Map of the Peloponnesian War, 431 BC
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This map shows Greece at the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War in 431 BC, with the allies of Athens and the allies of Sparta shaded in different colours. The Aegean Sea, the Greek islands, the Persian Empire to the east and the Macedonian kingdom to the north all appear.
The war lasted until 404 BC and is known chiefly through the history written by Thucydides, an Athenian general who lived through it.
Two alliances, two kinds of power
Athens led the Delian League, a naval alliance of island and coastal cities that had grown out of the fight against Persia and now paid tribute to Athens. Sparta led the Peloponnesian League, a looser group of land powers that included Corinth and most of the Peloponnese, with Thebes as a close ally. On the map the Athenian side is concentrated around the Aegean, while the Spartan side forms a block on the mainland.
This geography shaped the strategy. Athens had the strongest fleet and used its long walls linking the city to the port of Piraeus to survive attacks on land. Sparta had the best infantry and invaded Attica each summer in the early years, but could not take Athens itself.
How the war unfolded
A plague struck crowded Athens from 430 BC and killed a large share of the population, including its leader Pericles in 429. The Peace of Nicias in 421 BC paused the fighting, but Athens broke the peace by launching a large expedition against Syracuse in Sicily in 415 BC. The expedition ended in disaster in 413 BC. With Persian funding Sparta built a fleet, and after the Athenian navy was destroyed at Aegospotami in 405 BC the city surrendered in 404 BC.
Key facts
| Date (BC) | Event |
|---|---|
| 431 | War begins; Spartan armies invade Attica |
| 430-429 | Plague in Athens; Pericles dies in 429 |
| 421 | Peace of Nicias |
| 415-413 | Athenian expedition to Sicily ends in defeat |
| 405 | Athenian fleet destroyed at Aegospotami |
| 404 | Athens surrenders to Sparta |
Questions about this map
Who won the Peloponnesian War?
Sparta and its allies, with financial help from Persia.
Who wrote the main account?
Thucydides, in his History of the Peloponnesian War.
Why did Athens lose despite its fleet?
The plague, the failed Sicilian expedition and Persian support for Sparta's navy all weakened the Athenian position.
