This chapter focuses on less popularised aspects of Athenian hegemony and decline, starting from the capture of hegemony after the Persian wars, exploring specific strengths and weaknesses of the Athenian system, and debating the causes and the effects of that violent architect of hegemonic decline, the Peloponnesian war. The chapter sheds light on the disastrous effects of the hunt for regional hegemony and power for Ancient Greek city states, the role of political innovation through the establishment of knowledge networks in Ancient Athens, both as an enabling force to capture hegemony, but also as a factor for inciting fear and suspicion in Athens’ own allies, in their fluctuating relationship with Sparta and elsewhere, especially with the halt of that innovation by war, resulting in Athenian hegemonic decline.

Thucydides is generally not considered a philosopher in the sense that Socrates, Plato, or Aristotle are. David Bolotin, for instance, said, “[Thucydides] is not generally thought of as a political philosopher.” Yet his only work, The War of the Peloponnesians and the Athenians, is the densest and most profound work that deals with philosophy from antiquity. If political philosophy concerns itself with the nature of the human city, as Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Politics do, then Thucydides’ work stands alongside those canonical classics as a volume concerned with the question of the human city and is therefore a work of political philosophy.

Detailed account of the Confederacy of Delos, including its nature, scope, origins, and history from the Thirty Years Peace between Athens and Sparta down to the start of the Ten Year's War. As with my other general articles on this site, I wrote this for the Encyclopedia of Ancient History, because I find most encyclopedia entries inadequate.

The purpose of my dissertation is to analyse the negative comments concerning Pericles; the 5th Century BCE Athenian statesman and general. This will involve an assessment of both ancient and modern writers. It will include an exploration of his early career as well as the decisions he made whilst in high office. His personal life will also be examined to clarify to what extent it affected his judgement in politics. Larger themes such as Athenian Imperialism and financial greed will also be taken into account to confirm if Pericles' actions were all just simply part of the current social-political landscape of the polis of Athens. The eventual aim of my dissertation is to evaluate these various assessments and judge if there is substantial weight to them.