W32:D2 - Ancient Greece - The Peloponnesian War and Greek Art - The Adventure Box Podcast

Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry Before the Peloponnesian War

The relationship between Athens and Sparta before the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BCE) was complex, shaped by moments of cooperation, mutual suspicion, and growing animosity. These two city-states were the most powerful in Greece, yet their stark differences in government, culture, and military strategy created a fragile balance that ultimately collapsed into open conflict.

 

Allies Against a Common Enemy

Despite their differences, Athens and Sparta had worked together in the early 5th century BCE during the Persian Wars (499–449 BCE). Sparta, known for its highly disciplined army and oligarchic government, and Athens, with its powerful navy and democratic system, joined forces to repel the invasions of King Darius I and later Xerxes I of Persia. The Battle of Marathon (490 BCE) saw Athens successfully fend off the Persians without Spartan assistance due to a religious festival. However, by the time of the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE) and the decisive Greek victory at Plataea (479 BCE), both Athens and Sparta played key roles in securing Greek independence. Sparta led the land forces, while Athens dominated the seas. This period of cooperation marked one of the few times the two rival city-states set aside their differences for a greater cause.

 

Diverging Paths: The Delian and Peloponnesian Leagues

After the Persian threat diminished, Athens and Sparta quickly found themselves at odds over the future of Greece. Athens took charge of the Delian League, an alliance of Greek city-states formed to defend against future Persian aggression. Initially, the league was a voluntary coalition, but over time, Athens transformed it into an Athenian Empire, using the league’s treasury (originally located on the island of Delos) to fund its own navy and infrastructure projects, including the construction of the Parthenon. Member states that tried to leave the league were forcibly kept under Athenian control, leading to resentment.

 

In contrast, Sparta maintained leadership over the Peloponnesian League, an older alliance of city-states in the Peloponnese that opposed Athenian expansion. While the Peloponnesian League was more loosely organized than the Athenian-controlled Delian League, its primary purpose was to check Athenian power and defend oligarchic rule against the spread of Athenian democracy.

 

Economic and Diplomatic Interactions

Despite their military and political rivalry, Athens and Sparta engaged in trade and diplomatic negotiations before the war. Athens, reliant on imports due to its growing population and limited agricultural land, traded with Sparta for foodstuffs such as grain and meat, while Sparta needed Athenian luxury goods, including pottery, artistic crafts, and even some military equipment. Their economic interdependence, however, was overshadowed by growing tensions.

 

There were moments of peace and diplomatic efforts to maintain stability. The Thirty Years’ Peace (signed in 446 BCE) was an agreement that sought to prevent another war between the two powers, following a series of smaller conflicts. The treaty established spheres of influence, ensuring Athens would not interfere with Peloponnesian affairs while Sparta would respect Athenian control over its empire. However, this peace was fragile, as neither side fully trusted the other.

 

Tensions Leading to War

By the late 5th century BCE, tensions between Athens and Sparta intensified due to Athenian expansionism, interference in Peloponnesian affairs, and ideological differences. Athens, under Pericles, implemented the Megarian Decree (c. 432 BCE), a form of economic sanctions against Megara, a Spartan ally. This effectively strangled Megara’s economy and angered Sparta, which saw the decree as an aggressive move by Athens. Additionally, Athens supported Corcyra (modern Corfu) in a dispute against Corinth, another Spartan ally, further straining relations.

 

Sparta, meanwhile, grew increasingly concerned about Athens’ growing naval dominance and its influence over smaller Greek city-states. Spartan allies pressured their leaders to take action against Athenian aggression, and by 431 BCE, Sparta issued an ultimatum demanding that Athens lift its sanctions against Megara and cease its expansionist policies. Athens refused, and war became inevitable.

 

Before the Peloponnesian War, Athens and Sparta maintained a delicate relationship of cooperation, competition, and conflict. While they had once stood together against the Persian Empire, their differing visions for Greece’s future ultimately drove them apart. Their economic ties and diplomatic agreements were not enough to prevent war, as underlying ideological, military, and political differences made a long-term peace impossible. The Peloponnesian War would not only determine the fate of Athens and Sparta but also reshape the Greek world for generations to come.