The Delian league, founded in 478 BC, was originally formed not only to defend against the Persians, but to strike back against them. With Sparta reluctant to spearhead this effort, it fell to Athens to take the position as leader of these united Greeks. The Delian league began as a peaceful and voluntary union, however it was not long before Athens began using the league resources for personal gain and started conquering regions, forcing them to join, and pay tribute. This marks the transition
The success or failure of the Delian League is an interesting question from our perspective of being removed from it’s inception by almost 2500 years. We have the means to examine it’s efficacy in terms of both it’s stated aims and the historical impact that it had to it’s members and the other hegemonic powers of the era. There may be different answers to these questions due to a success or failure being a subjective judgement, but also due to the approach to the question. I seek to show a historical
obscurity towards the beginning of the Fifth century BC, developing strong military units known as Hoplites and beginning their navy development.Through cooperation with neighboring city states, Athens defeats the persian army and forms the Delian League. The Delian League’s goal was to rid the land of pirates and of any lingering persian forces. This marks the beginning of a fifty year long ‘golden’ age for Athens. Pericles, born in Cholarges, was the son of the politician Xanthippus had a quiet childhood
successful the Delian League was. Introduction: Founded in 478 B.C, the Delian League was formed by the union of Athens and Ionian cities for mutual protection against the Persian with Athens being the head because of her naval primacy. This free confederation was consisted of representatives, an admiral, and treasurers appointed by Athens (Gill, 2006). The Delian League derived its name from Delos-a city-state where the treasurer was resided. Although one may argue that the Delian League was unsuccessful
the Delian League was very successful for the Athenian government, but proved weak due to greed and the pursuit of power. When the second Persian War was over, Athens, along with other Greek polis, including the Aegean islands and the Ionian coast (2010, p.27), formed an alliance in 478 B.C.E. This alliance was designed to protect the ally should the Persians return for another fight. Although Sparta was breathing a sigh of relief with the war over, they also joined the Delian League. Members
Intro The Delian League (Athens) The Delian League was an empire that included most of the island and coastal states around the northern and eastern shores of the Aegean Sea. As a result of this, Athens had a strong navy. Athens was also financially prepared for war, owning a large fund they had amassed from the regular tribute paid to them from their empire. The Peloponnesial League (Sparta) Sparta was leader of an alliance of independent states that included most of the major land powers of the
For me, I see The Delian League as a legend that ancient Athenians pioneered the use of allying their poleis with many others, in order to against Persian aggression and create a military monolithic in Greece. Further, according to study.com, "The group of city-states who sided with Athens met at the sacred island of Delos to form a new alliance. This was the Delian League. The League had three goals: to prepare for the risk of future invasions, to get revenge on Persia, and to form a way to divide
The Delian League was an incredibly unique political system that would dominate the Greek world in the fifth century B.C.E. This dominance, maintained through the sheer military might of the Athenian navy, led to an unprecedented strengthening of the Aegean economy and Greek culture as a whole. Economic prosperity in Athens led to the strengthening of the Athenian democracy. Unfortunately, the whims of the Athenian Demos and demagoguery led to a massive weakness in the political system. Within the
an empire. The establishment of the Delian League marked the beginning of a significant series of events, which lead to Athens’ rise to extreme power. From the evidence of Thucydides and the inscriptions, it is possible to track the progress of these events and the rapidly changing treatment that Athens enforced upon her allies. The Delian League was an establishment formed in 478 BC. A large number of Greek cities formed an alliance under this league and together aimed to provide a strong
definite stance and either condemn completely or support the formation of the Delian League as a Greek success story of ancient past, I really have to pause and consider both the pros and cons. I really do believe that there are both good sides to its formation and also bad sides, and even to the extent of holding the view that the cons outweigh the pros in the formation of the Delian Leagues ultimately. The Delian League has its mission or goals for which it was formed. It was formed as a direct response
democracy and patriotism to one’s nation. Also, the United States of America resembles the Delian League because the United States used to be completely sovereign states that were separate from each other and the Delian League used to be separate Greek city-states. Then the separate American states joined up to be the United States of America and the separate city-states made an alliance and became the Delian League. Many values are shared by both Pericles and
Athens its empire, but it also led to its fall. Works Cited Butler, Chris. “The Delian League and the Athenian Empire (478-431 Bce).” The Flow of History. December 3, 2013. Accessed December 3,http://www.flowofhistory.com/units/birth/3/FC23. Crash Course. “The Persians.” Youtube. February 23, 2012. Accessed December 3,2013.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-mkVSasZIM. Neptune, Lydia. “Pericles, the Delian League, and the Athenian Golden Age.” Education Portal. February 19, 2014. Accessed February
Throughout the last five millenniums, there have been many amazing empires. Ostensibly successful was the Indus River Valley from 2500-1500 BCE, and Ancient Greece from 750-338 BCE. Later, the empire of Aksum existed from 100-750 CE. All these empires were built because of their exceptional locations, therefore proving that geography is clearly the mother of history. Despite unpredictable flooding, the Indus River Valley prospered to the best of their ability. Meanwhile, Greece had serious issues
Road to self-destruction Many circumstances led to the end of the Athenian golden age. Ironically, the formation of the Delian league marked the beginning stages of the end of the Athenian golden age. The same league that would prove instrumental in pulling up Athens from state to empire, eventually played a role in its destruction. Athens harsh treatment towards other weaker states served as an instigator for hatred and resentment. No one state was strong enough to defend themselves against Athens’
the strength of Athens" (The Old Oligarch, I, 15). Indeed. It is this characteristic in particular of the Delian League that leads it to be rightfully called the Athenian Empire. If each state had maintained its own fleet, and sent it to join the League in its expeditions, they would have held on to a significant measure of independence. Instead, a critically large enough portion of the league members abdicated control over their own military (by their own choice or by force) and simply paid cash
with Corinth and relied upon it as a source of income, saw the Athenian support of the Corcyrain rebels as an act of aggression against the peloponnesian league (Sparta and her allies). The alliance made between Athens and Corcyra was also viewed as a violation of the peace treaty of 445 B.C. between the peloponnesian league and the Athenian league. Athens ignored all Spartan protest about its involvement in the Corcyrain campaign. Further feud was created between Sparta and Athens in 432 B.C. in Potidaea
decade. Eventually the Athenians overcame them by fighting over the sea, creating the Delian League that put the Athenian empire in a higher position over other city-states. Terms and Names
because Athenians’ wealth multiplied due to increased trade. Their trade had surged because of their newfound dominance of the sea due to their newly formed Delian League. This strong Navy was the brainchild of Athenian leader Pericles, formed because of widespread Greek fear of Persia’s return. All city-states give money to Athens for the Delian League, and this created a sense of security. Athens had an established government; a direct and limited democracy. Athenians were now more patriotic, prideful
During the golden age of Greece as a whole, there was one leader of a city-state that produced his own golden age. Pericles was one of Athens most recalled rulers for his success. He sparked an age for the artistic and the thinkers of Athens. He was an open-minded leader which supported all of the arts and promoted the outside thinking of philosophy. He developed a system of democracy for his city-state to instill in which the majority gained a say in the government. Although not everyone believed
The Athenian playwright, Aristophanes, has been considered to be one of the greatest writers of comedy in literary history. His plays have been used as sources for political and social history, as well as works of literature and drama.1 Throughout Aristophanes’ writings, he made particular use of politics, war, societal figures and women as main themes. When considering other historians of fifth century Athens and their accounts of society during that time, one can begin to fully recognize Aristophanes’