Most Memorable Wars of Ancient Greece

Written by Greek Boston in Ancient Greek History Comments Off on Most Memorable Wars of Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece was filled with many memorable things. Many things that we know of today, such as some aspects of mathematics, philosophy, and even political concepts like democracy, had their roots in Ancient Greece. Other aspects of the culture, such as the mythological stories, have endured through the ages.

Besides all the positive things that have come out of Ancient Greece, there have also been plenty of wars. The outcome of many of these wars shaped the course of history. Here’s a look at the most memorable conflicts that took place in Ancient Greece:

Peloponnesian War

This lengthy war pitted the two strongest parts of Ancient Greece against each other – Sparta and the city-state of Athens. This war came in waves, and there was also a period of extensive time period of peace between the two major waves. Ultimately, the Sparta won the war, but it wasn’t without costs to both sides. Neither side was the same after the war and never Sparta nor Athens were able to achieve the same level of greatness they achieved before the war.

Persian War

This memorable war had plenty of famous moments. For example, the legendary Spartan 300 that lost their lives in Themopylae took place during the Persian War. During this time, the Persian Empire tried to take over Ancient Greece on two separate occasions, and neither one of them resulted in the Persian’s victory. In both wars – the First Persian Invasion and the Second Persian Invasion, the Greeks fought off the might empire. Eventually, the Persians left and never tried again.

Lamian War

This war, also known as the Hellenic War, pitted the city-state of Athens against the Aetolian Confederacy.  This war basically took place after Alexander the Great, who had conquered most of Greece and beyond when he was alive. After his death, the portions of Greece that he took over, particularly Athens, tried to regain control of their own regions. Athens didn’t achieve its desired result and this war marked the end of the great Hellenistic Period in Greece.

Messenian War

Both Messenian Wars (there were two) played a large part in helping Sparta grow their military. During this war, Sparta and the city-state of Messenia fought a long conflict where Sparta tried to gain control of the region. Their goal was to conquer Messenia and then enslave the population. While they did manage to overcome Messenia, the people mostly fled after the war was over to escape Spartan rule.

Trojan War

Although most of us associate this war as a part of Greek Mythology, there has been some speculation and debate as to whether or not the war actually took place. There are those who believe that the myths that were told about the war had some basis in fact. It was basically assumed that the story of the war was just that – a story. However, when archaeologists uncovered that Troy was a real place, their perspective about the war began to change. Of course, there is still debate as to whether or not archaeologists actually did find Troy. If the war is found to have really existed, it would be considered one of the major conflicts in Ancient Greece.

As you can see, Ancient Greece had some memorable and important wars. It is important to learn about them!

Categorized in: Ancient Greek History

This post was written by Greek Boston