The Peloponnesian War: Athens and Sparta in Savage Conflict, 431–404 BC

Donald Kagan’s vivid history reconstructs the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta from 431 to 404 BC. It follows the conflict’s campaigns, political decisions and human costs while showing how two rival powers, rooted in sharply different societies, fought for control of the Greek world—and how Athens’ confidence and empire ended in catastrophe.