2019 Year 12 IB Extended Essays

would prove to be an advantage for Athens against the Peloponnesians as “a friendly Megara with

an Athenian garrison in Page and in Long Walls from Megara to Nisaea secured Attica from invasion

by the Peloponnesian army” (1951, 276,). There was a clear strategic benefit for Athens which

would provide an edge against the Peloponnesians if Megara was forced back into an alliance

through the harsh conditions of the decree.

Moreover, it is also evident that Pericles strategically targeted Megara as he wanted to send a

message of Athenian supremacy to the Peloponnesians in order to instil fear in Sparta. As the head

of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Queensland, Stevenson explains that Megara was

specifically chosen for the decree because “relations between Megara and Athens had been poor for

some time, the Athenian garrison at Megara had been murdered … and the Athenians had been

recently incensed by the trespassing of Megarians on sacred ground” (2015,7). Moreover, Brunt also

writes, the Athenians had further grievances with Megara as they “[following the Megarian revolt in

446 BCE] suspected that Megarians had a hand in the revolt of their colony of Byzantium in 440 BCE,

or that they were among those allies of Sparta who had urged an intervention in favour of Samos”

(1951,275). Furthermore, Professor of Ancient History - Macdonald suggests that the Athenians

were also angered by the Megarians as they were sheltering escaped Athenian slaves. Macdonald

writes that Megara “in addition to cultivating the sacred land were also accused of cultivating the

enclosed land and sheltering escaped [Athenian] slaves” (1983, 400,). These issues with Megara

emphasise the importance of Athens making an example out of Megara through the passing of the

Megarian Decree as an intimidation tactic employed by Pericles to declare to the Peloponnesians

that Athens’ was not to be targeted by any military campaign.

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