Greek+Wars

=Greek Wars = toc By Wayne Glessner III

Wars between City-States
Wars were extremely common throughout anicent Greece. Wars were happening in Athens, Sparta, Corinth, and Thebes because they all wanted to extend their borders. They would sometimes become allies and try to fight off the enemy to gain more teritory. Whenever anybody invaded they would allie up and defend the land that they have.

The Trojan War
The war started when Helen and Paris fell in love with each other. The problem was that Helen was already married to Menelaus. When Menelaus found out that Paris took Helen from him he was very upset and asked Agamemnon, a war general, to help him get Helen back from Troy. The main fighters in the war were Agamemnon and Achilles. The Greeks ended up burning down the city of Troy and the majority of the kings that fought in the war ended up dying supposedly from the wrath of the gods because of the wrong they did during the war. The religion of the Greek people essentially started this war, to learn more about how strong their religion is look here.

The Persian War
The Persian war was fought between Greece and Persia around 500 BC up until 448 BC. The war took place in Greece, Cyprus, Asia Minor, and Egypt. A large amount of the battles were over Persian kings trying to control Greece. Phoenicia and Egypt often helped Persia but eventually Egypt revolted as well as some Persians in their own territory. In 490 and 480-479 BC Persia invaded the mainlands of Greece. The wars eventually ended with the [|Peace of Callias] of 449. In the mean time Athens developed there own empire. This started conflicts between Athens and Sparta leading to the Peloponnesian War, where the Persians helped out Sparta.

The Peloponnesian War
The war was between Athens and Sparta it went from 431 and 404 BCE. The war started when Theban attepted to take over Plataea, Athen's ally. Sparta was an ally of Theban decided to join in. The war could be divided into five major periods. This war was extremely long so to help explain it I wrote down important events during the war. The fighting tactics of the Athenian and Spartan people were very different, some differences are noted here at Greek Culture and Greek Politics and City States.

The Archidamian War (Phase 1; 431-427 & Phase 2 426-421)
431 (Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem. Rome completes conquest of Volscians.)  -Outbreak of Peloponnesian War  -Siege of Potides, Socrates, then aged 38, saves in battle the life of Alcibiades, aged 18, and gives up in his favour the prize for valor.  430 Spartans invade Attica. The plague of Athens. Xenophon born about this time.  429 Death of Pericles. Plague continues. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 428 Spartans in Attica. Probable year of Plato's birth. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 427 Fall of Mitylene. Reprieve of the Lesbians. Spartans in Attica. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 426 Demosthenes' victory at Pylos. Spartans in Attica. Athens doubles tribute of the subject allies. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 424 Battle of Delion. Athenians defeated by the Thebans, with their corps d'élite of friends afterwards known as the Sacred Band. -Alcibiades rescues Socrates during the retreat. -Thucydides exiled. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 423 One year's truce. Aristophanes presents The Clouds in which Socrates is represented as an anarchic influence on young men. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 422 Assault on Amphipolis. Kleon and the Spartan general Brasidas both killed. Autolykos, aged about 17, wins his first crown at the Panathenaic Games; the occasion of the party described in Xenophon's Symposium. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 421 The Peace of Nicias. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 420 Olympic Games held. Lavish displays by Alkibiades who enters seven chariots and wins 1st, 2nd and 4th prizes. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 419 Alliance with Argos engineered by Alcibiades. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">431 (Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem. Rome completes conquest of Volscians.) <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> -Outbreak of Peloponnesian War <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> -Siege of Potides, Socrates, then aged 38, saves in battle the life of Alcibiades, aged 18, and gives up in his favour the prize for valor. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 430 Spartans invade Attica. The plague of Athens. Xenophon born about this time. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 429 Death of Pericles. Plague continues. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 428 Spartans in Attica. Probable year of Plato's birth. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 427 Fall of Mitylene. Reprieve of the Lesbians. Spartans in Attica. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 426 Demosthenes' victory at Pylos. Spartans in Attica. Athens doubles tribute of the subject allies. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 424 Battle of Delion. Athenians defeated by the Thebans, with their corps d'élite of friends afterwards known as the Sacred Band. -Alcibiades rescues Socrates during the retreat. -Thucydides exiled. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 423 One year's truce. Aristophanes presents The Clouds in which Socrates is represented as an anarchic influence on young men. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 422 Assault on Amphipolis. Kleon and the Spartan general Brasidas both killed. Autolykos, aged about 17, wins his first crown at the Panathenaic Games; the occasion of the party described in Xenophon's Symposium.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The Sicilian War (Phase 3; 421-413)
<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">421 The Peace of Nicias. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">420 Olympic Games held. Lavish displays by Alkibiades who enters seven chariots and wins 1st, 2nd and 4th prizes. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">419 Alliance with Argos engineered by Alcibiades. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">418 Athens re-enters the war. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 416 Melos reduced and captured by Athenians after siege. Adult males massacred and non-combatants enslaved, Phaedo probably among them. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Agathon awarded the prize for Tragedy; the occasion of the party described in Plato's Symposium. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 415 First performance of Euripides' Trojan Women. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> -Preparations for Sicilian Expedition. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> -Breaking of the Hermes and accusation of Alcibiades. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> -Expedition sets out in early summer. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> -Alcibiades recalled for trial but escapes to Sparta. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 413 Deceleia seized and fortified by the Spartans on advice of Alcibiades.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The Ionian or Decelean War (Phase 4; 412-404 & Phase 5 407-404)
<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">412 Alcibiades campaigning in Ionian Island <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">411 Subversion of democracy in Athens. Promise of electoral roll of 4,000 not implemented; political assassinations and reign of terror. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> -Revolution in Samos crushed with help of Alcibiades, who has discarded the oligarchs (according to Thucydides, because he had promised them more than the Persians would give). <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> -Counter-revolution in Athens by moderate conservatives under Theramenes, in time to prevent capitulation to Sparta. The Four Hundred oligarchs overthrown; leaders in exile. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> -Euboea captured by Spartans with crippling loss of food-producing land and private estates. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> -The restored democracy recalls Alcibiades, who elects to remain in Samos in command of the fleet. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 410 Alcibiades victorious in the Aegean. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Euripides' Electra performed. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 409 Agathon, and possibly Euripides, leave Athens for Macedon. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 408 Alcibiades recovers Byzantium and returns in triumph to Athens. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">407 Lysander in command of Spartan fleet. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 406 Antiochos defeated by Lysander in battle of Notium (Cape Rain). Alcibiades deposed. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Battle of Arginusae (the White Isles). <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">403 Kritias denounces Theramenes. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Thrasybulos and the Seventy seize Phyle. Judicial murder of Eleusians. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> -Capture of Piraeus and Battle of Munychia. Kritias killed. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> -King Pausanias of Sparta intervenes. Proclaims amnesty and withdraws garrison. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 402 Lysander deposed. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 401 Cyrus killed in war of succession against Artaxerxes. His mercenary arm

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Alexander The Great
<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Alexander the Greek, son of the Macedonian ruler Philip II, wanted to outdo the legendary general Achilles from the Illiad. Alexander had gotten a well-rounded education from the greatest teacher of his age, Aristotle. In 338 B.C. Alexander led the decisive calvary charge at the battle of Chaeronea and in 340 B.C. founded the city of [|Alexandropolis] in eastern Macedonia. In 336 B.C. he became king. Alexander built upon Philip's achievements and made improvements in the military. Training became constant in the army and the phalanx, the cavalry, the hypastists, the bridge train, and the siege train. The cavalry was the main shock unit. Siege weapons were improved and catapults were added with the new uses of large arrows or stones or bags of stones. Tactics were improved in the maneuvering and disposing forces in combat. Alexander had used tactics proposed by Sun Tzu in being deceptive and fooling his enemies. In the battles against the Persian empire Alexander always seized the initiative and forced the Persians into abiding by his plan rather than using theirs. These battles included Granicus, Issus, and Gaugamela and the minor battle of Pelion. Alexander was addicted to battle and continued his fighting. He fought against guerillas in [|Baktria] and Sogdiana and Ectbatana. Throughout his campaigns his troops were utterly loyal to him even when they got weary of fighting.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">References
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