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World at War

Peloponnesian War

431–404 BC Greece Status: ended Casualties: ~400,000 (including plague)

Athens vs. Sparta for supremacy over Greece. The Plague of Athens (430–426 BC) killed ~25% of the city. Sparta, backed by Persia, ultimately destroyed the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami and forced Athens to surrender in 404 BC.

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Belligerents

  • Athens (Delian League)
  • Sparta (Peloponnesian League)

Casualties

~400,000 (including plague)

Key events

  • 430 BC — Plague of Athens kills ~25% of population
  • 415–413 BC — Sicilian Expedition catastrophe
  • 404 BC — Athens surrenders

Aftermath

Ended the Athenian golden age and broke the Greek city-state system permanently. Spartan hegemony was brittle and lasted only ~30 years. Greek exhaustion opened the door for Macedonian conquest under Philip II and Alexander a generation later.

Weapons & matériel

  • Hoplite phalanx
  • Triremes (Athens: 300+, Sparta: ~100)
  • Light peltasts
  • Siege walls (Athens' Long Walls)

Economy

Athens drained the Delian League treasury; Sparta accepted Persian gold to build a navy; both economies were ruined

Cost

Athens spent ~2,000 talents on the Sicilian Expedition alone — more than its annual tribute income

Sources

  • Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War
  • Xenophon, Hellenica
From World at War, an interactive atlas by Jairus Pereira. Figures are approximate, drawn from Wikipedia, UCDP, ACLED and academic sources — a design artefact, not an authoritative register. Contact.