Going to Hell in a Handbasket Trivia Quiz

Answer: Formed the Delian League

The competitive nature of the Greek city-states is well-documented, and Athens and Sparta were frequently at odds. The roots of the Peloponnesian War, however, came from the aftermath of the second Persian invasion of Greece that was ended in 479 BC.

Although Athens wasn't the only polis responsible for the victory that year, many gave them all the credit. If it hadn't been for the efforts of the Athenian navy at the Battle of Salamis, the Persians would not have been convinced to retreat. Taking advantage of the fear of another Persian invasion, Athens convinced 350 city-states (approximately 1/3 of all of Greece) to join a new League of City-States - the Delian League. Athens would patrol the seas in exchange for tribute that the other members would pay. To seal the deal the members of the League dropped a piece of iron in the water and vowed to work together until it rose again to the surface.

It must be noted, however, that 2/3 of the city-states in ancient Greece - including Sparta - did not join the Delian League; in addition, members of the initial League who wanted to leave were not allowed.

The formation of the League allowed Athens to become intensely powerful, which would not be tolerated well by the other city-states. Filled with suspicion and pride, the Spartans formed their own rival league - the Peloponnesian League.

Answer: Refused to accept aid from Athens during a helot revolt

The great historian Thucydides used the term "Pentecontaetia" to describe the time between the end of the Persian Wars and the beginning of the Peloponnesian War, roughly from 479 BC-431 BC.. It was during this time that Athens gained in strength, building what was called the Athenian Empire and subjugating many of the Greek city-states that did not include Sparta or her allies.

The Spartans were concerned that Athens wanted to reinforce the wall around the city and the Athenians were angered when they were snubbed during a helot uprising in Sparta. Sparta had experienced a devastating earthquake, which may have killed as many as 20,000 people; the helots, those in Sparta who were not given citizenship, saw an opportunity to revolt. Sparta asked the other Greeks for help. Apparently a group of 4000 hoplites, or foot soldiers, were sent from Athens - and promptly were asked to leave Sparta, while soldiers who were from the other city-states were allowed to stay. Thucydides hypothesized that Spartans were afraid the Athenians would change sides and actually fight with the helots.

It is certain, however, that this action led to the dissolution of an already-uneasy alliances between the two that had formed at the end of the Persian Wars; those rebel helots that escaped from Spartan wrath at the end of the revolt were allowed to settle within the Athenian Empire.

Answer: Plague

When the Peloponnesian War began in 431 BC, the great Athenian leader, Pericles, fearing the military might of Sparta, directed the citizens of Athens to remain inside the walls of the city and allow the Athenian navy to bring in supplies. Many believe this practice led to the introduction of the disease into the city through the port of Piraeus.

Not only that, but people from the surrounding area had moved to the city, increasing its population, leading to overcrowding and lack of hygienic resources.

It is interesting to note that Thucydides was in Athens at the time and fell ill to the plague - but recovered unlike an estimated 33-66% of the population. It was during this time that the Pericles, an irreplaceable leader, fell victim to the plagues day died, and many Athenians lost faith in their religion, thinking "Why did Athena let this happen"?

Answer: Cleon

It must be stated as a reminder that the Athenian Assembly contained ten generals, however, Cleon was apparently the loudest and most outspoken, a talented public speaker who supported the poor citizens by lowering their taxes. This action, of course, meant that the taxes would be higher for Athens' allies. Already a critic of Pericles before his death, Cleon believed that Pericles' military policy was too cautious. He hated Sparta, wanted to see the polis defeated, and convinced the Athenians that they could accomplish his goal. In 427 BC, when the city-state of Mytilene voted to withdraw from the Delian League, Cleon convinced the Assembly to sentence all of the men of the polis to death and enslave all the women and children. The next day the Assembly reconsidered the rash action, however, approximately 1000 of the men who were supposed leaders of the rebellion were put to death.

If one can trust the contemporaries of the day, Cleon was not a good choice to be a leader, especially during a time of crisis. Aristophanes said he was "The filthiest, most blatant, lowest-down Liar of all time". It must also be said, however, that he might not have been inclined to describe Cleon in an impartial way. Aristophanes, who is known as the Father of Comedy, was brought before the Council of 500, accused of ridiculing Cleon. Neither did Thucydides speak well of Cleon; it was after a defeat in 424 BC while serving as a strategos for the navy at Amphipos (Sparta had taken control of Athens' important seaport) that Thucydides was banished from Athens for 20 years. Cleon died two years later after unsuccessfully trying to take back the port.

Answer: Battle of Mantinea

It had been a tradition for hundreds of years for the ancient Greeks to announce a month-long truce before and after the Olympics to allow for safe passage there and home. In 420 BC, Sparta broke the sacred truce by attacking Lepreo; consequently the city-state was fined and banned from participating in the Games that year. Angry and humiliated, Sparta retaliated at the Battle of Mantinea (located on the Peloponnesian Peninsula) in 418 BC. An estimated 17,000 soldiers from both Leagues (9000 Spartans and 8000 Athenians) fought the battle, which ended in Sparta's favor, allowing a faltering Sparta to regain its reputation within its own League and throughout ancient Greece.

Answer: Lysander

Lysander was not the typical Spartan general. Some sources even say that he was descended from helots or perhaps even slaves. Whatever the case, his family was poor, even though, like many Spartans, his father claimed to be related to Heracles. Lysander was appointed navarch, or commander of the navy, toward the end of the Peloponnesian War.

It was he who not only led the Spartan defeat of the great Athenian navy, but also established the government of the Thirty Tyrants in Athens after the war.

He died in the Battle of Haliartus, between Sparta and Thebes, in 395 BC. Even with the civil war to end all civil wars over, the Greeks continued to fight.

Answer: Western coast of Anatolia

Located on the central west coast of modern Turkey, Ionia was an area that had been long coveted by both the ancient Greeks and Persians, as well as others. It is believed that during the Greek Dark Ages (1100 BC-700 BC), when Greece was under attack from the warlike Dorians, many of the Mycenaeans fled to Ionia, where Greek culture was not only preserved, but was also enhanced. Ionia was under the control of many empires in ancient times, but with the Greeks (especially Athens) being declared the victor at the end of the Persian Wars, many of the cities in Ionia eventually became part of the Athenian Empire.

It was during the third phase of the war that Sparta, with the help of Persia, was able to overcome the Athenians and force them to surrender.

Answer: Athens was allowed to maintain its democratic government.

A government which is called the "Thirty Tyrants" was established in Athens by Sparta after their victory in the Peloponnesian War. The group hoped to wipe out any trace of a democratic government that was left in Athens, and establish an oligarchy, a government where the power is held by a few people.

Many of the Athenians did not support this regime, even though about 3000 of its citizens were appointed to serve on various government committees. The Thirty Tyrants inflicted a harsh rule over the Athenian people, and were said to have had 1500 murdered without a trial, before seizing their property and assets; it is estimated that during their eight month rule, the Thirty Tyrants killed 5% of the Athenian people.

The Athenian democracy was reinstated by the general Thrasybulus in 403 BC and existed in one form or another until 338 BC when Philip II conquered Athens.

Answer: False

The Peloponnesian War can be divided into three different stages; during the first stage of the war the Athenian navy repeatedly raided the coast of the Peloponnesus, while Sparta repeatedly tried to invade Athens. Concluded in 421 BC, the first phase ended with a truce called the Peace of Nicias, which is also called the Fifty-Year Peace; this period is considered to be the second phase of the war.

The treaty lasted six years, although small skirmishes between the two Leagues continued to take place; interestingly, the battle that was considered to be the largest land battle of the entire war was fought during this time.

Answer: Macedonians

Sparta and its League "won" the Peloponnesian War, but it was a short-lived victory. Those independent Greeks almost immediately began to rebel and Sparta, weakened by the war, did not have the resources to maintain its new empire without the help of an old enemy - Persia.

In 386 BC a new peace, the King's Peace, was proclaimed. In exchange for their help, Persia claimed Greek polis' in Ionia and Sparta claimed control over the rest of mainland Greece. Just twenty-seven years later, Philip II of Macedonia was appointed regent for his young nephew; soon after he began his conquest of Greece.

He had been held hostage in the polis of Thebes for three years as a young man and was well aware of the civil strife in Greece. He admired Greek culture and wanted to use Greek culture to raise the cultural level of his people.

In addition Philip also believed that he could unite the Greeks under his rule. It is interesting to note that while Philip never tried to subjugate the Spartans (although he did take member city-states of their alliance), and his great son, Alexander, was more interested in his conquest of Persia and the East, the Spartans did eventually join his League of Corinth in 331 BC.