Athens had been at war with Sparta and her allies on and off since 431 (the “Peloponnesian War”). Melos, a small island off the coast of Greece, had originally been a Spartan colony but had thus far remained neutral in the war. In 416 Athens, whose power was based on her seapower, decided to incorporate the island of Melos into her “alliance.” When the Melians refused Athens laid siege to their town, eventually capturing it, after which she killed all the men found in the town, and enslaved the women and children.