ABSTRACT
The events that culminated in the battle of Mantinea and their immediate consequences form but a minor incident in the major history of the Peloponnesian war. Even so their significance for the Peloponnese itself is considerable. During the fifth century the division of the Greek world into the power blocks of Athens and Sparta had led inevitably to the greater exercise of authority by the leading cities. The transformation of Athenian leadership to imperial authority is a theme of Thucydides introduction to his history of the war between Athens and Sparta, and is therefore a familiar aspect of Greek history in the fifth century bc. Even in enemy states, such as Argos, Sparta seems to have made no sustained effort to maintain the authority of the few, even though she could count on their loyalty; such governments were inherently unstable, and though from time to time it might prove desirable to support their authority.
