HIST 2001 Lecture 15: Post-Persian War
Document Summary
The athenian navy won the war in a lot of ways, and this would shift military power balances in greece. The issue became how sparta would respond to this. The would not take the loss with grace. Thucydides, perhaps the most famous historian of the period, reported that when athens began to rebuild the walls that the. Persians had destroyed, the spartans, likely threatened by athens and its growing power, sent an emissary to ask athens to not fortify their city. Their idea was that any city outside of the peloponnese should be fortified, in case the persians took control, and thus launch a war from there. Themistocles went to sparta and spoke about negotiations with them, dragging it one and on, and thus giving the athenians time to build the wall. Therefore, their objection to the wall was more of an objection to their loss of military power. Neither side wanted the other to have too much power.
