Peace of Callias facts for kids
The Peace of Callias was a possible peace treaty made around 449 BC. It was supposedly agreed between the Delian League, led by the city of Athens, and the Achaemenid Empire (the Persian Empire). This treaty would have officially ended the long-running Greco-Persian Wars. If it truly happened, it would be the first time Persia and a Greek city made such an agreement.
The Athenian politician Callias is said to have negotiated this peace. Before this, Persia had been losing land to the Greeks since their big invasion in 479 BC. Historians are not sure about the exact date of the treaty. It is often placed after the Battle of the Eurymedon (around 469 or 466 BC) or the Battle of Cypriot Salamis (450 BC).
If the Peace of Callias did exist, it would have given freedom to the Ionian Greek states in Asia Minor. It also would have stopped Persian governors (called satraps) from coming within a three-day march of the Aegean Sea coast. Persian ships would also have been banned from the Aegean Sea. In return, Athens agreed not to interfere with Persia's lands in Asia Minor, Cyprus, Libya, or Egypt. At that time, Athens had lost a fleet of ships that were helping an Egyptian rebellion against Persia.
Was the Peace of Callias Real?
We know about the Peace of Callias from writers in the 4th century BC, like Isocrates, Demosthenes, and Diodorus. However, the ancient historian Theopompus thought it was made up. He said that the writing on the treaty stone looked like a style that wasn't used until 50 years after the treaty was supposedly signed.
It is possible that this treaty never officially existed. Even if it did, its importance is still debated by historians. The famous historian Thucydides does not mention it at all. But Herodotus writes something that could support its existence. Plutarch also thought it might have been signed after the Battle of the Eurymedon (466 BC), or perhaps never signed at all.
What Happened After?
Even if the treaty wasn't official, fighting between the Greeks and Persians mostly stopped after 450/449 BC. This allowed Athens to focus on new problems with other Greek city-states. These included Corinth, Thebes, and Euboea, which soon rebelled from the Delian League.
These conflicts may have started because Athens's "allies" felt there was no longer a reason for the Delian League. This league had grown from the Spartan-led Hellenic League, which had defeated Xerxes I's invasion. Since Persia seemed to no longer be a threat, many allies questioned why they still needed the league. Athens began demanding more money and taking more control over its allies. The league started to feel more like an empire. Because of this, many of Athens's allies began to rebel.
Although Callias also helped create the Thirty Years' Peace with Sparta in 446 to 445 BC, Athens's growing power eventually led to the big Peloponnesian War. Fighting between the Greeks and Persians lessened after 450 BC. However, Persia continued to get involved in Greek affairs. Persia even played a key role in helping Sparta win the Peloponnesian War.
Still, whether the Peace of Callias truly existed remains a debated topic among historians and scholars.
See also
- List of treaties
