Will, Wolfgang Athen oder Sparta. Eine Geschichte des Peloponnesischen Krieges

The year is 404 BC: the once glorious naval power Athens capitulates to Sparta. Its city walls are razed to the ground, and the fleet must be surrendered except for a few ships. A war is over that lasted almost 30 years and brought death or the fate of slavery to thousands and thousands of people. What were the reasons for this greatest military showdown the world had ever seen? How could proud Athens fail so completely - and what were the consequences of its defeat?

Wolfgang Will retells the fascinating story of the Peloponnesian War. He impressively describes the hubris of the Athenians, who took it upon themselves to spread democracy but established tyrannical rule over their allies. He sheds light on their cynical power thinking, to which the historian Thucydides has set a timeless monument in his account of the events in the so-called Melier dialogue. But it also becomes clear that the opponents of the Athenians - the Spartans and their Peloponnesian League - were anything but champions of freedom, as was soon to become apparent when they themselves gained supremacy in the eastern Mediterranean. An exciting account, a clever analysis and a must for all those interested in the world of antiquity!