Thirty Years' Peace
The Thirty Years' Peace was a treaty signed between the ancient Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta in 446/445 BC. The treaty brought an end to the conflict commonly known as the First Peloponnesian War, which had been raging since c. 460 BC.
Background
The purpose of the treaty was to prevent another outbreak of war. Ultimately, the peace treaty failed in achieving its goal, with the outbreak of the Second Peloponnesian War in 431 BC.
Athens was forced to give up all possessions in the Peloponnese, which included the Megarian ports of
The Thirty Years' Peace, however, lasted only fifteen years and ended after the Spartans had declared war on the Athenians. During the peace, the Athenians took steps in undermining the truce by participating in the dispute over
The Samian Rebellion
The Thirty Years' Peace was first tested in 440 BC, when Athens's powerful ally, Samos, rebelled from its alliance with Athens. The rebels quickly secured the support of a Persian satrap, and Athens found itself faced with the prospect of revolts throughout its empire. If the Spartans intervened at that moment, they would be able to crush the Athenians, who were in a vulnerable situation, but when the Spartans called a convention to discuss whether or not they should go to war, it decided not to go to war. The Corinthians were notable for opposing the war with the Athenians.[3]
Corcyra and Corinth
The war between
The Athenian decision was to enter an alliance that was only defensive (epimachia), instead of a both offensive and defensive was unusual (symmachia) and is the first such relationship that is known.[6] The decision led to war with the Corinthians.
The Battle of Sybota was one of the battles that spurred out of the conflict. The Athenians were forced to fight the Corinthians, which further hurt the peace treaty.
References
- ^ Bagnall, Nigel. “The Inter-War Years 480-431 BC”;The Peloponnesian War: Athens, Sparta and the Struggle for Greece. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2006. p. 123
- ^ Kagan, Donald. “The Great Rivalry”; The Peloponnesian War. New York: Viking, 2003. 18.
- ^ Kagan, Donald. “Enter Athens”; The Peloponnesian War. New York: Viking, 2003. p. 23-24.
- ^ Thucydides, and Steven Lattimore. The Peloponnesian War. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 1998.
- ^ Thucydides, and Steven Lattimore. The Peloponnesian War. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 1998.
- ^ Kagan, Donald. “Enter Athens”; The Peloponnesian War. New York: Viking, 2003. p. 37.