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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What Athenian general becomes successful in 425 BC?

2. Why is Sparta somewhat weakened at the start of the war?

3. How do the Athenians respond to the Mytilene rebellion?

4. After the Helot uprising in Sparta, what action does Athens take?

5. After the prominent Spartan general, Pausanias, briefly becomes politically powerful, what causes his defeat?

Short Essay Questions

1. What complicates the chronology of Thucydides' history?

2. What was happening in 432 BC between Athens and Sparta and what was its true purpose?

3. Rather than meet the Peloponnesian land forces head on, what was Pericles' recommendation?

4. What was the only threat to Athenian power after the defeat of the invading Persians?

5. How did Athens rise to its highest political power?

6. What might have ended the Peloponnesian war after the battle of Pylos?

7. What indication by 428 BC suggested that military tactics were changing?

8. In 426 BC, what prevented the annual invasion of Attica by the Peloponnesian forces?

9. What notable action did the Athenian fleet take in 425 BC on its way to Sicily?

10. What was unusual about Spartan use of new methods of war?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Look up information on Pericles and Cleon. In a paper, discuss Thucydides' opinions of both men. Evaluate Cleon, an aristocrat, who became a champion of the working class. Since Thucydides was also born into aristocracy, is it possible that his bias against Cleon had more to do with social status than with political ideology? Compare Cleon to the Kennedy family of modern day America.

Essay Topic 2

Successful generals often rise to great political power. Write an essay about the events leading to the political power of Demosthenes, Cleon, and Alcibiades. In your essay, contrast the way each of these managed to gain their position.

Essay Topic 3

In the Peloponnesian war, the Greeks read messages into natural phenomena and consulted oracles. To this day, religion often plays a significant role in military action. Write an essay about religion and warfare.

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