Battle of Sepeia: Difference between revisions
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The Spartans tricked them into thinking they were getting breakfast, not an evening meal. |
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At the '''Battle of Sepeia''' ({{lang-grc|Σήπεια}}) (c. 494 BC<ref>There is some uncertainty about the date: see ''Democracy Beyond Athens: Popular Government in the Greek Classical Age'' by Eric W. Robinson, pp. 7-9</ref>), the [[Sparta]]n forces of [[Cleomenes I]] defeated the [[Argos|Argives]], fully establishing Spartan dominance in the [[Peloponnese]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cleomenes-I|quote=In 494 he inflicted a severe defeat on Argos at Sepeia near Tiryns}}</ref> |
At the '''Battle of Sepeia''' ({{lang-grc|Σήπεια}}) (c. 494 BC<ref>There is some uncertainty about the date: see ''Democracy Beyond Athens: Popular Government in the Greek Classical Age'' by Eric W. Robinson, pp. 7-9</ref>), the [[Sparta]]n forces of [[Cleomenes I]] defeated the [[Argos|Argives]], fully establishing Spartan dominance in the [[Peloponnese]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cleomenes-I|quote=In 494 he inflicted a severe defeat on Argos at Sepeia near Tiryns}}</ref> |
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The closest thing to a contemporaneous source for the description of the battle is, as for many events in this time period, the Histories of [[Herodotus]] (written approximately fifty years later, c. 440 BC).<ref name=Herodotus>Herodotus, ''The Histories'', bk 6, 75-81, translated by G. C. Macaulay, available online at http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/hh/hh6070.htm</ref> According to Herodotus, the Spartan army tricked the Argives into believing that the Spartans were |
The closest thing to a contemporaneous source for the description of the battle is, as for many events in this time period, the Histories of [[Herodotus]] (written approximately fifty years later, c. 440 BC).<ref name=Herodotus>Herodotus, ''The Histories'', bk 6, 75-81, translated by G. C. Macaulay, available online at http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/hh/hh6070.htm</ref> According to Herodotus, the Spartan army tricked the Argives into believing that the Spartans were getting breakfast, and when the Argives did the same, the Spartans picked up their weaponry and attacked them, gaining an overwhelming victory. The battle is a controversial one in terms of the Spartan legend for, according to Herodotus, Spartan king Cleomenes massacred the remaining Argives most by burning them alive<ref>{{cite book|title=Oxford Reference|url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095617233|quote=In 494 Cleomenes defeated Argos at Sepeia near Tiryns and unscrupulously exploited his victory by burning several thousand Argive survivors to death}}</ref> in the sacred grove of Argos to which they had fled for refuge.<ref name=Herodotus/> The battle was so devastating for the Argives that they were unable to aid the Greek cause during the Persian Invasion of 480-479 BC, both out of spite for the Spartan leadership of the Hellenic alliance and because of a lack of fighting-age men. This battle shattered Argive strength and the Argives did not challenge Sparta again until the Peloponnesian War. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 14:17, 21 March 2019
| Battle of Sepeia | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Sparta | Argos | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Cleomenes I | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 6,000 | |||||||
At the Battle of Sepeia (Ancient Greek: Σήπεια) (c. 494 BC[1]), the Spartan forces of Cleomenes I defeated the Argives, fully establishing Spartan dominance in the Peloponnese.[2]
The closest thing to a contemporaneous source for the description of the battle is, as for many events in this time period, the Histories of Herodotus (written approximately fifty years later, c. 440 BC).[3] According to Herodotus, the Spartan army tricked the Argives into believing that the Spartans were getting breakfast, and when the Argives did the same, the Spartans picked up their weaponry and attacked them, gaining an overwhelming victory. The battle is a controversial one in terms of the Spartan legend for, according to Herodotus, Spartan king Cleomenes massacred the remaining Argives most by burning them alive[4] in the sacred grove of Argos to which they had fled for refuge.[3] The battle was so devastating for the Argives that they were unable to aid the Greek cause during the Persian Invasion of 480-479 BC, both out of spite for the Spartan leadership of the Hellenic alliance and because of a lack of fighting-age men. This battle shattered Argive strength and the Argives did not challenge Sparta again until the Peloponnesian War.
References
- ^ There is some uncertainty about the date: see Democracy Beyond Athens: Popular Government in the Greek Classical Age by Eric W. Robinson, pp. 7-9
- ^ Britannica.
In 494 he inflicted a severe defeat on Argos at Sepeia near Tiryns
- ^ a b Herodotus, The Histories, bk 6, 75-81, translated by G. C. Macaulay, available online at http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/hh/hh6070.htm
- ^ Oxford Reference.
In 494 Cleomenes defeated Argos at Sepeia near Tiryns and unscrupulously exploited his victory by burning several thousand Argive survivors to death
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