Period Study Sources from Timeline

Source that details The Ionian Revolt

Source that details Mardonius' fleet being wrecked in a storm off the coast of Mount Athos. Loss of 300 ships and 20,000 men.

Names of the Persian commanders at Marathon

Source that details Victory at the battle of Marathon

Source that details Themistocles convincing the Athenian assembly to use the profits from the silver mines at Larium to build a fleet

In 483 BCE, where was the silver from that Themistocles persuaded the Athenian assembly to use to build a fleet

Source that details the Persian motivations for Xerxes' invasion

“Greece was saved by the Athenians. If the Athenians had decided to concede or flee then it would seal the fate of Sparta too. The navy of Athens was key - without this presence then the Persians would have dominated all the sea and everything would be lost. He also writes it was the Athenians who drove back the Persian King and they rallied the other poleis to the cause”

Source that details Ephialtes betraying the Spartans at Thermopylae

Who betrayed the Spartans at Thermopylae

Source that details Death of Leonidas and the loss of the battle of Thermopylae for the Spartans

“Athenains relinquished their claim for the good of Greece as they understood they could only win with unanimity.”

Accentuates the trope proposed by HDT that it was ultimately the Athenians that were the saviours of Greece. source

Source that details that at the battle of Plataea, the Thebans were fighting with the Persians (true!) and were the most eager out of anyone to attack the Greeks (Probably not true...)

Source that details that at the battle of Plataea the battle begun with the Tegeans charging at the enemy, leading the attack.

Demonstrates the pious nature of Sparta - they would attack after this when the sacrifices promised them success, not defeat.

Treated cynically by the Athenians - seen as an excuse that they hide behind for convenience. They would not sit around being shot as they slaughtered goats to get the right omen.

Source that details that at the battle of Plataea, there were 7 light armed infantry men (helots) for every Spartiate.

Supposedly, how many light armed infantry men (helots) were the for every Spartiate at Plataea

“They were deficient in armour, untrained and greatly inferior of skill. Although they had similar courage and physical strength, due to these limitations they were simply no match for the superior Greeks”

Reasoning for the Greek victory at the Battle of Plataea

Source that details Pausanias losing his command of the Hellenic League and the Athenians take over

Important Note - The Peloponnesian troops went home with Pausanias. The Athenians did not control the Hellenic League after this

Source that details the foundation of the Delian league

Source that details a supposed spartan debate about whether to go to war over naval hegemony. if valid, would demonstrate a long-term supressed animosity to Athens.

Source that details that the Spartans weren’t all too sad about losing the naval leadership (Pausanias affair) and were likely not all too bothered.

Source that details Victory at the battle of the Eurymedon

Significant - it ended once and for all the threat of another Persian invasion of Greece or the influence of Persia in Ionia. Prevented Persian attempt to reconquer the Asiatic Greeks until at least 451 BC. The accession of further cities of Asia Minor to the Delian league, particularly from Caria.

Source that details the Revolt of Naxos - This was the first time that the original constitution of the league had been broken

Naxos lost its independence as a result - established the precident that meant Athens would subjugate and quash league members if they revolted from the alliance system. source

Source that details the people of Thasos appealing to Sparta to come to her aid by invading Attica.

The Spartans, without informing Athens of their intentions, promised to do so however before they could there was the Earthquake and the Helot revolt.

Secret promise!!

Source that details the Siege of Ithome

Source that details the end of siege of Ithome

Source that details Inaros organising the revolt of almost all of Egypt against the Persian King Artaxerxes. The Athenians brought 200 ships to help the revolt.

Who organised the Egyptian revolt in 460 BCE. The Athenians came to aid this, providing ships.

How many ships did the Athenians send to the Egyptian revolt in 460 BCE?

Source that details THE Athenians finishing building the long walls down to the sea. They went down to Piraeus and Phaleron - allowed the city of Athens to have guaranteed access to its ports, even in times of war

Where did the long walls go to ?

Source that details Victory for the Spartans at the battle of Tanagra. Athenians create a Boeotian land empire after the battle (later grievance for the Peace of 446/5 BCE as it was not protected - Athenians loss at Battle of Coronea)

Source that details almost the entire Athenian force in Egypt being destroyed. Egypt falls into the hands of the Persian king, except that Amyrtarus, the king in the marshes, keeps his independance.

Source that details the 5 year truce being made.

Source that potentially details the Peace of Callias - points to its existance

Source that details Pleistoanax invading Attica, laying waste to the country as far as Eleusis and Thria before returning home.

Source that details Pleistoanax’s exile off the back of Attic invasion (supposedly because he was bribed to stop the invasion).

RTW - He invaded, agreed terms of the Peace of 446/5 BCE, brought it back to Sparta and they were very unhappy about it, so decided to exile him.

Source that details that the Corinthians were the ones who prevented the Spartans from coming to the aid of Samos - a clear breach of the peace so early on (relatively).

In a speech - validity?

Source that details the Samian revolt (proceedings not supposed Spartan intervention)

Source that details that the Athenian opinion changed overnight in regards to decision to send ships or not to Corcyra.

Was this malicious of Thucydides - Revisionist.

Compare to Thuc 1.127 - ‘He was the most powerful man of his times, and in his leadership of the state he invariably opposed Sparta, allowing no concessions and urging Athens onto war’

Source that details that Athens acted provocatively when they demanded Potidaea to pull down their fortifications looking towards Pallene, to send hostages to Athens, to banish their Corinthian magistrates and to not replace them

The Potideans had fortifications looking towards ….

Athenian demand they were pulled down

Source that details that Spartan authorities promised to invade Attica if Potidaea was attacked

Secret promise, how would Thucydides have known the details of the negotiations between Sparta and Potidaea?

Source that details Archidamian speech at Debate at Sparta

“We have the superiority in heavy infantry and numbers, but they can import what they need. If we instigate revolt in the Athenain empire, we need a navy to help as most of the subjects are island based.”

Source that details Sthenelaidas' opinion at the Debate at Sparta

Source that details the Outcome of allied congress at Sparta - The Spartans heard everyone's opinion and put the vote by city to all their allies present, both great and small.

The majority voted for war.

“The agreed in their current state of unpreparedness it would be impossible to attack immediatley, each state make preparation with no delay. A year later, after they had done this, Attica was invaded and war openly broke out.”

Majority - Vote for war was not completely unanimous among the Spartan allies.

Source that details Thucydides description of the plague- 'I had the disease myself'.

Cements him in Athens in 429 BCE

Source that details Implications of the Athenian plague,

Lawlessness - People ceased fearing the law since they felt they were already living under a death sentence.

Likewise, people started spending money indiscriminately. Many felt they would not live long enough to enjoy the fruits of wise investment, while some of the poor unexpectedly became wealthy by inheriting the property of their relatives.

It is also recorded that people refused to behave honourably because most did not expect to live long enough to enjoy a good reputation for it.

Source that details the Spartan loss at Sphacteria.

440 hoplites crossed over. 292 taken alive to Athens - 120 were Spartiates of the officer class.

How many troops were taken alive to Athens from Sphacteria

Of these, how many were Spartiates

Source that details Thucydides arriving too late to save Amphipolis but manages to save Eion.

In effect, this section is a political memoir.

Source that details the formation of an armistice in 422 BCE

Source that details the signing of the Peace of Nicias

Source that details the supposed numbers for the battle of Mantinaea

Clear inconsistency - can attack the integrity of the source for this account, over a lack of accuracy

Source that details the Spartan victory at Mantinaea

Source that details the Athenian catastrophe as the Sicilian Expedition ends in disaster

Source that details Alcibiades’ speech at Sparta.

Recommended they sent a force of troops to Sicily. Considered to be even more important, they should send a regular Spartan officer as a commander.

Source that details that the Spartans had been thinking of doing what Alcibiades suggested before - his intervention cemented their opinion.

Gylippus appointed to go to Sicily.

“The occupation of Decelea resulting, as it did, in so much devastation of property and loss of manpower, was one of the chief reasons for the decline of Athenian power.”

Source that details the 3rd supposed agreements between Sparta and Persia - the preceding two are drafts?

This one seems the most legitimate.

Source that details the Recall of Alcibiades to Athens

Source that details the Athenian victory at Cynossema

Source that details the Athenian victory at Abydos

Source that details the Athenian victory at Cyzicus

"The ships are gone. Mindarus is dead. The men are starving. We know not what to do."

Spartan intercepted message after Cyzicus

Source that details the appointment of Lysander as Nauarch

Source that details the Spartan victory at Notion

Source that details Lysander being replaced as Nauarch by Callicratidas.

He struggles to form relationship with Cyrus - becomes frustrated surrounding money.

Source that details Athenian victory at the battle of Arginusae

Source that details the impact of Arginusae

The 8 strategoi in charge were recalled to the Athenian assembly.

6 answered this call - they were all found guilty of capital charges and executed (Including Pericles the Younger - The illegitimate child of Pericles and Aspasia). Huge tactical blunder - killing all of your competent and experienced naval leaders!

Source that details Lysander being appointed as vice-admiral.

De facto leader of the fleet - couldn’t hold official title of Nauarch due to Spartan Law

Source that details Lysander buddying up to Cyrus again, after re-appointment to leadership position within the Spartan fleet

Source that details victory for Sparta at the Battle of Aegospotami.