Guest
In 432 B.C., when the Spartans declared war on behalf of “freedom of the Greeks,” most Greeks regarded Athens as a tyrant city suppressing the freedom and autonomy of the 200 cities of the Delian League. In fairness, the Athenians had formed the Delian League at the behest of their Ionian allies in 477 B.C., and the Ionians swore oaths in which they accepted Athenian leadership. Athenian generals commanded expeditions; Athenian financial officials (hellenotamiai) administered League funds, which were kept on the island of Delos because most allies commuted military service by payment in silver (phoros). The Athenians quickly dominated the League assembly and ruthlessly suppressed rebellions by members such as Naxos in 470 B.C. In 466 B.C., Cimon won a decisive victory over the Persians at the Eurymedon. The following year, the Athenians faced a serious revolt by the island polis of Thasos (465−463 B.C.). The Thasians invited the Spartans to invade Attica and only a devastating earthquake in 464 B.C. prevented Spartan intervention.
