This clip is looking at the causes of the Peloponnesian War, which fits with modern historian debate number two on which city really deserved the blame - was it Athens's fault or Sparta's or other Greeks such as Corinth?
The key events and sources that will be discussed are: the Corcyra affair, the Megarian decree, the siege of Potidaea, the debate on Sparta as covered by Thucydides, the allied congress, and the Spartan ultimatum to Athens.
Thucydides is an incredibly valuable and useful source as he was likely an eyewitness to these events or heard them from eyewitnesses, and he checked them thoroughly.
There was a gradual increase in tension between Athens and the Peloponnesians in the period between the Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War, particularly in the 450s, 440s, and 430s.
Tensions were further stoked through events like the Megarian side-swapping, the Sacred Wars, and the Athenian attack on Aegina in 457 BC.
The Peace of Callias in 446 BC was meant to establish a 30-year peace, but some of its terms were not upheld, such as Aegina not being given independence.
There is evidence that Sparta considered going to war with Athens earlier than the actual Peloponnesian War, such as in 465 BC to aid Thasos and possibly in retaliation for the allies trusting Athens rather than Sparta after the Persian Wars.
Corcyra affair
Dispute between allies that Athens got involved in because Corcyra asked for Athens's support
Corcyra affair
Corcyra got into a dispute with Epidamnus and asked Corinth to arbitrate, but Corinth found in favor of Epidamnus
Corcyra decided to leave and asked Athens for aid
Athens sent triremes, Corinth also sent ships, leading to a skirmish between the Corinthians and Athenians
The debate in Athens between the Corcyran and Corinthian representatives is crucial, as the Corinthians argued that Athens would be breaking the treaty if they allowed Corcyra to join an alliance with them.
The Corinthians also claimed they had previously persuaded Sparta not to help Samos when it revolted against Athens, showing Sparta may have wanted war earlier.
Megarian decree
Decree issued by Pericles in 432 BC that banned Megara from the ports in Athens's empire
There is little detail about the Megarian decree in Thucydides, which may be because it reflects negatively on Pericles.
Plutarch and Aristophanes provide more discussion of the Megarian decree, suggesting it was passed to divert attention from a trial of one of Pericles's friends and to protect the interests of Pericles's mistress Aspasia.
Siege of Potidaea
Athenian siege of the city of Potidaea, which was an Athenian ally that wanted to leave the Athenian empire
Potidaea had many Corinthian citizens, so Corinth was fully aware of the Athenian siege.
Contemporary source and even though it's satire even though it's comedy we could say that this is valuable because it gives us a street level athenian view that maybe it is pericles's fault that this mergarian decree has passed and maybe that's why thucydides doesn't give us that much detail on it
Megura would be really incensed by this and would be taking this to the peloponnesian league
The siege of potterday in 432 bc in northern greece is a much more simple straightforward affair that of a athenian ally really wanted to leave athens empire when it sees sort of how repressive the athenians could uh be
Potterday had lots of corinthian citizens in there as an ex-corinthian ally
When the athenians start besieging potter daya it's important to be aware that corinth was fully um fully aware that her citizens were actually in the town itself
Corinth because of the siege of patadea and because of the debate about corsira would be really wanting to attack athens and wanting sparta to do something with um with these athenians
Thucydides gives us some really useful further discussion about um potter daya and basically giving potterday a preemptive instructions to pull down a wall send hostages um they basically feared potterday may revolt and that macedon in the north was also urging athenian allies to rebel
Sparta promised aid if Athens attacked potterday
There's four speeches in thucydides's coverage that of the corinthian um ambassador uh an athenian delegate that's unnamed the spartan king archidemus and the spartan ethos then leodas
The corinthian is really quite aggressive towards the athenians and the spartans and he basically says that yes it's athenian aggression but it's also spartan neglect
The athenians though use the age-old athenian debate that actually they're entitled to do what they do because of their actions during the persian wars where they did the most to save the uh the greeks and crucially they say that the reason why they're in that position is because the spartans were unwilling to lead the allies and that the allies begged begged the athenians to lead them
The athenian also maintains that the athenians treat their allies much better than the persians do but they're pretty you know pretty ungrateful
The athenian makes a bit of a threat at the end of his speech he's really unapologetic and he says if you begin the war we shall meet you in any and every field of action that you may choose
The spartan king archidamus is much more cautious and he fears that sparta needs to take time to build up its resources they've never faced an enemy like the athenians before
The e4 stena leodas essentially says that an attack on sparta's allies is like an attack on sparta itself and he says that they've got a bad record with uh with the spartans of the athenians the spartans should help our allies who are victims of athenian aggression and he urges the spartans to vote for war which they do
The allied congress is really a good example of thucydides clearly not being at a speech and wouldn't be there but because of his exile is possibly able to speak to delegates and corinthian and peloponnesian representatives that actually were at the allied congress
The strategies that are maintained in the allied congress are what happens in the war itself so is thucydides writing it with the benefit of hindsight obviously is but it's still really really useful and valuable to us
The corinthian and there's only one speech at the allied congress says that those of us that have had dealings with athenians know that we need to be um on our god we don't need to be told that and he says that all cities should be scared of the athenians even if they're inland and they don't live on the coast it's not going to be long before the danger spreads and he absolutely says that yes i want peace but we in order to protect peace we need to go to war
The corinthian refers to the athenians as a dictator city that's planning to subdue what's not already been subdued
The spartan ultimatum to Athens just before the war is that the athenians must exile pericles and the siege of potter daya give a heena back of independence and end the mergarian decree and crucially the athenians refuse
Sparta then return again and told the athenians they could have peace if they gave the greeks their freedom which is a bit ambiguous
The athenians debated this and pericles absolutely said no no no we need to go to war because if we give in on this point where is it going to end
The athenian empire massively expands on the pericles which threatens sparta
The treatment of ahina not giving her independence, pericles attitude to sparta is a massive contrast to kim own