IntroThe Delian League (Athens) The Delian League was an empire that included most of the islands and coastal states around the northern and eastern coasts of the Aegean Sea. As a result, Athens had a strong navy. Athens was also financially prepared for war, possessing a large fund that it had accumulated through tributes paid regularly by its empire. The Peloponnesian League (Sparta) Sparta headed an alliance of independent states that included most of the major land powers of the Peloponnese and central Greece, as well as the maritime power Corinth. The Spartans had a stronger army than Athens. The league was organized with Sparta as leader. It was controlled by the Allied Council which was made up of two bodies; the assembly of the Spartians and the congress of the allies. Each Allied state had the right to vote, regardless of its size or power. No tribute was paid except in time of war, when a third of a state's army could be demanded. Only Sparta could convene a League congress. Although each state had one vote, Sparta did not have to abide by decisions the League could have made on its own. The First War (c. 460 BC - 445 BC) Athens took command of Greece in 487 BC with the Delian League. With Sparta involved in the internal problems of the Peloponnese and the war with the helots further testing it, Athenian democracy continued to progress. The difficult relationship between the two became irreparable when Sparta asked Athens for help against the helots. When the large Athenian army arrived, Sparta changed its mind and dismissed the forces, fearing that the Athenians would side with the helots against them. Insulted, Athens severed relations with Sparta, forming an alliance with A......middle of paper ......adder and a demoralized navy, Athens' naval supremacy would now be called into question.The new Spartan general was an astute diplomat, with a strong personal relationship with the Persian prince Cyrus. Using this to its advantage, Sparta sailed to the Hellespont, Athens' main source of grain. Forced to follow under the threat of starvation, Athens was defeated in 405 BC. Faced with starvation and disease, Athens surrendered in 404 BC, along with its allies. Corinth and Thebes demanded that Athens be destroyed and all its citizens enslaved, however Sparta decided to include Athens in its system. AftermathFor a short period of time, Athens was ruled by the "Thirty Tyrants" and democracy was suspended but was restored by Thrasybulus. 403 BC Although Athens' power had declined, it recovered and continued to play an active role in Greek politics.