What were the geographic challenges in ancient Greece?

Answer 1

A geographic problem to one side is usually a geographic advantage to another.

As the Greek world comprised of city-states situated in the littoral of the Mediterranean Sea, and the Athenian side had an unmistakable superiority in warships, this amphibious threat swung things against the Spartan alliance.

The Spartan allliance's superiority on land was nullified by the walls of Athens and its port, and by its inability to project that land power beyond mainland Greece in the face of a waiting Athenian navy, which was financed by tribute from its empire.

Athens went to war on this basis, but became too adventurous in trying to reach out to Sicily, where it suffered heavy but not fatal losses. Otherwise it worked well enough until Persia provided the funds for the Spartan alliance to field a navy matching the Athenian fleet.

After its navy was defeated, Athens could not collect contributions to build and man another fleet, geography turned against it. Athens, shorn of its empire, became a single beseiged city with no chance of support from its few remaining overseas allies.

Answer 2

They had a walled city and post secure from attack.

The secure port allowed import of food during siege.

The secure port allowed them to launch amphibious raids on their opponents.

All this worked for as long as Athens maintained a dominant navy. Later in the war Persia bankrolled a comparable Peloponnesian fleet which changed the balance.

Answer 3

The Athenian Empire was advantaged by the Mediterranean Sea, as it had a strong fleet and could raid the Peloponnesian League city-states. The Peloponnesian League armies were able to move overland and beseige Athens. The stalemate was broken when Persia bankrolled a strong fleet for the Peloponnesians and the Athenian fleet was destroyed, and without food imports by sea, Athens was starved into submission.

Answer 4

Geographic challenges in Greece were the land was not flat!