Pentecontaetia
Encyclopedia
Pentecontaetia is the term used to refer to the period in Ancient Greek
history between the defeat of the second Persian invasion of Greece
at Plataea
in 479 BC and the beginning of the Peloponnesian War
in 433 BC. The term originates in Thucydides
, who uses it in his description of the period. The Pentecontaetia was marked by the rise of Athens
as the dominant state in the Greek world, and by the rise of democracy in Athens. Since Thucydides focuses his account on these developments, the term is generally used when discussing developments in and involving Athens.
Shortly after the Greek victory of 479 BC, Athens assumed the leadership of the Delian League
, a coalition of states that wished to continue the war against Persia. This league experienced a number of successes
, and was soon established as the dominant military force of the Aegean
. At the same time, a number of developments led to growing Athenian control over the league. Some 'allies' were reduced to the status of tribute-paying subjects, and by the middle of the 5th century BC - the league treasury was moved from Delos to Athens in 454 BC - the league had been transformed into an Athenian empire. Athens benefited greatly from this tribute, undergoing a cultural renaissance and undertaking massive public building projects, including the Parthenon
; Athenian democracy, meanwhile, developed into what is today called radical or Periclean democracy, in which the popular assembly of the citizens
and the large, citizen juries exercised near-complete control over the state.
The later years of the Pentecontaetia were marked by increasing conflict between Athens and the traditional land powers of Greece, led by Sparta
. Between 460 BC and 445 BC, Athens fought against a shifting coalition of mainland powers in what is now known as the First Peloponnesian War
. During the course of this conflict, Athens gained and then lost control of large areas of central Greece
. The conflict was concluded by the Thirty Years' Peace
, which lasted until the end of the Pentecontaetia and the beginning of the Peloponnesian War.
The eventual breakdown of the peace was triggered by increasing conflict between Athens and several of Sparta's allies. Athens' alliance with Corcyra and attack on Potidaea
enraged Corinth
, and the Megarian decree
imposed strict economic sanctions on Megara, another Spartan ally. These disputes, along with a general perception that Athenian power had grown so great as to become dangerous, led to the breakdown of the Thirty Years Peace; the Peloponnesian War broke out in 431 BC.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
history between the defeat of the second Persian invasion of Greece
Second Persian invasion of Greece
The second Persian invasion of Greece occurred during the Greco-Persian Wars, as King Xerxes I of Persia sought to conquer all of Greece. The invasion was a direct, if delayed, response to the defeat of the first Persian invasion of Greece at the Battle of Marathon which ended Darius I's attempts...
at Plataea
Battle of Plataea
The Battle of Plataea was the final land battle during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place in 479 BC near the city of Plataea in Boeotia, and was fought between an alliance of the Greek city-states, including Sparta, Athens, Corinth and Megara, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes...
in 479 BC and the beginning of the Peloponnesian War
Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War, 431 to 404 BC, was an ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases...
in 433 BC. The term originates in Thucydides
Thucydides
Thucydides was a Greek historian and author from Alimos. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC...
, who uses it in his description of the period. The Pentecontaetia was marked by the rise of Athens
Classical Athens
The city of Athens during the classical period of Ancient Greece was a notable polis of Attica, Greece, leading the Delian League in the Peloponnesian War against Sparta and the Peloponnesian League. Athenian democracy was established in 508 BC under Cleisthenes following the tyranny of Hippias...
as the dominant state in the Greek world, and by the rise of democracy in Athens. Since Thucydides focuses his account on these developments, the term is generally used when discussing developments in and involving Athens.
Shortly after the Greek victory of 479 BC, Athens assumed the leadership of the Delian League
Delian League
The Delian League, founded in circa 477 BC, was an association of Greek city-states, members numbering between 150 to 173, under the leadership of Athens, whose purpose was to continue fighting the Persian Empire after the Greek victory in the Battle of Plataea at the end of the Greco–Persian Wars...
, a coalition of states that wished to continue the war against Persia. This league experienced a number of successes
Wars of the Delian League
The Wars of the Delian League were a series of campaigns fought between the Delian League of Athens and her allies , and the Achaemenid Empire of Persia...
, and was soon established as the dominant military force of the Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
. At the same time, a number of developments led to growing Athenian control over the league. Some 'allies' were reduced to the status of tribute-paying subjects, and by the middle of the 5th century BC - the league treasury was moved from Delos to Athens in 454 BC - the league had been transformed into an Athenian empire. Athens benefited greatly from this tribute, undergoing a cultural renaissance and undertaking massive public building projects, including the Parthenon
Parthenon
The Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
; Athenian democracy, meanwhile, developed into what is today called radical or Periclean democracy, in which the popular assembly of the citizens
Ecclesia (ancient Athens)
The ecclesia or ekklesia was the principal assembly of the democracy of ancient Athens during its "Golden Age" . It was the popular assembly, opened to all male citizens over the age of 30 with 2 years of military service by Solon in 594 BC meaning that all classes of citizens in Athens were able...
and the large, citizen juries exercised near-complete control over the state.
The later years of the Pentecontaetia were marked by increasing conflict between Athens and the traditional land powers of Greece, led by Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
. Between 460 BC and 445 BC, Athens fought against a shifting coalition of mainland powers in what is now known as the First Peloponnesian War
First Peloponnesian War
The First Peloponnesian War was fought between Sparta as the leaders of the Peloponnesian League and Sparta's other allies, most notably Thebes, and the Delian League led by Athens with support from Argos. This war consisted of a series of conflicts and minor wars, such as the Second Sacred War...
. During the course of this conflict, Athens gained and then lost control of large areas of central Greece
Central Greece
Continental Greece or Central Greece , colloquially known as Roúmeli , is a geographical region of Greece. Its territory is divided into the administrative regions of Central Greece, Attica, and part of West Greece...
. The conflict was concluded by the Thirty Years' Peace
Thirty Years' Peace
The Thirty Years' Peace was a treaty, signed between the ancient Greek city-states Athens and Sparta, in the year 446/445 BC. The treaty brought an end to the conflict commonly known as the First Peloponnesian War, which had been raging since c.460 BC....
, which lasted until the end of the Pentecontaetia and the beginning of the Peloponnesian War.
The eventual breakdown of the peace was triggered by increasing conflict between Athens and several of Sparta's allies. Athens' alliance with Corcyra and attack on Potidaea
Potidaea
Potidaea was a colony founded by the Corinthians around 600 BC in the narrowest point of the peninsula of Pallene, the westernmost of three peninsulas at the southern end of Chalcidice in northern Greece....
enraged Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
, and the Megarian decree
Megarian decree
The Megarian Decree was a set of economic sanctions levied upon Megara circa 432 BC by the Athenian Empire shortly before the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. The ostensible reason for the Decree was the Megarians' supposed trespass on land sacred to Demeter and the killing of the Athenian herald...
imposed strict economic sanctions on Megara, another Spartan ally. These disputes, along with a general perception that Athenian power had grown so great as to become dangerous, led to the breakdown of the Thirty Years Peace; the Peloponnesian War broke out in 431 BC.