Athens: The Periklean Age

After the Persian army left Greece, the people of the Greek cities returned home. The Athenians, who were at Troezen, Aegina and Salamis after the battle of Plataea returned and found their city totally ruined and the countryside gone. They soon started rebuilding the city and began raising walls. The Aeginitians immediately informed Sparta, that the fortifications would help the Persians in another expedition, proposed to the Athenians to demolish them. Sparta only feared the rising power of Athens. Themistokles then devised a stratagem and as ambassador, went to sparta as fast as they could. At Sparta, he used all the power of his deplomacy to gain time and when the Athenians who were working at the walls day and night, men and women, informed him that the work was almost finished. He announced it to the Spartans who were compelled to accept it. Though the walls wer raised half the wanted height, they secured the city and Themistokles started his long pursued project to turn Athens the greatest maritimeand commercial power of Greece. His plan was to build twenty triremes every year, but his work was left unfinished.