sparta established an oligarchy in Athens called the Thirty Tyrants.
  • Athenians overthrew them and returned to a democracy.

Effects of the War

  • Athens and Sparta were no longer as dominant as they once were.
  • Without a true powerhouse for protection, Macedonian King Philip II and his son Alexander were able to conquer Greece.
  • This marked the end of the classical era and the end of Greek dominance.

A Weakened Greece

  • Following the Peloponnesian War, the Greek city-states were weakened from years of fighting.
  • Macedonia, to the north of Greece, was a small territory.
  • The Greeks looked down upon the Macedonians because they lacked the great culture of Greece.
  • The Macedonians were tough fighters and had a strong ruler named Phillip II.

Macedonia Takes Control

  • Philip II invaded Greece and was successful because:
    • Resources: professional soldiers rather than citizen-soldiers.
    • Tech/Tactics: sarissa spear, used heavy cavalry.
    • Beliefs: History of Fighting (experienced generals and soldiers).
    • Disorganized resistance.
  • Macedonia conquered Greece, ending Greek independence.
  • Philip II had high ambitions and set his sights towards Persia.

Alexander’s Rise to Power

  • Two years after Philip II conquered Greece, he was murdered by an assassin at his daughter’s wedding.
  • Alexander, Philip’s 20-year-old son, became the new king of Macedonia and Greece.
  • Alexander was a brilliant leader and excellent warrior, like his father.
  • He was well-taught and prepared to carry out his father’s dream of conquering Persia.

Alexander the Conqueror - Invasion of Persia (334 BC)

  • He defeated the Persians in many battles by using unconventional tactics.
  • Persian Emperor Darius III fled the Battle of Issus in fear.

Alexander the Conqueror - Gordian Knot Legend

  • According to the legend, an oracle foretold that the future king of Asia would untie the Gordian Knot.
  • Alexander sliced the knot with his sword rather than untying it.
  • This illustrates Alexander's decisive and unconventional approach to problem-solving.

Alexander's Conquests

  • Illustrates Alexander's campaigns from 336-323 B.C.
  • Shows routes, decisive battles such as Granicus, Issus, and Gaugamela, and areas of conquest.
  • Highlights the Mediterranean area, Egypt, and the East.

Alexander the Ambitious

  • Alexander defeated Darius III at the Battle of Gaugamela and conquered the Persian Empire.
  • He pushed farther east, conquering one land after another.
  • Alexander conquered all the way to the Indus Valley in India.
  • He treated the people with respect and honor, letting them keep traditions and treating them as equals.
  • This was unpopular amongst his Greek soldiers, who felt superior to those they conquered.

Alexander’s Death

  • His soldiers grew tired and wanted to return home.
  • Alexander reluctantly agreed to return home.
  • On the way back to Greece, Alexander fell ill and died in Babylon (Iraq).
  • Possible causes of death: sickness from an infection or poisoning by his own men.
  • Alexander was only 32 years old at the time of his death.

Alexander’s Conquest - Gedrosian Desert

  • Much of Alexander's army traveled on foot.
  • In 324 B.C., Alexander marched his army through the barren wasteland of the Gedrosian desert in present-day Iran.
  • He could have sailed his troops through the Persian Gulf, but instead, he chose the desert as a challenge.

Alexander's Conquest - Overview

  • Alexander's conquest took 11 years and covered over 11,000 miles.
  • Map illustrates Alexander's route, empire, and battle locations.

Alexander's Empire is Split - Division of Alexander's Empire, 303 B.C.

  • Map shows the division of Alexander’s empire into several kingdoms: Kingdom of Lysimachus, Kingdom of Cassander, Kingdom of Antigonus, Kingdom of Ptolemy, Kingdom of Seleucus.

Alexander’s Empire is Split

  • Following his death, three of Alexander’s generals divided the empire.
  • Antigonus ruled Macedonia and Greece.
  • Ptolemy took control of Egypt.
  • Selucus became ruler of the lands that used to be the Persian empire.

Alexander’s Influence

  • After Alexander died his empire was not long lasting but it had important effects.
  • The people of the conquered lands blended Greek culture with their own.
  • This started a new era of Greek influence that would become part of The Hellenistic Era.

Alexander's Cities

  • Alexander founded some 70 cities in the lands he conquered and named them after himself.
  • The most famous city is Alexandria in Egypt.
  • In India, when his beloved horse Bucephalus died, he ordered a city to be built named Bucephala.

List of Cities Founded by Alexander

  • Includes Iskandariya, Iraq; various Alexandrias in Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan; Alexandria Eschate, Tajikistan; and other cities in Turkey and Turkmenistan.

The Hellenistic Era

  • Alexander’s influence lived on long after his death.
  • Greek ideas were brought to many countries conquered by Alexander the Great.
  • Greek customs and culture blended with other local influences in Egypt, Persia, and India, creating the Hellenistic Culture.
  • It flourished throughout Greece, Egypt, and Asia.

Additional Images Related to Alexander and the Hellenistic Era

  • Includes images of a Greek Corinthian pillar, a coin from Athens depicting Athena, a silver coin depicting Demetrius I, a statue of Athena, and depictions of Heracles and the Buddha.