What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.
- Pericles
The Rise and Fall of the Athenian Empire
Athens was the most influential city-state of its time, and grew into a vast empire. Its influence spread through the use of its colossal navy, which dominated the Aegean Sea. At the height of the Athenian power, its fleet consisted of more than 400 ships.
Despite the Athenian's unparalleled navy, they still experienced a threat to their empire: Sparta. Where Athens was unmatched in naval warfare, Sparta was unmatched in combat on land. Athens and Sparta were the two largest and most powerful city-states in the Greek world, and they endured a long-standing rivalry. |
Pericles died of the plague in 429 BC, leaving chaos and power struggles in the Athenian government. Athens surrendered to Sparta at the end of the Peloponnesian War, around 404 BC. Athens’ dominance in the Greek world ended, along with its direct democracy. |