Second Athenian Empire

The Second Athenian Empire or Confederacy was a maritime confederation of Aegean city-states from 378–355 BC and headed by Athens, primarily for self-defense against the growth of Sparta and secondly, the Persian Empire.
Origins
The formation of the confederacy was stimulated by the invasion of Attica by Sphodrias of Sparta and Sparta's refusal to prosecute him for his actions (according to Xenophon and Diodorus Siculus). It was extremely popular at first, with a number of states previously controlled by Sparta signing up as members due to Sparta's increasing imperialism over the Decree of Aristoteles. An inscribed "prospectus" for the league was found at Athens (Inscriptions Greques 2, 43, also known as the Aristoteles decree) dating to 377 BC, detailing the aims of the new league. The intention was to ensure that Sparta would allow all the Greeks to be autonomous; the states involved were all to have autonomy; and Athens was not permitted to...