ATHENS AND SPARTA 57 Hellenes. The Peloponnesian War was really a Civil War. It might have changed the history of the world if it had ended in such a decisive triumph for Athens as would have enabled her to consolidate a Greek nation in the same sort of way that Rome consolidated her power in Italy. It is just possible that the triumph of Athens might have enabled her to achieve such a result, or that she might gradually have achieved it if there had been no war. But she was defeated, and Sparta was wholly incapable of carrying out such a policy ; the import- ance of the Peloponnesian War lies in the fact that it made quite impossible a turn of events which at best was improbable. The policy of Pericles was to obtain an overwhelming maritime supremacy, which should give Athens complete control of the islands, and enable her to raid the territories Athenian of her enemies by descents on their coasts at her Successes, own convenience. Her wealth was not derived 431421 BC - from the soil of Attica ; the city itself, the great port of Piraeus, and the communications with the port, were im- pregnable. The great statesman himself died before the war had been long in progress, but during its early years his system was adhered to. There were two memorable episodes of this period : one was a terrific visitation of the plague, which fell upon Athens in 430 B.C., the second year of the war. The second was the brilliant defence of the little city of Plataea, which was besieged by the allies, really for refusing to desert its friend and neighbour. The Athenians, however, were unable to raise the siege, and in spite of its valorous defence, the little city was finally forced to surrender, and was destroyed. In the seventh year of the war the Athenians captured a position on the Peloponnesian coast, and achieved the unique feat of com- pelling a body of Spartan troops to surrender. After ten years of war a peace was made, and for some time afterwards there were no hostilities between Athens and Sparta, though a great deal of intriguing and fighting went on among the various states, in which both Sparta and Athens were em- broiled. So far the attempt to overthrow Athens had been emphatically
