Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Think about what you know about the Peloponnesian War. Between whom was the war fought? When was it fought? Why was it fought? Situate the war within the larger context of ancient Greek history. Why was this war so important?

Teaching Suggestion: The Peloponnesian War began in 431 BCE, as the two most powerful city-states, Athens and Sparta, escalated their competition for power and influence into armed conflict. At the time of The Peloponnesian War’s start, Greek culture was experiencing a golden age, but by its conclusion, the stage was set for the conquest of the Greek world by Alexander the Great. This war was the subject of one of the most important ancient Greek historical works, Thucydides’s History of the Peloponnesian War.

• This entry on Pericles from History.com explains Athenian dominance during the “golden age” of Greek culture, which came to an end with the Peloponnesian Wars.  
• This article contains a helpful timeline of the Peloponnesian War and the events leading up to it.