Athens and Sparta standing side by side,drove back the Persian threat of conquest. engage in a Great War,the Peloponnesian War from 431 to 404,fighting against one another and ultimately bringing the golden age of Greece to its endstanding side by side, drove back the Persian threat of conquest. engage in a Great War, the Peloponnesian War from 431 to 404, fighting against one another and ultimately bringing the golden age of Greece to its end. Athens and Sparta