Chapter VIII

CONQUESTS OF SPARTA TOWARDS ARCADIA AND ARGOLIS.

State of Arcadia.—Tegea and Mantineia the most powerful Arcadian
towns, before the building of Megalopolis.—Encroachments of
Sparta upon the southern boundary of Arcadia.—Unsuccessful
attempts of the Spartans against Tegea.—They are directed by the
oracle to bring to Sparta the bones of the hero Orestês.—Their
operations against Tegea become more successful; nevertheless,
Tegea maintains her independence.—Boundaries of Sparta towards
Argos—conquest of Thyreatis by Sparta.—Battle of the three
hundred select champions, between Sparta and Argos, to decide the
possession of the Thyreatis—valor of Othryades.—Thyreatis comes
into possession of Sparta—efforts of the Argeians to recover
it.—Alteration of Grecian opinion, as to the practice of deciding
disputes by select champions.—Kynurians in Argolis, said to be of
Ionic race, but Dorized.—Full acquisition of the southern portion
of Peloponnesus, from sea to sea, by the Spartans before 540 B.
C.—Great comparative power of Sparta at that early time.—Careful
personal training of the Spartans at a time when other states had
no training at all.—Military institutions of Sparta.—Peculiar and
minute military subdivisions, distinct from the civil Enômoties,
etc.—Careful drilling of the Enômoties.—In other Grecian cities
there were no peculiar military divisions distinct from the
civil.—Recognized superiority of Sparta—a part of early Grecian
sentiment—coincident with the growing tendency to increased
communion.—Homeric mode of fighting—probably belonged to Asia,
not to Greece.—Argos—her struggles to recover the headship of
Greece.—Her conquest of Mykenæ, Tiryns, and Kleônæ.—Nemean
games.—Achaia—twelve autonomous towns, perhaps more—little known.
441-466

HISTORY OF GREECE.

PART I.

CONTINUATION OF LEGENDARY GREECE.