Latest / The History of Greece: Philosophy, Empire, and Endless Reinvention — Fexingo History / The Corinthian War: Athens, Sparta, and Persia's Forgotten Struggle
Transcript
- Lucas: So after the Peloponnesian War ended in 404 BCE, you'd think Greece would finally get a break. Sparta had won, Athens was humbled, and everyone assumed Spartan hegemony would last. But it barely held for a decade before another conflict erupted — the Corinthian War. Luna: Wait, wasn't Sparta at its peak right after defeating Athens? Lucas: They were, but they immediately alienated their allies. Sparta started installing oligarchic regimes, demanding tribute, and even interfering in Persia's affairs — which was bold, considering Persia had funded their victory. And remember, we've talked about Agesilaus before — that Spartan king who campaigned in Asia Minor against the Persians in 396 BCE. Well, his success there spooked the Persians into doing something clever: they bankrolled a coalition against Sparta, using Persian gold to unite Sparta's old enemies — Athens, Corinth, Argos, and Thebes. Luna: So Persia switched sides from Sparta to an anti-Spartan alliance? Lucas: Exactly. The Persian satrap Pharnabazus and his admiral Conon — who was actually an Athenian exile — saw an opportunity. Conon had been living in Cyprus after the Peloponnesian War, and he convinced the Persians that a weakened Sparta was in their interest. So they funded a new navy and army, and in 395 BCE, the Corinthian War began. The name comes from the fact that much of the early fighting happened around Corinth. Lucas: Speaking of which — a quick honest thing. You know how we keep these episodes ad-free and independent? It's because a handful of listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's literally what funds making this many of these deep dives. So if you've been getting something out of these conversations, that's where you can keep it going. No pressure, just putting it out there. Luna: Yeah, and it makes a real difference for the show. Lucas: So back to the war. The coalition struck first in 395 BCE at the Battle of Haliartus in Boeotia, where the Spartans lost a commander. Then in 394 BCE, the big battles happened. First, at the Nemea River near Corinth, the Spartans defeated the coalition's hoplite army in a classic phalanx battle. But then their king Agesilaus, who had to march his army all the way back from Asia Minor, fought another major battle at Coronea in Boeotia. Luna: How did Agesilaus do at Coronea? Lucas: He won, but it was brutal. The Thebans fought fiercely, and Agesilaus himself was wounded. Xenophon, who was there, describes it as a battle where 'many fell on both sides.' Sparta technically won, but they couldn't press their advantage because their navy was destroyed at the Battle of Cnidus in 394 BCE, where Conon — now commanding the Persian fleet — crushed the Spartan fleet. That naval loss changed everything. Lucas: Conon then sailed to Athens with Persian money and supervised the rebuilding of the Long Walls, which connected Athens to its port Piraeus. That was a huge symbolic and strategic move — Athens could now receive grain shipments and resist sieges again. By 393 BCE, Athens was rebuilding its empire, setting up cleruchies and collecting tribute from Aegean islands. Luna: So Athens was rising again, just a decade after losing the Peloponnesian War. Lucas: Exactly. Meanwhile, the war dragged on with raids, skirmishes, and civil strife. In Corinth itself, a brutal internal conflict broke out between democrats and oligarchs in 392 BCE. The democrats, backed by Argos, massacred their opponents in what's called the Corinthian civil war. Bodies were left unburied, and the city effectively merged with Argos for a time. Luna: That sounds like the kind of horror Thucydides described during the stasis in Corcyra. Lucas: Very similar. And the war also saw the rise of new military tactics. The Athenian general Iphicrates, who we mentioned before with peltasts, used light infantry to ambush and destroy a Spartan regiment at Lechaeum in 390 BCE. That was a shock — Spartan hoplites were considered invincible, but here they were routed by skirmishers. Lucas: But the war was exhausting everyone. By 387 BCE, the Persians had achieved their goal of weakening Sparta, and they didn't want Athens to get too strong either. So the Persian king Artaxerxes II dictated a treaty — the King's Peace, also called the Peace of Antalcidas after the Spartan diplomat who negotiated it. The terms were simple: all Greek cities in Asia Minor would belong to Persia, and all other Greek cities would be autonomous, meaning no more leagues or empires. Luna: So Persia became the arbiter of Greek affairs. Lucas: Yes. And Sparta was made the enforcer of the peace, which let them continue to dominate Greece, but now as Persia's deputy. The war ended in 386 BCE with the treaty. Athens had to give up its new empire, but it kept the Long Walls and Piraeus. Thebes was forced to dissolve its Boeotian League. And Corinth went back to being independent but traumatized. Lucas: The Corinthian War is often overlooked because it didn't produce a decisive victory, but it set the stage for the next decades. Sparta's heavy-handed enforcement of the King's Peace led to more resentment, and eventually the Theban uprising under Epaminondas. It also showed that Persian gold could dictate Greek politics — a lesson that would be repeated with Philip of Macedon. Luna: It's fascinating how often Persia looms in the background of Greek history, even after the Persian Wars. Lucas: Absolutely. And one final detail: the King's Peace is recorded by Xenophon in his Hellenica, but also by the historian Diodorus Siculus. It's a moment when the classical Greek world of independent city-states truly gave way to a reality where outside powers — first Persia, then Macedon — called the shots. The Corinthian War was the hinge.