Athens and Sparta were two great city-states in ancient Greece, and they were often in conflict. What was the cause of the Peloponnesian War in the 5th century BC? A. Sparta feared the growth and the power of Athens. B. Athens kidnapped a high-ranking Spartan official. C. Sparta attacked Mediterranean allies of Athens. D. Athens blocked Spartan trading routes.

The correct answer is letter A

The cities of Sparta and Athens were formed during the Archaic period, in the context of the formation of the first Greek polis. This process was consolidated between 700 BC to 500 BC. When the nomadic Genos (tribes) became sedentary.

Even though they called themselves Helenos and shared some customs and traditions, such as deities and privileges to the local aristocracy, the Greeks were totally independent from each other.

They had marked differences, which does not allow us to affirm the existence of a Greek nation. And, of all the cities, Sparta and Athens constituted the two greatest antitheses of Ancient Greece.

Note that Spartan society had already become a Greek power around 520 BC, when it dominated the Peloponnesian League.

It was at this time that the friction with Athens began. In 510 BC, Cleômenes de Sparta tries to beat the Athenians, but is defeated.

However, a few years later, in 480 BC, these two cities will unite against King Xerxes of the Persian Empire, with Athens crushing its naval force and Sparta destroying its land forces.

Although they were victorious against the Persians, rivalries between the Greek powers gradually increased.

Athens begins to emerge as the greatest maritime power in Greece, after the creation of the League of Delos, which initiated the Peloponnesian War in 432 BC. the two cities.

This enabled the domination of Thebes in 370 BC, which became the dominant power until the conquest of Greece by King Philip of Macedonia in 338 BC.