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The Spartan army was the principle ground force of Sparta. It stood at the center of the ancient Greek city-state , consisting of citizens trained in the disciplines and honor of a warrior society . [ 1 ]
The perioeci were obliged to follow Spartan foreign policy, and supplied men to fight in the Spartan army. [8] Like the hómoioi (ὅμοιοι, full Spartan citizens), the perioeci fought in the army as hoplites, probably in the same units. [9] The perioeci had the right to own land, which would have been necessary to support those in the army ...
The Spartan military dominance that enabled this interference in Arcadian affairs was suddenly ended in 371 BC, when Epaminondas and his Boeotian army decisively defeated a Spartan army at Leuctra, killing a sizable portion of the elite Spartiate class. This development upset the balance of power in the Peloponnese and opened new possibilities ...
Cleomenes increased the number of full citizens again and made the Spartan army operate with an increased reliance on more lightly armored phalangites of the Macedonian style. [15] However, many of these restored citizens were killed in the Battle of Sellasia and Nabis's politics drove the remainder of them into exile. In consequence, the heavy ...
Moreover, many of them had friendship ties with Spartan citizens, or even the kings. The Spartan king Agesilaus II (r.c.400–c.360) was especially known for his guest-friendships among his allies. [26] Thanks to these friendships, leading oligarchs could send their sons to the agoge, the Spartan education system, where they became trophimoi ...
The land was pooled and redistributed in equal portion to some 4,000 citizens (although the first Agis plan projected 4,500 citizens). These citizens were half old citizens, the so called inferiors [a], and half new citizens who for the most part were mercenaries who fought with the Spartan army.
The citizens of Megalopolis were not aware that the Spartans were in the city until dawn after which a rearguard action by some of the citizens allowed most of the Megalopolitans to escape. Cleomenes sent the Megalopolitans a message offering back their city if they joined his alliance but when this offer was refused, Cleomenes ordered that the ...
Finally, at Leuctra in 371 BC, a Theban army decisively defeated a Spartan force, killing 400 Spartiates of a force of 700 and breaking the back of Spartan military power. In 370 BC, Messenia was liberated by a Theban army, liberating the helots and destroying the basis of the Spartan social system. The Spartan state never recovered its former ...