Invasion of Attica in 431 BC
E1029815
The Invasion of Attica in 431 BC was the first major Spartan-led land offensive against Athenian territory at the outset of the Peloponnesian War, marking the beginning of large-scale hostilities between the two city-states.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
land offensive
ⓘ
military campaign ⓘ |
| AthenianStrategy |
refusal to give open battle
ⓘ
reliance on naval power ⓘ withdrawal of rural population behind Long Walls ⓘ |
| belligerent |
Athens
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Sparta NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| cause |
breakdown of Thirty Years' Peace
ⓘ
tensions between Athenian Empire and Peloponnesian League ⓘ |
| chronologicalOrder | first major Spartan-led land offensive against Athenian territory in the Peloponnesian War ⓘ |
| combatant |
Athenian Empire
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Peloponnesian League NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| commander | Archidamus II NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| conflictSide | Spartan offensive operations ⓘ |
| conflictType | invasion ⓘ |
| date | 431 BC ⓘ |
| describedBy | Thucydides NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| duration | several weeks ⓘ |
| era | Classical Greece NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| followedBy | subsequent annual invasions of Attica ⓘ |
| historicalSource | History of the Peloponnesian War NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| initiatedBy | Sparta NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| leader | Archidamus II NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| location |
Athenian territory
ⓘ
Attica NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| militaryTheater | land warfare in central Greece ⓘ |
| opponentCommander | Pericles NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOf | Peloponnesian War NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| politicalContext | rivalry between Athenian maritime empire and Spartan-led Peloponnesian League ⓘ |
| relatedEvent |
Siege of Potidaea
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Theban attack on Plataea in 431 BC ⓘ |
| result |
Athenians remained behind city walls
ⓘ
Spartan ravaging of Attica ⓘ beginning of large-scale hostilities between Athens and Sparta ⓘ no decisive pitched battle ⓘ |
| significance |
demonstrated Pericles' defensive strategy
ⓘ
marked the beginning of open war between Athens and Sparta ⓘ set pattern of annual Spartan invasions of Attica ⓘ |
| SpartanForces | Peloponnesian allied contingents ⓘ |
| strategy |
avoidance of siege of Athens
ⓘ
ravaging of enemy territory ⓘ |
| tactics |
devastation of crops and farmland
ⓘ
psychological pressure on Athenian populace ⓘ |
| target | Athens NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| targetRegion | Attic countryside ⓘ |
| year | 431 BC ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.