Ancient Coin Stories

Argos defeats Sparta at the Battle of Hysiae.

Phigalia is occupied by Sparta

Polykrates pays off Sparta s besieging Samos with counterfeit coins.

The Battle of Thermopylae. Soldiers from Sparta Mantinea, Tegea, Orchomenos (Arkadia), Corinth, Phlious, Thespiai, Phokis, Opuntian Lokris, and other cities are overrun by the Persians at a huge cost.

The Greek allies are forced to withdraw against the Persians in the Battle of Artemisium. Afterwards the Persians occup Histaia. The Greek fleet is supplied by Athens, Chalkis, Sparta Troizen, Opuntian Lokris, Corinth, Megara, Epidauros, Aegina, Sikyon, and Kios.

The Greek alliance, consisting of Aegina, Athens, Corinth, Megara, Thespiai, Orchomenos, Epidauros, Troizen, Halieis, Elis, Hermione, and Sparta defeate the Persians and Thebes at the Battle of Plataea.

The Persians are defeated at the Battle of Mykale. An alliance of Athens, Sparta Samos, and Corinth. As a result, Chios, Kos, and Ephesos are liberated from Persian rule. The Greek fleet sets sail from Knidos.

The Sparta general Pausanias flees to Kolone.

Athens, aligned with Sparta sends a force of 4000 soldiers to help squash a helot uprising. Upon arriving in Sparta they are dismissed while other allies remain. Angered, Athens repudiates their treaty with Sparta

Tegea is defeated by Sparta

Thebes is reinstated by Sparta as the dominant power in Boeotia.

Athens occupies Kythera

Sikyon is again defeated by Athens, this time under Perikles, though the city is not taken due to help from Sparta

The Thirty Years’ Peace is signed between Athens and Sparta where they recognize each others rights to direct their own alliances.

Samos revolts from Athens. Sparta considers war in their support, but the matter is put to a vote and Corinth disagrees. Peace between Sparta and Athens continues and Athens squashes the revolt.

Athens imposes trade sanctions on citizens of Megara, which angers the Sparta s and is one of the causes of the Peloponnesian War.

Leukas sides with Sparta over Athens in the Peloponnesian War.

Kydonia is attacked by Athens after pro Sparta accusations by Gortyna.

Thebes destroys Plataea with the help of Sparta

Herakleia Trachineia founded by Sparta settlers.

Medeion is crossed by the Sparta army on its march to the Battle of Olpai, where Athens defeated them.

The Battle of Sphacteria between Athens and Sparta is fought at the entrance to the Bay of Pylos, resulting in an Athenian victory. Ainos, Imbros, and the cities of Lemnos (Myrina, Hephaistia) provide support.

Athens defeats Sparta at the Battle of Pylos and traps 420 Sparta s.

Athens again takes Kythera from Sparta

The Sparta general Brasidas convinces Akanthos to leave the Athenian Alliance.

The Sparta general Brasidas captures Amphipolis and then Galepsos. He travels through Melitaia and camps at Phakion.

The Athenian general Kleon attempts to take Amphipolis, but fails in the attempt. Both Kleon and the Sparta general Brasidas perish.

Argos organizes an alliance with Mantinea, Corinth, Elis, and Thebes against Athens and Sparta

The Peace of Nikias between Athens and Sparta is signed after the deaths of Cleon and Brasidas. They agree to break up the Chalkidian League, but this is not done..Spartolos is declared neutral.

Athens settles Sparta helot deserters and Messenians from Pylos at Kranion.

Athens transports the Sparta helots and Messenians previously moved to Kranion back to Pylos to annoy Sparta

Sparta and their allies Tegea defeat Athens and their allies Argos, Mantineia, Kleonai, and Aegina in the Battle of Mantineia. As part of the truce, Argos gives up its alliance with Athens and Elis, Orchomenos is given to Sparta and Athens is evicted from Epidauros.

The Sparta general Gylippos takes Iaitas on his way from Himera to Syracuse.

Under Darius I’s orders, Tissaphernes allies with Sparta over Athens and re-occupies most of the Ionian coast.

Chios, Kalchedon, Erythrai, and Klazomenai revolt against Athens and is besieged until relieved by Sparta

Eresos leaves Athens and joins Sparta in an unsuccessful attempt on Methymna.

An Athenian fleet under Thrasybulus barely defeats a Sparta fleet at the Battle of Kynossema. Three days afterward, several boats from Harpagion are captured.

Iasos is governed by Amorges, a Persian who had achieved independence from Persia. Iasos is attacked by Sparta s, who deliver Amorges to Tissaphernes and plunder the city.

Sparta sets sail from Knidos and arrives at Kamiros with 94 ships. The inhabitants are at first terrified, but then the Sparta s convince all of Rhodes to secede from Athens.

Kos is sacked by Sparta forces.

Abydos convinced to defect from Delian league by Sparta The Chians also convince Lebedos and Airai to defect.

Sparta regains control of Kythera from Athens

An Athenian fleet under Alkibiades, Thrasybulos, and Theramenes defeats the Sparta s at the Battle of Kyzikos. Afterwards, Sparta offers peace but is rejected.

Thasos expels its Sparta contingent and admits Athens under Thrasyboulos.

Athens under Alkibiades and Sparta under Lysander face off in the Battle of Notion. Sparta loses more ships, but Athens faces heavy losses when many are not rescued at sea. The resulting trial strips Alkibiades and the other Athenian generals of command.

The Sparta Lysander takes Iasos, kills all men of fighting age, sells the women and children into slavery, and levels the city.

Thasos falls to Sparta under Lysander.

Sestos is occupied by the Sparta s under Lysander.

The Sparta general Lysander besieges Aphytis, then has a dream that Ammon stood by him in his sleep. He thus raises the siege and orders the inhabitants to pray to Ammon.

Deryklidas of Sparta supports the Ionian Greeks against the Persians. He besieges Atarneos for eight months until they accept his terms and takes Hamaxitos, Kolonai, and Ilion. This ends in an armistice with Pharnabazos.

Herippidas of Sparta puts to death all anti Sparta s at Herakleia Trachineia and expels foreigners.

Deryklidas of Sparta takes Kebren and Neandria.

Larissa Phrikonis is beseiged by the Sparta general Thibron, who accomplishes nothing.

During a battle between Deryklidas of Sparta and Pharnabazos with Tissaphernes, men from Priene and Achilleion fighting with the Sparta s fled. Hamaxitos and Larissa-Ptolemais thus receive their freedom again.

King Agis of Sparta falls sick at Heraia. He is brought back to Lakedaimon, where he dies.

The Sparta s under Agesilaos II attack and Persia. Artaxerxes II retaliates by bribing Corinth, Thebes, and Athens to make war on Sparta

The Athamanians leave Sparta and join an Athenian alliance.

Thebes takes Herakleia Trachineia from Sparta and installs the Trachinians and Oetaians.

Pharnabazos convinces Nisyros, Teos, Chios, Kos, Mytilene, Ephesos, and Erythrai to desert Sparta

Agesilaos II, King of Sparta passed through Abydos. He then continues to mainland Greece while men from Larissa, Krannon, Skotussa and Pharsalos harrassed him.

The Sparta admiral Peisander is defeated and killed by a fleet headed by Pharnabazos and former Athenian admiral Konon at the Battle of Knidos.

Sparta and their allies, including Sikyon and Tegea, defeat Athens and their allies at the Battle of Nemea. On Athens side are Thebes, Lokris Opuntii, and Corinth. With Sparta are Halieis, Sikyon, Epidauros, Troizen, and Hermione. Phlious remains neutral. Pellene fights on the side of Sparta against Thespiai.

Athens takes Kythera from Sparta during the Corinthian War

Tiribazos provides funds to rebuild the Sparta fleet to contend with Athens.

Sparta uses Sikyon as a base to take the long walls of Corinth. Sparta succeeds though Sikyon takes heavy losses against Argos.

Amphipolis declares independence from Sparta control and operates as a self-governing city-state.

Stratos surrenders to King Agesilaos of Sparta

Antalkidas of Sparta lays waste to Tenedos and then continues to Abydos.

Due to the Peace of Antalkidas, the union between Corinth and Argos is broken under pressure from Sparta

Mantineia is defeated by Sparta and the city is destroyed and split up.

Amyntas III appeals to the Sparta s against the Chalkidian League. Akanthos, Argilos, and Stageira also claim that membership was forced upon them. Potidaia is separated from the League.

Phlious accepts exiles from their city under threat from Sparta

Sparta under Teleutias is defeated by Olynthos. Many flee to Spartolos.

The Sparta king Agesipolis I, while undergoing operations against Olynthos, comes down with a fever and dies at the sanctuary to Dionysos at Aphytis.

Agesilaos of Sparta lays siege to Phlious.

The Chalkidian League become subject allies of Sparta

The Sparta s and Macedonians under Amyntas III destroy Olynthos after two initial defeats. Derdas II participates on the winning side.

Thebes expels the Sparta garrison at its citadel.

Naval battle is fought near Alyzeia between Athenians under Timotheos and Sparta s under Nikolochos.

The Chalkidian League leave Sparta and join and alliance with Athens, but that soon falls out over ownership of Amphipolis.

Phigalia is split by factions loyal and hostile to Sparta The Sparta faction is expelled by the city, but return to occupy part of it.

Mnasippos of Sparta blockades Korkyra and subjugates them to starvation, then puts to death or sells to slavery all who flee.

Megalopolis is founded by the Arkadian League as a counterweight to Sparta. Most of the inhabitants of Methydrion are moved there.

The helots of Messene revolt against Sparta

The Sparta s in Tegea are expelled and Tegea joins the Arkadian League.

Thebes with Thespiai accomplishes a remarkable victory over Sparta at the Battle of Leuktra.

The territory of Heraia is laid waste by Arcadian cities due to Heraia’s support for Sparta

The Arcadians take Pellene and slaughter all of the Sparta s residing there.

Thebes attacks Sparta territory in Prasiai. Sikyon rushes to help Sparta

The Theban general Epaminondas intervenes in Arcadia to support the Arcadian League and the newly founded city of Megalopolis. Heraia is pressured to join the Arcadian League but maintains a pro Sparta stance.

Persia under Artaxerxes II provides funds to Sparta to continue the Sparta –Theban war. They probably also provide funds to Athens.

Soldiers from Syracuse support Sparta against Thebes, then invade and defeat Sikyon.

Adramytteion abandoned with arrival of the Sparta king, Agesilaos II.

Epaminondas and Boeotia defeat Sparta at the Battle of Mantinea. However, the death of Epaminondas would spell Thebes‘ downfall. On the side of Thebes were Tegea, Argos, Messene, Sikyon, and the Aenianians. On the side of Sparta were Heraia, Athens, Elis, and Mantinea.

Lakedaimon is defeated by Thebes near Thelpusa

King Agis III of Sparta revolts from Macedonia and besieges Megalopolis, forcing Antipater to act.

Menes delivers 3000 talents to Antipater to help pay for the war against Agis III of Sparta

A food crisis erupts in the Greek world that was likely caused by Alexander the Great’s campaigns in the East, which disrupted traditional trade routes. Kyrene sends grain to many cities including Athens, Sparta Rhodes, Thebes, Argos, and Atrax.

Antipater defeats the Sparta s under Agis III at Megalopolis. The Macedonians take many casualties, but Agis is killed.

The Sparta mercenary Thibron gathers exiles from Kyrene and Barke in Cretea and takes the city. However, one of his officers defects to the other side and he is ousted. Euhesperides supports him.

Kleonymos of Sparta takes Korkyra, but doesn’t hold it for long.

A Sixth Sacred War is led by King Arios of Sparta in an effort to dislodge the Aetolian League from Delphi, but is defeated.

Athens is convinced by Chremonides to join Sparta in declaring war on Antigonos II.

Athens and Sparta make peace with Antigonos II, who maintains his hold on Greece.

The Sparta s under Akrotatos invade Megalopolis, but are defeated by Aristodamos the Good. Akrotatos is killed.

Orchomenos is taken by Kleomenes III of Sparta

The Sparta s under King Kleomenes III defeat the Achaian League under Aratos of Sikyon (and including Argos and Megalopolis) in the Battle of Dyme.

Kleomenes of Sparta takes Pellene and Pheneos.

The Social War begins, pitting members of the Achaian League, including Aegira, Patrai, Dyme, Bura, Sikyon, Corinth, Megalopolis, Messenia, Argos, Elis, and Macedon, against Sparta under King Kleomenes III, who were supported by the Aetolian League and Athens.

All of Tegea, except the Akropolis, is taken by the Sparta general Lykorgos.

Kythera obtains independence and begins minting its own coins

Las breaks from Sparta and joins the Union of Free Lakonians

Las is recaptured by Sparta

The Achaian League is defeated by Rome at the Battle of Skarpheia. Corinth is destroyed and Dyme, Patrai, Sikyon, Bura, Megalopolis, Thebes, Pellene, and Aegira come under the control of Rome. Las is recognized as independent.

Thourion is taken by Sparta us.