The document summarizes the Golden Age of Athens following the Persian Wars. It describes how the Delian League was formed for defense but came under Athens' control. Athens used the League's funds for its own building projects and glory. Pericles strengthened Athens' democracy and funded projects like the Parthenon. Playwrights like Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides flourished in this period. Eventually, Athens' oppression of its neighbors led to the Peloponnesian War with Sparta.