How did Cimon influence Athens' relationships with other Greek city-states?
As commander of the Delian League, Cimon expelled Persians from Thracian coasts and secured coastal cities, expanding the league. His greatest victory against the Persian fleet at the Eurymedon River strengthened Athenian influence in the Aegean.
Cimon's policy of friendship with Sparta aimed to maintain cooperation between the two powerful city-states, but this approach was opposed by Pericles and other Athenian leaders who sought to challenge Sparta's dominance. Cimon's influence declined when he was ostracized from Athens for his pro-Spartan stance.
What role did Cimon play in the Athenian military?
His military achievements included expelling Spartan general Pausanias from Byzantium, driving the Persians from Thracian coast strongholds, and subduing the pirates of Scyros, replacing them with Athenian settlers. Cimon's greatest victory occurred around 466 BC, when he led an allied fleet to defeat a larger Phoenician fleet near the Eurymedon River, weakening Persian control in the eastern Mediterranean.