Peloponnesian War

Athens and Sparta became rivals for dominance in the Greek world.

Athens and Sparta joined together to defend against possible future Persian attacks.

Thebes and Corinth became rivals for dominance in the Greek world.

a major earthquake shook the entire Greek peninsula.

An earthquake in Sparta

Athens directly interfering with Sparta's allies

Corinth and Thebes uniting to attack Athens

Pericles's Funeral Oration

To meet the Spartans head on and destroy them in a ground battle

To lay siege to Sparta and eventually starve them out of their city

To remain inside the walls of their city and use their superior ships to win the war

To ally with Persia for support

Athens ... they had a superior land army

Sparta ... they traded land with Persia in exchange for money to build a navy

Persia ... they waited for Athens and Sparta to wear each other out and easily defeated both

Athens ... they allied with Corinth and Thebes to overpower Sparta

He was killed in battle and given a lavish funeral.

He died in the plague that struck Athens.

He escaped to Thebes.

He was killed by a poison arrow.

It showed the dominance and longevity (ability to last a long time) of both Sparta and Athens, reinforcing the dominance of the Greeks in the Mediterranean.

It inspired massive technological development in weapons, launching the Greeks into a new golden age of invention.

It weakened both Athens and Sparta, leaving the Greeks vulnerable to attack and conquest from outside empires.

It taught the Greeks that they were stronger when allied, creating a Greek empire that was no longer defined by separate city-states.