First Peloponnesian War Flashcards
Nisaea
The port of Megara which was located south of the Megarid opening into the Saronic Gulf, during the First Peloponnesian War the Athenians built a wall from Megara to Nisaea thus securing the land route into central Greece.
Oenophyta
A site in Boeotia at which the Athenians defeated various Boeotian contingents in 458 BC, two months after they lost the battle of Tangara. This virtually brought the entirety of Boeotia under their control.
Halieis
A battle that occurred in the Argolid between Athenian and Peloponnesian forces around 460 BC. Athens lost, but the defeat was not major, it was most likely a small raid.
Gythion
A Spartan naval dockyard in southern Laconia which was raided and burnt down by the Athenians in 456 BC.
Tangara
A site in Boeotia in which the Athenians fought the Spartans in 457, losing the battle and allowing the Spartans to return home to the Peloponnese through Megara by the way of a one month truth.
Doris
A region in northern central Greece which was considered the Spartan homeland. In around 457 BC the Phocians attacked Doris and Sparta felt like they needed to intervene, so they sent an army across the Gulf of Crisa.
Pegae
The town in the north of the Megarid which harboured on the Corinthian gulf. It was controlled by Megara and therefore Athens during their alliance, allowing Athens to secure the northern pass through the Megarid.
Megarid
The area of land controlled by Megara, connecting the Peloponnese to central Greece. Athens gained control of it during the First Peloponnesian war and was able to restrict Peloponnesian armies from invading Attica.
Cyprus
An island off the coast of Asia minor, controlled by Persia during this period. In 460 or 459 BC, Athens sent a fleet of 200 triremes to the island to directly attack the Persian garrison.
Inaros
The Egyptian Pharaoh who led a revolt against the Persian garrison in Egypt from 460-454 BC.
Saronic Gulf
The body of water south of the Megarid, accessible via the port of Nisaea.
Cecryphaleia
Referring to the battle of Cecryphaleia, a battle in the Saronic gulf between Peloponnesian forces and Athenian ships which occurred around 459 BC. The battle was decisively won by the Athenians, who besieged nearby Aegina directly after.
Aegina
A Dorian polis and member of the Peloponnesian league, located on an island in the Saronic Gulf opposite the Piraeus. In 459, the Athenians besieged the city, and according to Thucydides the siege lasted until 455, but according to Diodorus the siege lasted nine months. Nine months is the more probable figure.
Geraneia
The mountain in the middle of the Megarid between Megara and Pegae. In around 458, the Corinthians launched an attack against Megara by scaling mount Geraneia, but the attack was repelled after the Athenians sent a relief force to assist the Megarians.
Phaleron
The bay near the city of Athens, originally sectioned off by the Athenian long walls but later made obsolete by new long walls going straight to the Piraeus.
