ParkerM

Parker Manning

[]

[]

[]

Athens was a powerful Greek city state located on the Attica peninsula. It was close enough to the sea that it had its own navy and merchant fleet. Athens power increased when it defeated the Persian Army at Marahon in 490 BC. Its power increased further when the city co-led the Greek Allied Army that fought against the Persians in 480 and 479 BC. Athens is known as the birthplace of democracy because of the freedoms that its male citizens enjoyed. Free adult males could vote for their leaders, and elect new ones if they did not like the leader that the had. Due to the large amount of freedom enjoyed by the citizens living there, Athens was home to many philosophers, mathmaticians, and writers of the time period. Plato created a school called the Academy, which was attended by Aristotle. After the Persian wars, Athens experienced what we now call its Golden Age. Magnificent buildings were constructed, great art was created and Athens became rich by creating a collection of city states known as the Delian League. It was during this time that Pericles became leader of Athens. He commissioned the Parthenon to built, which is still standng today. With its wealth and prestige increasing at such a high rate, Athens became involved in a rivalry with another powerful city state named Sparta. Sparta had an oligarchy form of government. The majority of its citizens were slaves or had no political rights. The small number of full citizens that did were always preparing for war. young boys began military trianing at the age of 7, and would not retire until they were 60. This rivalry led to the Peloponnesian War in 431 BC. The war would last until 404 BC, and was won by Sparta. After the war, Sparta was the most powerful city state in Greece. It would hold that title for about 30 years. Athens lost a lot of its wealth and empire because the war, but would still be important in Greek society for a number of years until it was conquered by the father of Alexander the Great. Eventually, all of Greece would be conquered by the Romans, and the role of the city states would decline.