Peloponnesian War Research Paper

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The Peloponnesian war
Sources, A War Like No Other by Victor Davis Hanson. Athens and Sparta fought the Peloponnesian war in Attica mostly, northeast of Peloponnesia, a peninsula named Attica. Athen's had territory in Attica, North of them, Beoetia and Thebes, allied with Sparta, and West of Attica, Corinth, North of Sparta. Due to Athen's aggressiveness, Sparta raided along the Athen's borders as a preemptive strike to antagonize them to start a war. They thought that Athens would then send an army, which would prove Spartan superiority and end the war quickly like most City state wars did. When they did not, Sparta started an invasion into Attica, burning and destroying crops to force the Athen's army out of the city. Sparta expected a short war with Athens, most Greek wars between City states ended quickly. The City states made armies, and fought on a prearranged spot and the best hoplite army would win. The …show more content…

Evantually a Spartan Army led by Archidamus to siege the tiny fort of Plataea arrived. The Army consisted of 30000 soldiers. First the Spartans built counter walls around the city, to protect against a variety of things including the weather. Then started building a ramp to get over the walls. The Plataean's responded by building higher walls, while digging underneath the ramp to lower it at the same time using a tunnel underneath it. Sparta did not have the resources to maintain an army at Plataea for long, and it became a race against time to take the city. The Plataeans started building a second wall, in case the first one failed. Soon Battering rams were made to break down the gate of the first wall, but the Plataeans responded with a crane-like defensive weapon, it picked up battering rams, and drop them to try and destroy it. In the end, Plataea got invaded due to spies on the inside opening the gates and allowing the army to take the

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