EXPLORE AN ANCIENT CIVILIZATION
Sparta.
Beyond the legend.
People. Power. Culture. A world worth discovering.
ARTICLES
THE LIBRARY
Your discoveries
Aegospotami
Lysander's capture of the Athenian fleet in 405 BCE made the final blockade of Athens possible, though the battle's exact sequence remains disputed.
3 min read · 405 BCE
Arms and armor
Spears, shields, helmets, and changing protection placed Spartan soldiers within the material culture of Greek warfare.
3 min read · Archaic–Hellenistic
Army and phalanx
The organization, discipline, and changing composition of an army whose reputation depended on far more than citizen hoplites.
3 min read · Archaic–Hellenistic
Earthquake and helot revolt
A disaster in the 460s BCE exposed the fragility of Spartan domination and helped turn tension with Athens into open hostility.
3 min read · c. 464 BCE and the following years
Leuctra
The Theban victory of 371 BCE that killed a Spartan king and opened the way to a fundamental change in the balance of Greek power.
3 min read · 371 BCE
Liberation of Messenia
The end of Spartan domination in the 370s BCE and the foundation of fortified Messene created a durable new political order in the Peloponnese.
3 min read · 370–369 BCE
Mantinea, 418 BCE
A major Spartan victory in Arcadia that restored prestige while revealing the practical limits of battlefield command.
3 min read · 418 BCE
Messenian Wars
The uncertain sequence of early conflicts through which Sparta established and defended domination over Messenia.
3 min read · Conventionally late eighth–seventh century BCE
Peloponnesian League
A developing network of alliances under Spartan leadership, held together by treaties, common interests, negotiation, and unequal power.
3 min read · Sixth–fourth century BCE
Peloponnesian War
The prolonged conflict of 431–404 BCE in which Sparta and its allies defeated Athens, transforming the political and social landscape of Greece.
3 min read · 431–404 BCE
Plataea
The coalition victory of 479 BCE that broke the main Persian land army in Greece, achieved through a difficult and uncertain campaign.
3 min read · 479 BCE
Pylos and Sphacteria
The Athenian operation of 425 BCE that captured a Lacedaemonian force and created a persistent threat within Spartan-controlled Messenia.
3 min read · 425 BCE
Sellasia
The defeat of Cleomenes III in 222 BCE ended a major attempt at Spartan renewal and brought a Macedonian-led army into the city.
3 min read · 222 BCE
Thermopylae
A Greek coalition's defense of a narrow pass in 480 BCE, remembered for endurance but ending in a Persian victory.
3 min read · 480 BCE
WATCH & DISCOVER · ARCHAEOLOGY
Sparta beneath the surface.
Join John Wilkes and Susan Walker for the British School at Athens lecture on Sparta’s Roman stoa and theatre.
Watch at the British School at AthensVideo plays through YouTube. The source page is available if playback is unavailable.
A LETTER FROM SPARTA
Another story, every week.
A short illustrated letter, with a new history to explore. Free to read.
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MOVE THROUGH TIME
History has a trajectory.
Explore the moments that changed Sparta.
EXPLORE THE ATLAS
Put the stories in place.
Twelve locations. A wider perspective.