Second Peloponnesian War: Athens versus Sparta (431 BC)
The great Peloponnesian War, which covered the entirety of the Greek world, was primarily a conflict between Athens and Sparta, the two largest towns in Greece. It's one of the most important events of Ancient Greece. Sparta's Peloponnesian League opposed Athens' Delian League in this conflict. The main reason the fight is well-known is because historian Thucydides wrote about it. This three-phased conflict served as a showcase for the Greeks' innovative military strategies.
The Archidamian War, in which Sparta twice invaded Attica, was the first stage. Utilizing its dominance over the waters, Athens attacked the Peloponnese shore. The Peace of Nicias, a deal signed in 421 BC between the two leagues, put an end to this stage of the conflict.
However, the resumed conflict between Sparta and Athens put the treaty in jeopardy. Athens dispatched a sizable expeditionary force to invade Syracuse in 415 BC. In 413 BC, the attempt was unsuccessful, and the entire army was wiped off.
The end of the war was brought on by this failure. The Decelean War or the Lonian War are the names given to this conflict. In the third and last phase, Sparta was helped by Persia, and the Athens' vassal states experienced uprisings. The battle was over when the Athenian navy was wiped out at Aegospotami. Following this loss, Athens gave up the following year. Athens' destruction and its population' enslavement were sought by Thebes and Corinth, but the Spartans refused.
