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Spartan philachaianism

University of British Columbia

During the first quarter of the sixth century Sparta was at war with Tegea. Shortly after 575 Sparta was badly defeated at the Battle of the Fetters. As a result of this defeat Sparta gave up conquest and sought instead to build up a league. To help her win over the non-Dorian states, she adopted philachaianism, a claim that she had Achaian connexions to her Dorian descent. The widely held belief that philachaianism was instituted by the ephor Chilon as part of a constitutional struggle is incorrect. A fragment of papyrus in the John Rylands collection at Manchester reveals that in 555 Sparta deposed the last Orthagorid tyrant of Sikyon, Aischines. This was done because the Orthagorids, through their anti-Dorianism, were potential rivals for the leadership of the non-Dorians and Sparta was beginning to have close relations with Sikyon's enemy, Korinth.

Text

2011-03-29

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/33047

Classics

University of British Columbia

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