This chapter examines the Athenians' actions in the aftermath of the war. The city of Athens had been left in shambles after the war. The walls had for the most part been torn down and the temples leveled. Many of the houses had been destroyed. Once the Athenians had retrieved their families, there was much for them to do. The Persians were gone, and they were not apt to return any time soon. The Hellenes' control of the sea precluded that. One might then suppose that the Athenians could afford, at least for a time, to relax their guard and concentrate on rebuilding their homes and sowing their crops. The chapter reveals that this was not entirely the case. The Athenians were not a trusting lot; and so, with an eye to the danger that might be posed by their Hellenic neighbors and allies, they began right away to rebuild their city's walls.