Sparta was one of the most important city-states in ancient Greece and was famous for its military prowess. The professional and well-trained Spartan hoplites with their distinctive red cloaks and long hair were probably the best and most feared fighters in Greece, fighting with distinction at key battles against the Persian army at Thermopylae and Plataea in the 5th century BCE.
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Timeline
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c. 900 BCESparta is founded.
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706 BCESparta founds the colony of Tarentum in Magna Graecia.
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c. 700 BCESparta, Argos and Paros hold the first documented musical competitions in Greece.
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c. 650 BCESparta crushes Messenian revolt.
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c. 550 BCE - c. 366 BCEPeloponnesian League alliance between Sparta, Corinth, Elis and Tegea which establishes Spartan hegemony over the Peloponnese.
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c. 545 BCESparta takes control of Thyrea from Argos.
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525 BCESparta and Corinth unsuccessfully attack Polycrates of Samos.
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494 BCE - 493 BCESpartan forces under Cleomenes I attack the city of Argos.
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494 BCE - 493 BCETelesilla of Argos defends her city against the Spartan forces with an army of women.
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c. 490 BCELeonidas beomes one of Sparta's two kings.
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480 BCEPausanias is made regent of Sparta for his young cousin Pleistarchus.
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Aug 480 BCEBattle of Thermopylae. 300 Spartans under King Leonidas and other Greek allies hold back the Persians led by Xerxes I for three days but are defeated.
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479 BCEXerxes' Persian forces are defeated by Greek forces at Plataea effectively ending Persia's imperial ambitions in Greece.
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478 BCESparta withdraws from alliance against Persia.
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c. 475 BCEAthenian general Cimon defeats Spartan general Pausanias and takes Byzantium.
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c. 471 BCESpartan general Pausanias is put on trial for the second time with a charge of treason but is acquitted for a second time.
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464 BCE - 463 BCEEarthquake in Sparta, followed by slave revolt. Surrender of Thasos.
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460 BCE - 445 BCEFirst Peloponnesian War.
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457 BCESparta wins the battle of Tanagra during the 1st Peloponnesian War with Athens.
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451 BCESparta and Argos sign a peace treaty which endures for the next 30 years.
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432 BCESparta declares that Athens has broken the Thirty Year Peace and prepares for war.
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431 BCE - 404 BCEThe 2nd Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta (the Delian League and the Peloponnesian League) which involved all of Greece.
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431 BCE - 404 BCEThebes sides with Sparta against Athens in the Peloponnesian War.
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430 BCE - c. 354 BCELife of Xenophon of Athens.
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429 BCEPeloponnesian forces led by Sparta begin the siege of Plataea.
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429 BCEFollowing attacks by Sparta, fortifications at the port of Piraeus are extended to reduce the width of the harbour entrances.
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427 BCEPlataea finally falls to the Spartans after a two year siege.
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425 BCEPylos campaign, under Cleon and Demosthenes' command Athens defeats Sparta at Pylos.
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424 BCE - 420 BCEThe Nike of Paionios is erected at Olympia to commemorate the Messenian and Naupaktian victory over Sparta at the battle of Sphakteria.
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424 BCESpartan Brasidas' campaign in Thrace.
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424 BCESpartan general Brasidas takes Amphipolis, Thucydides failed to prevent this and is exiled.
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424 BCEA force of Athenian peltasts defeat Spartan hoplites on Sphaktria in the Peloponnese.
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422 BCESpartan general Brasidas dies of his wounds at Amphipolis.
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422 BCESpartan general Brasidas employs Myrkinian and Chalkidian peltasts to defeat a force of Athenian hoplites at Amphipolis.
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421 BCESpartan soldiers return from campaigning Thrace, some as Neodamodeis.
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420 BCESparta is excluded from the Olympic Games for breaking the ekecheiria or sacred truce.
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418 BCESparta, led by Agis II, defeats Argos and her allies at the battle of Mantinaea.
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413 BCEOn the advice of Alcibiades the Spartans take over the Athenian-held fort of Dekeleia.
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412 BCEThe Spartan general Astyochus sacks Kos.
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c. 412 BCERhodes revolts against Athens and supports Sparta in the Peloponnesian War.
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412 BCESparta allies with Persia.
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410 BCEAlcibiades leads the Athenian fleet to victory over Sparta at Cyzicus.
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c. 408 BCELysander is first made an admiral of the Spartan fleet.
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c. 407 BCEThe Athenian fleet is defeated by Lysander of Sparta at Notium.
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404 BCESpartan general Lysander attacks the Athenian port of Piraeus destroying parts of the Long Wall fortifications.
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404 BCEEnd of the Peloponnesian war, Athens defeated By Sparta at Aigospotamoi, Rule of the Thirty Tyrants in Athens.
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c. 398 BCEXenophon works as mercenary for Sparta.
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396 BCESpartan Agesilaus II's campaign into Ionia.
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395 BCE - 386 BCEThe Corinthian Wars between Sparta and an alliance of Athens, Corinth, Argos, Boeotia and Thebes.
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395 BCESpartan general Lysander is killed by Theban forces at the Battle of Hallartos.
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390 BCEAthenian leader Iphikrates employs peltasts to defeat Spartan hoplites at Lechaion near Corinth.
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387 BCESparta attacks the Athenian port of Piraeus.
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382 BCE - 379 BCESparta establishes a garrison at Thebes.
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c. 379 BCEPelopidas removes the Spartan garrison from the Theban acropolis.
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378 BCE - 377 BCESpartan king Agesilaus II campaigns in Boeotia.
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377 BCE - 355 BCEThe Cycladic city states join Athens in the Second Athenian League against Sparta .
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375 BCEThebes defeats Sparta at the Battle of Tegyra.
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371 BCEThebes, led by Epaminondas, defeats Sparta in the Battle of Leuctra.
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367 BCECeltic mercenaries fight with the Spartans against Thebes.
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362 BCEIndecisive Battle of Matinea where Thebes fought against Sparta and Athens. Theban general Epaminondas is killed.
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295 BCEDemetrius I campaigns in central Greece, removes the tyrant Lachares from Athens and defeats Sparta.
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273 BCEPyrrhus of Epirus attacks Macedon and Sparta.
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222 BCEThe Achaean League and Antigonos III of Macedon defeat Sparta at Sellasia.
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267 CEThe Goths sack Athens, Corinth, Sparta, and Argos.
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396 CESparta is sacked by the Visigoths led by Alaric.