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Ancient History - The Delian League

The Naval Program of Themistokles The Second Persian War The Delian League The Peloponnesian War The Battle of Amorgos Sulla sacks the Piraeus

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The Delian League was formed in 478/477 BC, in the aftermath of the Second Persian War, as an alliance of Greek city-states. At its height of power the League included around 400 member states, each contributing warships or money to the League's treasury on the sacred island of Delos.

The Delian League carried out several expeditions against the Persian hegemony in Thrace, Asia Minor and Egypt. In time the League, fronted by Athens, controlled the majority of the Aegean Sea and the Hellespont.

In 454 BC, the League's treasury was moved from Delos to Athens after a failed expedition against the Persians in Egypt. In Athens ten percent of the annual tribute was given as a votive gift to Athena, the patron goddess of the city. This period was the peak of the Golden Age of Athens, which saw the construction of several magnificent buildings, such as the Parthenon, under the leadership of Pericles.

The Delian League was the backbone of the Athenian naval empire in the fifth century BC. Conversely, it fuelled the conflict between Athens and Sparta, which culminated in the Peloponnesian War.