The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BCE), chronicled in monumental historical detail by Thucydides, was fought primarily between which two leading Greek city-states and their alliances?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Athens (Delian League) and Sparta (Peloponnesian League)
- Step 1: Growing Athenian maritime imperialism and economic sanctions against Megara alarmed Sparta and its Peloponnesian allies.
- Step 2: The 27-year war ended in 404 BCE after the Spartan commander Lysander destroyed the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami with Persian financial backing, forcing Athens to dismantle its Long Walls.
Answer
Athens (Delian League) and Sparta (Peloponnesian League)
Why not the others: 'Athens and Thebes' Athens and Thebes were frequent regional rivals in Boeotia, but the great Greek war pitted Athens against Sparta; 'Sparta and Corinth' Corinth was a key maritime ally within Sparta's Peloponnesian League, not Sparta's adversary; 'Thebes and Macedon' Thebes fought Macedon later at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BCE where Philip II defeated the Greek coalition.
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