The political change came in 478/77 BC. The Spartans showed clearly their lack of interest in the Ionian cities. As a result, the most powerful islands-states Chios and Samos forced the transference of the supreme command of the Hellenic Alliance to the Athenian, under the leadership of Aristides.

Athens used its position to build a completely different system of alliance with many fixed organization structures. The city signed bilateral agreements with many Aegean island and coast states according a mutual help and the recognition of the same enemies and friends. The security of the allied territories was ensured by a membership subscription that got paid to the general counter hall of Delos and was used to maintain the common fleet.

These alliance was called the Attic Alliance, which existed together with the Hellenic Alliance until the 461 BC. But Athens did not concentrate much on the last one. Between 478 and 458 the city was ruled by Cimon, responsible of many military successes against the Persian (as for instance Eurymedon and Pamphylia).

After the clear defeat of the Persian, many of the partners of the Alliance were no longer interested in staying in it, although they were forced to continue paying a contribution to Athens.

The Rule of Athens

In 449/8 and 446/5 Athens signed peace agreements with Persia and Sparta, at the same time that trade and economy flourished again in the Attic Alliance. During this period, Athens stood out as the cultural center of Greece with art and poetry being at the peak of their evolution.