Delian League/athenian Empire

[Neos Dionysos]

Also, just for the record, most of what's quoted in your post above came from tflex, not me. I vastly favor the Athenians to the Spartans for the reasons to be found in Perikles' funeral oration, which is one of the most wonderful speeches in the entire history of mankind (imho).

And a speech I highly beleive was inspired by and partially written by Aspasia.

 

Why?

 

 

She had an impact on his life, (going so far as to get her and her kids Athenian Citizenship even though technically it was illegal but who was going to say no to him?), and she being a hetiarai she would be a very well educated woman, knowing politics and current events and of how much he was in love with her, I think she inspired parts of his speech... through her influence, intelliect, etc.

[Rameses the Great]

The Greeks never asked for Sparta's help when Persian planned an invasion of Athens. The only time the Spartans and Athenians teamed up was when the Persians planned an invasion of Greece. The Perisians were not hard to defeat at all. Although they had superior numbers the Atenians had a great weapon in massive walls of phalanx. When Persia planned this all the Greeks did was scrap up an army of militia. Honestly don't you think the hevily armoured phalanx of Athens really needed help defeating the short sworded nicely clothed men of Persia?

[Kosmo]

Greek leagues were not all ruled by a hegemon. Achean and etolian leagues showed impresive internal unity and military power when confronted with the macedonian kings, but after Persia was defeated most members of the Delian League saw no point in keeping that alliance that was becaming more and more demanding.

Athens imposed everywere her democracy and this gave birth to internal conflicts in all other cities.

 

Persian rule was not opresive and many greeks liked it. I think that the greeks were the most important oponents of Alexander in his conquest of Persia and most cities in Ionia resisted against "liberation"

 

Despite the errors of Athens in the first Delian League most of her allies were willing to take another chance with it and, by their own will, joined the second naval league. This means that atenian hegemony was not so bad.

[Rameses the Great]

The Mecedonian kings at that time had nothing to do with Persian invasion of Greece. Macedonia could care less with Romans entering their frontier. Much later Alexander took over Persia itself. So the Greek city states even though there was concern of Persians were not too concerned. Why would Sparta fear an attack the Persians knew that their warriors were trained from infancy. The Pelopennesian league was never in any danger by the Athenians they must have felt danger so they attacked. Same thing with the Persians they may have thought that Athens was week and thought they would cruise to ane easy victory. Athens was indeed a power in the Mediterranian and the Persians learned that the hard way.

[sullafelix]

after Persia was defeated most members of the Delian League saw no point in keeping that alliance that was becaming more and more demanding.

Athens imposed everywere her democracy and this gave birth to internal conflicts in all other cities.

 

Persian rule was not opresive and many greeks liked it. I think that the greeks were the most important oponents of Alexander in his conquest of Persia and most cities in Ionia resisted against "liberation"

 

Despite the errors of Athens in the first Delian League most of her allies were willing to take another chance with it and, by their own will, joined the second naval league. This means that atenian hegemony was not so bad.

 

I can't agree that most of the Delian league members saw litle point in keeping Athenian rule. Firstly most of the states saw the point exactly and they stayed in willingly. Secondly small states had little choice not only because they would have found it annoyed Athens but because the small island states that made up the Athenian empire needed to be part of something bigger for their protection. So there is not as much logic to the statement that Athenian hegemony was not so bad as might first appear. Essentially many stayed in out of choice but the smaller you were the less choice there was in every respect and that situation was the same secod time around.