Editing Sparta (section)

{{Short description|City-state in ancient Greece}}
{{About|the ancient city-state|modern-day Sparta|Sparta, Laconia|other uses|Sparta (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Spartan|other uses|Spartan (disambiguation)|the mythical people associated with Ares|Spartoi}}
{{Redirect|Lacedaemon|the king|Lacedaemon (mythology)}}
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{{Use British English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox former country
| conventional_long_name = Sparta
| native_name            = {{small|{{native name|grc|Λακεδαίμων}}}}
| common_name            = Sparta
| image_map              = Spartan Territory Before 371 BC.png
| image_map_caption      = Territory of ancient Sparta before 371 BC, with [[Perioeci]]c cities in blue
| era                    = Classical antiquity
| year_start             = 900s BC
| year_end               = 192 BC
| life_span              = 900s–192 BC
| event_start            = [[Founding myth|Foundation]]
| event_end              = [[Annexation|Annexed]] by [[Achaean League|Achaea]]
| event1                 = [[Second Messenian War|Messenian War]]
| date_event1            = 685–668 BC
| event2                 = [[Battle of Thermopylae]]
| date_event2            = 480 BC
| event3                 = [[Peloponnesian War]]
| date_event3            = 431–404 BC
| event4                 = [[Battle of Mantinea (362 BC)|Battle of Mantinea]]
| date_event4            = 362 BC
| p1                     = Greek Dark Ages
| s1                     = Achaean League
| flag_s2                = Spqrstone.jpg
| capital                = [[Sparta, Laconia|Sparta]]
| coordinates            = {{coord|37|4|55|N|22|25|25|E|region:GR-J_type:city|display=title,inline}}
| common_languages       = [[Doric Greek]]
| religion               = [[Religion in ancient Greece|Greek polytheism]]
| government_type        = [[Diarchy|Diarchic]] monarchy
| title_leader           = [[List of kings of Sparta|King]]
| leader1                = [[Agis I]]
| year_leader1           = {{Circa|930}}–900 BC
| leader4                = [[Nabis of Sparta|Nabis]]
| year_leader4           = 207–192 BC
| legislature            = {{plainlist|
* [[Ephors]]
* [[Gerousia]]
 }}
| symbol_type_article    = Lambda (Λάμδα)
}}
{{Special characters}}
[[File:Menelaion.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Hollow Lacedaemon. Site of the Menelaion, the ancient shrine to Helen and Menelaus constructed in the Bronze Age city that stood on the hill of [[Therapnes|Therapne]] on the left bank of the [[Eurotas (river)|Eurotas River]] overlooking the future site of Dorian Sparta. Across the valley the successive ridges of Mount [[Taygetus]] are in evidence.]]

'''Sparta'''<ref>({{Langx|grc-x-doric|{{linktext|Σπάρτα}}|Spártā}}; {{Langx|grc-x-attic|{{linktext|Σπάρτη}}|Spártē}})</ref> was a prominent [[city-state]] in [[Laconia]] in [[ancient Greece]]. In antiquity, the city-state was known as '''Lacedaemon''' ({{langx|grc|{{linktext|Λακεδαίμων}}|Lakedaímōn|label=none}}), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the [[Evrotas Valley|valley]] of [[Evrotas (river)|Evrotas]] river in Laconia, in southeastern [[Peloponnese]].{{sfn|Cartledge|2002|p=91}} Around 650 BC, it rose to become the dominant military land-power in ancient Greece.

Sparta was recognized as the leading force of the unified Greek military during the [[Greco-Persian Wars]], in rivalry with the rising naval power of [[Classical Athens|Athens]].{{sfn|Cartledge|2002|p=174}} Sparta was the principal enemy of [[History of Athens|Athens]] during the [[Peloponnesian War]] (431–404 BC),{{sfn|Cartledge|2002|p=192}} from which it emerged victorious after the [[Battle of Aegospotami]]. The decisive [[Battle of Leuctra]] against [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] in 371&nbsp;BC ended the [[Spartan hegemony]], although the city-state maintained its [[Independence|political independence]] until its forced integration into the [[Achaean League]] in 192 BC. The city nevertheless recovered much autonomy after the [[Greece in the Roman era|Roman conquest of Greece]] in [[Battle of Corinth (146 BC)|146 BC]] and prospered during the [[Roman Empire]], as its antiquarian customs attracted many Roman tourists. However, Sparta was sacked in 396&nbsp;AD by the [[Visigoths|Visigothic]] king [[Alaric I|Alaric]], and underwent a long period of decline, especially in the [[Middle Ages]], when many of its citizens moved to [[Mystras]]. [[Sparta, Laconia|Modern Sparta]] is the capital of the southern Greek region of Laconia and a center for processing citrus and olives.

Sparta was unique in ancient Greece for its [[social system]] and [[Spartan Constitution|constitution]], which were supposedly introduced by the semi-mythical legislator [[Lycurgus of Sparta|Lycurgus]]. His laws configured the Spartan [[society]] to maximize military proficiency at all costs, focusing all [[Institution|social institutions]] on [[Military education and training|military training]] and physical development. The inhabitants of Sparta were stratified as [[Spartiate]]s (citizens with full rights), [[Mothax|mothakes]] (free non-Spartiate people descended from Spartans), [[Perioeci|perioikoi]] (free non-Spartiates), and [[helots]] (state-owned enslaved non-Spartan locals), with helots making up the majority of the population. Spartiate men underwent the rigorous ''[[agoge]]'' training regimen, and Spartan [[phalanx formation|phalanx]] brigades were widely considered to be among the best in battle. Free [[Women in ancient Sparta|Spartan women]] enjoyed considerably more [[Women's rights|rights]] than elsewhere in [[classical antiquity]], though helots suffered harsh treatment at the hands of the Spartiates, causing them to [[Helot revolt|repeatedly revolt]] against their overlords. Sparta was frequently a subject of fascination in its own day, as well as in [[Western culture]] following the revival of classical learning. The admiration of Sparta is known as [[Laconophilia]].