Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/137

Athens in the Age of Pericles 89 134. Return of Alcibiades. In spite of his notorious treason the Athenians now asked Alcibiades to return and help them. Under his guidance they once more got command of the sea. But a slight reverse of the fleet when he was not even present led the fickle Athenians to desert him, and he fled to a castle on the Hellespont which he had in readiness. Here he died in exile murdered by a Persian. Soon after the flight of Alcibiades the Athenian fleet was captured by the Spartan general Lysander as it lay drawn up on the beach in the neighborhood of the Hellespont (at ^Egospotami). 135. Fall of the Athenian Empire (404 B.C.). At last, twenty-seven years after Pericles had provoked the war with Sparta, Athens was exhausted. Not a man slept on the night when the terrible news of final ruin reached Athens. It was soon confirmed by the appearance of Lysander's fleet blockading the Piraeus. The grain ships from the Black Sea could no longer reach the port of Athens. Starvation finally forced the stubborn democratic leaders to submit, and the city surrendered. The Long Walls and the fortifications of the Piraeus were torn down, the remnant of the fleet was handed over to Sparta, all foreign possessions were given up, and Athens was forced to enter the Spartan League. These hard conditions saved the city from the complete destruction demanded by Corinth. Thus the century which had so gloriously begun for Athens with the repulse of Persia, the century which under the leadership of such men as Themistocles and Pericles had seen her rise to supremacy in all that was best and noblest in Greek life, closed with the annihila- tion of the Athenian Empire (404 B.C.). QUESTIONS I. Describe the houses in Athens in the time of Pericles. What was the appearance of the city ? Were there any schools at this time ? What instruction did a Greek boy receive? Describe the importance of athletics. What were the chief athletic events? What were the Academy and Lyceum ? What opportunities were offered for higher education? What was the nature of the teachings of the