480 BCE – the Spartans lead the Greek force at the Battle of Thermopylae, which leads to the death of one of Sparta’s two kings, Leonidas I, but helps Sparta earn the reputation of having the strongest military in ancient Greece.499 BCE – The Ionian Greeks revolt against Persian rule, starting the Greco-Persian War.600 BCE – the Spartans lend support to the city state of Corinth, forming an alliance with their powerful neighbor that would eventually morph into the Peloponnesian League, a major source of power for Sparta.670 BCE – The Spartans are victorious in the second Messenian War, giving them control over the entire region of Messenia and giving them hegemony over the Peloponnese.743-725 BCE – The First Messenian War gives Sparta control over large portions of the Peloponnese.950-900 BCE – The four original villages, Limnai, Kynosoura, Meso, and Pitana, come together to form the polis (city state) of Sparta.The difficult terrain surrounding it would have made it difficult if not impossible for invaders, and because Sparta was located in a valley, intruders would have been spotted quickly.īefore delving into the ancient history of the city of Sparta, here is a snapshot of the important events in Spartan history: This location made Sparta into a defensive stronghold. It is bordered by the Taygetos Mountains to the west and the Parnon Mountains the east, and while Sparta was not a coastal Greek city, but it was just 40 km (25 miles) north of the Mediterranean Sea. Sparta in located in the region of Laconia, referred to in ancient times as Lacedaemon, which makes up most of the southwestern Peloponnese, the largest and southernmost peninsula of the Greek mainland. The Battle of Leuctra: The Fall of Sparta.A New Era in Spartan History: The Spartan Empire.The Peloponnesian War: Athens vs Sparta.The Ionian Revolt and the First Persian Invasion.The Formation of the Peloponnesian League.Sparta in the Greco-Persian Wars: Passive Members of an Alliance.The Beginning of Spartan History: Conquering the Peloponnese.To help you understand more about the history of Sparta, we have used some of these primary sources, along with a collection of important secondary sources, to reconstruct the story of Sparta from its founding until its fall. It is still inhabited today, but the Greek city of Sparta has never regained its ancient glory.įortunately for us, the Greeks began using a common language sometime in the 8th century BCE, and this has provided us with a number of primary sources which we can use to uncover the ancient history of the city of Sparta. Stress on the population resulting from strict citizenship requirements and an over-dependence on slave labor combined with pressure from other powers in the Greek world proved to be too much for the Spartans.Īnd while the city never fell to a foreign invader, it was a shell of its former self by the time the Romans entered the scene in the 2nd century BCE. However, while the city state of Sparta was a significant player both in Greece and the rest of the ancient world starting in the mid 7th century BCE, Sparta’s story ends abruptly. But it was still an important part of the ancient world that is worth studying and understanding. Yet, as is often the case, many of the perceptions we have of classical Sparta are based on over-glorified and exaggerated stories. The Spartan society was known for its highly-skilled warriors, elitist administrators, and its reverence for stoicism, people today still look to the Spartans as model citizens in an idealist ancient society. Ancient Sparta is one of the most well-known cities in Classical Greece.
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