The Peloponnesian Wars were fought between the Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta, and their allies, and it lasted from 431 BCE to 404 BCE. As we have learned about in class, these two city states went all out to defeat one another, and it was only intervention from the Persian Empire that gave Sparta the resources to finally put them in a position of ascendancy over their rivals.
In the years after the Peloponnesian Wars, Greece was relatively beat up, and while city states like Thebes were able to carve out some pretty strong regional states for themselves, Greece had seen more prosperous days. It is in this context that a new power started to make a bid for dominance: the Northern cousins to the Greeks known as the Macedonians.
In the audio clip below you will hear a short summary of the conquests of one of the most famous Macedonians- Alexander the Great. While you are listening, ask yourself, what conditions helped to lead to the spread of Greek language and culture across much of Eurasia?
For those who would like to read along as they listen, or who are unable to access the audio text, please click this link for a transcript.
