This thesis studies non-simple Jacobians and non-simple abelian varieties. The moti- vation of the study is a construction which gives a distinguished genus 4 curve in the linear system of a (1, 3)-polarised surface. The main theorem characterises such curves as hyperelliptic genus 4 curves whose Jacobian contains a (1, 3)-polarised surface. This leads to investigating the locus of non-simple principally polarised abelian g- folds. The main theorem of this part shows that the irreducible components of this locus are Is~, defined as the locus of principally polarised g-folds having an abelian subvariety with induced polarisation of type d. = (d1, ... , dk), where k ≤ g/2 Moreover, there are theorems which characterise the Jacobians of curves that are etale double covers or double covers branched in two points. There is also a detailed computation showing that, for p > 1 an odd number, the hyperelliptic locus meets IS4(l,p) transversely in the Siegel upper half space