sparta

amyklas son of Lacedaemon. He founded amyklai .The Spartan armies, though usually quite small, were well-disciplined and all but irresistible in combat. Each citizen soldier was inspired by the resolve to win or die. The Spartan mother, when she gave her son his shield, would say: Bring back this shield yourself or be brought back upon it, referring to the manner in which the dead were carried on their shields from the battlefield. Among Sparta's most heroic achievements was the stand taken by its fighting men at the battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, during the persian war. The Spartan constitution is said to have been founded by Lycurgus in the 9th century BC. Under the rigid discipline of its laws, Sparta extended its conquests over the neighboring states until it gained control of most of the Peloponnesus. Sparta's prowess naturally brought rivalry with Athens, the leader of the northern states and for a time of all Greece. This rivalry culminated in the pericien war (431-404 BC), which resulted in Athens' ruin and Sparta's supremacy. But the tyranny of the Spartans aroused hatred and rebellion among those who had been conquered, and the jealous limitations on citizenship gradually reduced the number of specially trained warriors until only a few hundred remained. After about 30 years of Spartan domination, the Thebans under Epaminondas defeated Sparta in 371 BC and ended its power. The long war with Athens had weakened many of the city-states. Their weakness and disunity left them prey to a greater power that was emerging in the north Macedonia and its King Philip II. He came to the throne in 359 BC, and within a year he was already waging a war of expansion. By 339 he had achieved control of Greece, including Sparta. In the 2nd century BC Sparta was absorbed by Rome's legions.The ancient city of Sparta was destroyed by Visigoths in AD 396. The modern town, called New Sparta locally, was built in 1834 after the War of Greek Independence. It occupies part of the ancient site near the Eurotas River, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the Gulf of Messenia. Population (1981 census), metropolitan area, 14,388.

Sparta, who had been granted autonomy through the Peace Of Antacidas, or the Kings Peace, was more aggressive in its approach towards other cities. It could claim that it was acting in accordance with the peace treaty in that it was stopping movements, which were against the main beliefs of peace itself.
The years 378 to 371 BC saw the battle of Leuctra take place between Sparta and Thebes. The outcome of this battle sent shockwaves throughout the Greek world. Under the command of Epaninondas who was a much respected genereal, the invincible army of Sparta was defeated by Thebes.
After a while the city of Messenia was refounded under the political order of Thebes, who was now acting as leader of Greece. This led to Sparta being reduced to nothing more than second-class rated city. Sparta’s power and influence had all but disappeared.