📅 Timeline of Sparta

Explore the story of Sparta — from its rise to power, to famous wars, to its eventual decline.

c. 900 BCE

🔹 Founding of Sparta

Sparta began as a small group of villages in the region of Laconia. Over time, these villages united to form the powerful city-state of Sparta.

c. 750 BCE

🏞️ Conquest of Messenia

Sparta expanded its land by conquering Messenia, a nearby region. The Messenians were made into slaves called Helots, who worked the land for Sparta.

c. 650 BCE

🛡️ The Rise of the Spartan Army

Sparta transformed into a military-focused society. Boys were trained from age 7 to become warriors. The army became one of the strongest in all of Greece.

490–479 BCE

⚔️ Persian Wars

Sparta fought alongside Athens and other city-states to stop the Persian Empire. The Spartans were heroic at the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans held off a huge Persian army.

431–404 BCE

🏛️ Peloponnesian War

Sparta and Athens fought a long war. Sparta finally won, becoming the most powerful city in Greece — but it cost them a lot of strength and soldiers.

371 BCE

📉 Defeat at the Battle of Leuctra

The Thebans defeated Sparta in battle. This was a major turning point, and Sparta began to lose its power and land.

146 BCE

🏛️ Sparta Joins the Roman Empire

Eventually, Rome conquered all of Greece. Sparta lost its independence but became part of the Roman Empire. Its traditions lived on as legends.

🧠 Big Changes in Sparta's History