778 bc
because, honey, they did!
404 BCE.
they surrendered the war.
404 BC
After 27 years Athens, its fleet destroyed, was besieged and starved into surrender.
In academics, Athens was better. When it came to fighting, Sparta was better.
Athens and Sparta fought Persia in the Peloponesian War.
after persia was allied with sparta
When Athens used its navy to good effect during the 27-year Peloponnesian War, Sparta realised that it had to get the Peloponnesian league an equally strong nave to succeed. They took money from Persia to build a fleet which finally destroyed the Athenian navy and led to Athens' surrender.
First Sparta, then Thebes and finally Macedonia.
Sparta was the leader of a confederation mainly in southern Greece (now called the Peloponnesian League) set up to oppose the empire set up by Athens, to protect its member cities from encroachments by Athens. When Athens continued to intervene in these cities affairs, finally over Megara they demanded Athens cease, and as it refused, war broke out.
Athens and Sparta both had very efficient fighting forces and and were the two powerhouse cities in Greece.