A map showing the areas controlled by Athens in 450 B.C. (B.C.E.)

From 499 B.C (B.C.E.) until 336 B.C. (B.C.E.), the Greeks experienced great changes among the city-states. Having defeated their most fierce enemy, the Persians, the city-states thrived and experienced several Golden Ages. This was particularly true of Athens when Pericles ruled. The Peloponnesian War marked a period with a power void. The Kingdom of Macedon led the way in creating a newly united Greece, and spread Greek culture.