Instructions
What according to you was the most significant result of the Greco-Persian wars? Give reasons to support your answer.
Your Discussion should be a minimum of 200 words in length and not more than 500 words. Please include a word count. Following the APA standard, use references and in-text citations for the textbook and any other sources.
In this unit, you will learn about two famous wars of the ancient Greek world – Greco-Persian War and the Peloponnesian War. The Greco-Persian War(s) was fought by the Greek city-states to counter the Persian invasions. This united the city-states against a common enemy and led to the formation of the Delian League to counter any and all Persian aggression in the future. Being a strong naval power and a formidable ally, Athens was selected to lead the League.
However, Athens’ use of the league’s funds to fund its own economic prosperity created cracks within the league. This was just the start of a stretched Athenian downfall. Not only did it lose its allies one after another but also came into conflict with Sparta resulting in the Peloponnesian War that stretched on for about thirty years. This war proved to be heavy on Athens’ resources and economy.
To add to its woes, a deadly plague struck Athens during the course of the war. It not only lost the war but also its independence and democratic structure. Sparta installed the Thirty Tyrants to rule over Athens. This was a dark period for Athenian democracy and its people. Eventually, Athens among other Greek city states was absorbed into the Macedonian empire by King Philip II. Athenian democracy came to an end and the city-state was now no more than a jewel in Alexander the Great’s vast empire.
Greco-Persian Wars
Boundless world history 1: Ancient civilizations – enlightenment – Version 35 . (2022). Boundless.com.
This chapter discusses the origin and effects of the Persian Wars.
Go to Chapter 7: Ancient Greece and the Hellenistic World and read Section 3: The Persian Wars.
Video:
Invicta. (2019, December 23). Misunderstood moments in history – why the Persians failed to conquer Greece [Video]. YouTube.
This video explains the causes of Greco-Persian war and the factors behind the Athenian victory in these wars.
Peloponnesian War
Boundless world history 1: Ancient civilizations – enlightenment – Version 35. (2022). Boundless.com.
This chapter discusses the origin and effects of the Peloponnesian War.
Cartwright, M. (2018, May 02). Peloponnesian war . In World History Encyclopedia.
This article gives a detailed analysis of the Peloponnesian War by discussing the causes, events and aftermath of the war.
Video:
Epimetheus. (2018, June 5). Athens vs Sparta (Peloponnesian war explained in 6 minutes) [Video]. YouTube.
This video summarizes the events and consequences of the Peloponnesian war.
Downfall of Athenian Democracy
Scaliger, C. (2021, December 13). ATHENS: A cautionary tale of democracy’s failures: The Athenian experiment with democracy, including the Greek state’s rise to prominence and its eventual fall, provides valuable lessons for Americans today. The New American, 37(23).
This paper discusses the various events leading to the end of the Golden Age in Athens and the downfall of Athenian democracy.
