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The importance of Aegina
during the Greco-Persian and Peloppnesian wars in largely omitted in our text
books. It is one of the Saronic Islands in the Saronic Gulf, only 17 miles from
Athens. In that location it was a significant economic - trading rival of
Athens until it was finally conquered. Its maritime importance dated back to
pre-Dorian times. Aegina was one of the three principal states trading at the
emporium of Naucratis in Egypt, and it was the only Greek state near Europe
that had a share in this factory. At the beginning of the 5th century it
apparently was a market place for the Pontic grain trade, which, at a later
date, became an Athenian monopoly. Unlike the other commercial states of the
7th and 6th centuries, such as Corinth, Chalcis, Eretria and Miletus, Aegina
did not found any colonies. The known history of Aegina is almost exclusively a
history of its relations with the neighbouring state of Athens, (as described
in Athenian texts) which began to compete with the thalassocracy (sea power) of
Aegina about the beginning of the 6th century. In 491 Aegina was one of the
states which gave the symbols of submission ("earth and water") to
Achaemenid Persia. Athens at once appealed to Sparta to punish this act of
medism, and Cleomenes
I, one of the Spartan kings, crossed over to the island, to arrest those
who were responsible for it. His attempt was at first unsuccessful; but, after
the deposition of Demaratus, he visited the island a second time, accompanied
by his new colleague Leotychides, seized ten of the leading citizens and
deposited them at Athens as hostages. After the death of Cleomenes and the
refusal of the Athenians to restore the hostages to Leotychides, the Aeginetes
retaliated by seizing a number of Athenians at a festival at Sunium. Thereupon
the Athenians concerted a plot with Nicodromus, the leader of the democratic
party in the island, for the betrayal of Aegina. The ancient sources write
about the power of Aeginan naval supremacy between 490 and 480. It is possible
that Aegina had a more significant role during this critical period. it is
clear that Aegina was awarded the prize for valor at Salamis for the
destruction of the Persian fleet. After Salamis Cimon's pro-Spartan foreign
policy protected Aegina. Then when he was exiled Athenian policy reversed. And
the First Peloponnesian war ensued in which the Athenian opponents were mostly
Corinth and Aegina. The final victory of Athens over Aegina was in 458. In 456
Aegina was forced to surrender to Athens after a siege, and to accept the
position of a subject-ally. The tribute was fixed at 30 talents. By the terms
of the Thirty Years' Peace (445 BC) Athens promised to restore to Aegina her
autonomy, but the clause remained ineffective. During the first winter of the
Peloponnesian War
(431 BC) Athens expelled the Aeginetans and established a colony on their
island. Even in their new home they were not safe from theAthenians. A force
commanded by Nicias landed
in 424 BC, and killed most of them. At the end of the Peloponnesian War
Lysander restored the
scattered remnants of the old inhabitants to the island, which was used by the
Spartans as a base for operations against Athens during the
Corinthian War. Its
greatness, however, was at an end.
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