Peloponnesian War, 431 - 404 Bc

By André Geraque Kiffer

The Peloponnese War marks a change of course of the events in the history of Greece. While relying on its navy, Athens maintained the security of its essentially maritime lines of commerce and diplomacy. At the strategic level, when he made the political decision to undertake an expedition to Sicily, a secondary theater of operations, he set aside the precautions advised by Pericles, incurring one of his great mistakes in conducting the war. The Athenian strategy turned out to be more reactive to Spartan than proactive initiatives, particularly losing the opportunity to take advantage of the navigational maneuverability offered by its navy. In the simulation, at the strategic level, the following actions will be tested: protecting the maritime and land lines of communication between the regions of the Confederation of Delos (allies of Athens); As we develop our land power, we expand territorial conquests from the Allied regions since the beginning of the war (Acarnania and Thessaly) or from those invaded by our naval power.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clube de Autores
• Release date: Jan 31, 2024

Book preview

ANDRÉ  GERAQUE  KIFFER

Peloponnesian  War,

431  -  404  BC.

An  Athenian  Historical

Simulation

Author’s  Edition

Resende

2019

---  Kiffer,  André  Geraque.

Peloponnesian  War,  431  -  404  BC.  An  Athenian  Historical Simulation.  André  Geraque  Kiffer.

Author’s  Edition,  Resende,  2019.

Bibliography:  219  p.  34  im.  21  cm..

1.  History.  2.  Art  of  War.  3.  War  Science.  4.  Wargames.  I. Author.  II.  Title.

ISBN  978-85-9138-224-8

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My  story  will  be  less  certain  than  history;  but  whoever  wants to  relive  the  past  to  study  the  similarities  and  analogies between  human  conflicts  in  the  present  is  enough  for  me  to find  it  useful.  This  War  History  of  mine  is  a  definite achievement  and  not  an  ostentatious  work  for  a  current audience.

(André  Geraque  Kiffer)

4 PROLOGUE

I  was  inspired  to  build  this  work  by  reading  Arnold Toynbee's  book,  A  Study  of  History,  and  Trevor  N. Dupuy's  Future  Wars.  Between  2005  and  2007  I acquired  a  collection  of  board  wargames  in  New York,  and  reading  the  book  Wargame  Design published  by  Strategy  &  Tactics  Magazine consolidated  a  Matrix  for  A  Study  of  Military History.  Thus,  from  2008,  I  was  able  to  begin  an analysis  of  the  wars,  campaigns,  and  battles  of history  of  a  particular  time  and  /  or  civilization described  in  the  Smithsonian  Institute's  Atlas  of Military  History.  So  far  I  have  published  the  following series:  I.  Historical  Simulation  of  the  First  Empire Wars  in  2010;  VIII.  World  War  I  Historical Simulation  in  2011;  II.  Historical  Simulation  of  the Wars  in  Classical  Greece  in  2012;  III.  Historical Simulation  of  the  Roman  Wars  in  2016;  and  IV. Historical  Simulation  of  Wars  in  the  Medieval  Era  in 2018.  In  2014,  to  continue  my  work"  A  Study  of

Military  History  ,  I  read  the  book  Japanese  and

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Chinese  Chess  -  The  Science  and  Art  of  War  and added  a  new  book  The  Study  of  Wars  and  Chess Games  to  my  planned  study,  associating  the foundations  of  chess  games  with  the  principles  of Art  and  Science  of  War.  In  each  book  of  the  work  a selected  war,  campaign,  or  battle  is  studied  at  any of  the  applicable  decision  levels,  namely  the Political,  Strategic,  Operational,  Tactical,  and Technical.  Based  on  a  summary  of  the  historical  fact I  seek  to  highlight  the  decisive  fact  (s)  causing  the negative  result  (s)  before  playing  the  simulation through  a  board  wargame  -  the  actions  on  the  other side  of  the  hill  (from  the  enemy)  are  studied through  a  parallel  electronic  war  game.  In  the simulation  all  the  possibilities  of  the  purpose  of  the study  are  completed  when  the  past  of  history  is analyzed  on  the  basis  of  present  theory  and projected  into  the  future  or  revived  as  a  what  if schematic  case.  When  we  play  we  will  follow  the maxim  WIN  ALWAYS  BUT  WITH  THE  LOWEST

POSSIBLE  COST".

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Keywords:  History.  Art  of  War.  War  science.

Wargames.

7 SUMMARY

CHAPTER  1  –  PELOPONNESIAN  WAR,  431  -  404 BC,  ATHENIAN  STUDY……...............……………...8 CHAPTER  2  –  STRATEGIC  ANALYSIS….............39 CHAPTER  3  –  STRATEGIC  SIMULATION…........49

REFERENCES....................................................215

8 CHAPTER  1

PELOPONNESIAN  WAR,  431  -  404  BC,

ATHENIAN  STUDY Sparta  and  Athens

One  of  the  main  consequences  of  the  war between  Greeks  and  Persians  was  the  hegemony of  Athens  over  the  other  Greek  cities.  This preponderance  (political  and  cultural)  appears above  all  in  the  period  when  the  capital  of  Attica  is under  the  beneficial  guidance  of  one  of  the  most illustrious  of  his  sons:  Pericles.

Two  events  characterize  the  history  of  Athens immediately  after  the  war  with  the  Persians:  the reconstruction  of  the  city  and  the  creation  of  its maritime  empire.

The  ruins  of  Athens  were  a  bleak  spectacle  and

called  for  an  immediate  reconstruction  of  the  city.

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This  was  accomplished  thanks  to  the  efforts  of Aristids  and  Themistocles.  The  latter  managed  to deftly  deceive  the  Spartans,  who,  like  other  cities, intended  to  prevent  the  walls  of  Athens  from  rising so  that  it  remained  at  the  mercy  of  its  rivals.

Only  after  their  defenses  were  built  did  the Athenians  build  their  houses.  The  important  port  of Piraeus  was  fortified  and  later  integrated  into  the city  by  the  Great  Walls.  The  reconstruction  of Athens  obeyed  the  plans  of  the  architect Hipodamos  of  Miletus  who  imagined  a  city  with straight  and  parallel  streets  with  a  large  Agora  in  the center.

Agora  was  the  main  square  in  the  constitution of  the  polis,  the  Greek  city  of  classical  antiquity.  It was  usually  a  building-free  space,  shaped  by  the presence  of  markets  and  open  markets  on  its borders,  as  well  as  by  public  buildings.  As  an element  of  urban  space  constitution,  the  agora manifests  itself  as  the  ultimate  expression  of  the public  sphere  in  the  Greek  city.  This  is  where  the

Greek  citizen  lives  with  the  other,  where  political

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discussions  and  popular  courts  take  place:  it  is, therefore,  the  space  of  citizenship.

Pericles,  in  443  BC,  leads  the  Assembly  to  vote on  the  reconstruction  of  temples  destroyed  during the  war  with  the  Persians.  The  Acropolis  of  Athens is  one  of  the  works  then  made.  These  make  it possible  to  employ  many  citizens  and  slaves  who had  been  discharged  from  the  naval  service  in  long work.  It  only  took  the  Parthenon  fifteen  years  to build.

Acropolis  (from  the  Greek  κρόπολις,  composed of  κρος,  extreme,  high,  and  πόλις,  city)  is  the part  of  the  city  built  on  the  highest  relief  parts  of  the region.  The  position  has  as  much  symbolic  value, elevating  and  ennobling  human  values,  as  strategic, because  it  could  be  better  defended  from  there.  It was  on  the  acropolis  of  the  various  cities  that  the noblest  structures  were  built,  such  as  the  temples and  palaces  of  the  rulers.

The  original  Greek  Acropolis  of  Athens  became famous  for  the  construction  of  the  Parthenon,  a

sumptuous  temple  in  honor  of  the  goddess  Athena,

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richly  built  in  rare  marbles  and  adorned  with sculptures  of  Phidias,  by  order  of  Pericles,  and  with resources  originally  intended  to  sponsor  the  war against  the  Persians.

Im  1:  The  Acropolis  .

The  fortification  of  the  port  of  Piraeus  was  a sign  of  the  new  times.  Henceforth  the  Greeks  would continue  the  offensive  against  the  Persians,  begun at  Micale.  In  this  offensive  a  mighty  naval  force would  be  indispensable.

Sparta  refused  to  transform  itself  from continental  power  to  sea  power.  The  path  of boundless  seas  was  open  to  the  wide  view  of  the Athenians.  The  instrument  of  the  maritime

expansion  of  Athens  was  the  Confederation

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(League)  of  Delos.  This  arose  when  the  island towns  of  Chios,  Samos  and  Lesbos  offered Athenians  command  of  their  squads.  Aristides  was responsible  for  the  organization  of  the  league  into which  many  other  Hellenic  cities  (especially  those on  islands)  soon  joined  in,  relying  on  the  protection of  Athens.

Im  2:  The  Great  Walls.

The  Allies  set  out  to  take  the  offensive  against the  Persian  empire  by  ravaging  the  domains  within reach  of  the  Confederate  squadron  and  thus preparing  the  ground  for  a  future  liberation  of  Greek cities  still  under  enemy  rule.

As  headquarters  of  the  Confederation  was chosen  the  small  island  of  Delos  where  there  was

an  important  sanctuary  of  Apollo;  The  league's

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treasure,  a  product  of  the  Allies'  contribution,  would also  be  stored  in  Delos.  In  fact,  Piraeus  was  the  true center  of  the  Confederacy,  and  this  Athenian leadership  was  long  accepted  by  the  Allies.

Under  the  command  of  Milciyad's  son,  Cimon, who  had  gained  a  great  deal  of  prestige  in  Athens, especially  after  the  ostracism  to  which  Themistocles had  been  voted  and  the  death  of  the  influential Aristides,  the  Delos  League  won  a  resounding victory  over  the  Persian  squad  at  the  mouth  of  the Eurimedon  river.  in  468  BC

Then  begins  a  period  of  Athens  history  known as  Armed  Imperialism  (462-446).  During  this period  Athens  engages  in  wars  of  conquest, transforming  the  Confederation  of  Delos  into  a bellicose  instrument  for  its  aspirations  of  political and  economic  domination.  Athens'  pretensions  led her  to  a  fierce  fight  against  Sparta  (called  the  first Peloponnese  war)  and  an  unfortunate  expedition against  Persian  rule  in  Egypt.

The  Athenian  defeat  in  the  Nile  Delta  (456-454)

provokes  a  severe  crisis  in  the  Delos  League  that,

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for  fear  of  a  Persian  attack,  the  Confederate treasury  was  transferred  to  the  Acropolis  of  Athens. Cimon,  called  the  ostracism  to  which  his  opponents voted  (461-460),  concludes  a  five-year  truce  with Sparta  (451)  and  takes  charge  of  the  fight  against the  Persians,  but  dies  of  illness.  Callias  his  relative was  then  charged  with  entering  Susa  into  a  treaty with  Artaxerxes  in  449  BC.  In  the  protective  shadow of  the  Callias  treaty  trade  between  Athens  and  the East  flourished,  allowing  the  Athenians  to  reach  the height  of  their  glory.

Im  3:  Ancient  Greece.

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The  study  will  begin  by  characterizing  the  main geographical  space  involved  in  the  war.

Im  4:  Geographical  space.

Ancient  Greece  is  the  term  commonly  used  to describe  in  its  ancient  classical  period  the  Greek world  and  surrounding  areas  such  as  Cyprus, Anatolia,  southern  Italy,  southern  France  and  the Aegean  coast,  as  well  as  Greek  settlements  on  the coasts  of  other  countries,  like  Egypt.

The  area  occupied