How did the Delian League form after the Greco-Persian Wars?

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The Parthenon stands atop the Acropolis hill in Athens, Greece, surrounded by ancient stone walls and ruins, with city buildings and a distant hill in the background. — ancient Greek civilization The Acropolis, Athens.

The Delian League was established in 478 BCE during the Greco-Persian Wars as a confederacy of ancient Greek states. Its formation was driven by the need for mutual protection against the Achaemenian Persia, as well as Athens' desire to support the Ionians in Anatolia and exact retribution from the Persians, particularly as Sparta was reluctant to commit to overseas military operations.1

Headquartered at Delos, the league operated with the following structure:
* Leadership: Athens supplied the commanders-in-chief and determined which states provided ships or financial contributions.1
* Governance: Representatives from all member states held equal votes at annual meetings.1
* Finance: Funds were managed by ten Athenian treasurers (hellēnotamiai) and stored in the temple of Apollo.1

While initially a defensive alliance, the league eventually evolved into an Athenian empire as Athens increasingly exerted control over the internal politics and legal jurisdictions of its allies.1