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0.Introduction
notthereforeconstituteamodelfortheHellenic,muchlesstheDelianLeague.
TeanalysisofthepoliticalhistoryofthePeloponneseinthelatearchaicperiod,
whichconcludesthechapter,aimstodemonstratetheabsenceofstrictlydefined
(strictlyexercised?)obligationsoftheSpartanalliestowardsthehegemon.
AswellasdemonstratingtheSpartansymmachy)sstructuralweaknessin
thelatearchaicperiod,chapter3providesanattemptatatentativeanswertothe
questionofthetimeandcircumstancesinwhichthePeloponnesianLeaguetook
ontherelativelycoherentpoliticalstructureknowntousfromTucydidesand
Xenophon.Aswillbeseen,thePeloponnesianLeagueassumedthatshapeinthe
450sinreactiontotheemergenceoftheAthenianempire,whichprovokedfear
similartothatgeneratedbythePersianWars.Temoreformalcharacterassumed
bythePeloponnesianalliancewaspresumablyaidedbytheexistenceofamodel
intheformoftheDelianLeague.
Intheclosingchapter4,Iattempttobuttressthistheorybyananalysisof
aproblemthathastodatenearlyevadedscholarlyattentionbutwhich,asIhope
todemonstrate,iscentraltoanyattemptatunderstandingtheSpartansymmachy,
namelythehistoryoftheterm“thePeloponnesians”anditsuse.Inthischap-
ter,Itracethedevelopmentofanoriginallypurelygeographicdesignationinto
asloganusedfromthemid-fifhcenturyonwardsaspropagandaforthePelopon-
nesianunityagainstAthenianaggressionwhilecementingtheanti-Athenianalli-
ancearoundSparta.Tehistoryofthewordconstitutesacrucialargumentinthe
discussionofthetime,placeandcharacteroftheformationofthePeloponnesian
League.
Asthereaderwillreadilysee,myargumentsarebasedonanumberofas-
sumptionsderivedfrommyearlierresearchandreflection.Itmaybeworthwhile
statingthemclearly.
Tefhcenturywitnessedthebirthofhistoriography,whichfromtheout-
setwasahostagetoitsowntime.Whenhistorians-Herodotusprimarily,but
alsoTucydides-undertookthetaskofdescribingaremotepastofastateor
institution,theirinterpretationswereinformedbytheeventsandideasoftheir
owntime-withtheriseandfalloftheAthenianempireasthemostimportant
processofthefhcentury,whichlefanimpressionontheentireGreekworldin
bothpoliticalandculturalaspect.Fromatextualperspective,thisstateofafairs
dictatesanextremelycautiousapproacheverytimeafh-centuryauthorascribes
toanarchaicstateanintentional,consistentimperialistpolicybasedonasystem
ofpreciselydefinedandmanagedalliances.
Fromahistoricalperspective,therecognitionofthecentralroleofAthensin
thefhcenturycompelsustoconstantlyobservethatpolis.Evenifrhetorical