1. The Spartan Hegemony
B.C.

2. The Great Victory
Some months after the Battle at Aegospotami Athens surrenders.
The Terms:
Demolish the Long Walls
Surrender all ships except 12
Accept the lead of Sparta
An oligarchic government by 30 men is put in place by Lysander
Democracy is abolished
The Athenian Empire is inherited by Sparta

3. The Protagonists

4. Lysander
Probably from a family of Inferiors, of noble descent but impoverished
Lover of prince Agesilaos (frequently Agesilaus)
Ambitious and Un-Spartan in some ways
He understood that the only way to defeat Athens was to create a navy.
He created a bond with the Persian prince Cyrus, son of king Darius II, who funded the Spartan fleet
He was power-hungry, but not enough to stage open revolt against the Spartan constitution

5. Agesilaos II (401-360) A towering figure in Spartan history
He became king (Eurypontid dynasty) when Sparta was the ruler of the Greek world, and shortly afterwards went to conquer Persia
He died in Egypt, aged 84, hiring out his services as a mercenary to replenish the treasury of a broken and impoverished Sparta
Half-brother of king Agis II, unexpectedly became king, with Lysander’s support, after the lawful heir Leotychidas was declared illegitimate
He had undergone the agoge despite his lame leg (birth defect), where through relentless effort distinguished himself
Very popular among the men in the army, very influencial
Also very rigid, relentless in his hatred of Thebes, and very conservative, he influenced many wrong decisions and is largely responsible for the decline of Spartan power.

6. Pharnabazus / Tissaphernes
Rival Persian Satraps of Asia Minor
Pharnabazus brings about the end of Spartan Supremacy by funding the Athenian regeneration effort in the 390’s.
Tissaphernes was devoted to Artaxerxes II, and a sworn enemy of Sparta
He fell victim of queen Parysatis for his role in the death of her favorite son Cyrus.
Both seriously impeded Spartan plans in Asia Minor and her imperial ambitions through sharp diplomacy and bribery.

7. Darius II and Cyrus the Younger
Darius, maybe at the suggestion of his queen, Parysatis, changed Persian policy towards Greek affairs.
The new policy was to fund the weaker side and keep them fighting in a manner that served Persian interests
His heir Artaxerxes II successfully continued this policy.
His charismatic younger son Cyrus, funded Lysander to defeat Athens , and then revolted against his brother king Artaxerxes with help from Sparta and other Greek mercenaries (400 BC)
In the battle of Cunaxa Cyrus won but was killed.
The march of the mercenaries through Persia back to Greece confirmed that it is possible to defeat Persia

8. The Perils of Athens
The sounds of the flutes playing while Lysander’s workers were demolishing the walls of Athens haunted the Athenians for many years.
His puppet government exhibited such cruelty that ‘the Thirty’ came to be identified with pure evil in Athenian memory
A resistance was staged by Thrasybulus from the fortress of Phyle, which eventually led to civil war, and the rebels prevailed.

9. Athenian Restoration
Eventually the Agiad king Pausanias, who disliked Lysander and his tactics, worked out a settlement.
The Spartans did not intervene to support the Thirty
The democracy was restored in 403, and public life was reorganized
The old enemy was back, albeit diminished.

10. Spartan Government
Sparta inherited the Athenian Empire, but very quickly proved to be highly unsuitable for imperial leadership
Instead of the promised freedom, Sparta established oligarchic regimes (boards of 10: decarchies).
Instead of the autonomy under Athenian rule, now the cities were tightly controlled by Spartan garrisons (harmosts)
Instead of the rule of law under the Athenian empire, now they had the temperamental rule of ill-suited Spartan officials, excessively prone to bribery
Instead of fair commerce and free trade, 1000 talents from excessive taxation were sent to Sparta only in the first year
Soon the days of Athenian rule were seen with nostalgia, and much resentment arose against Sparta
Former allies like Thebes and Corinth created an alliance with Athens

11. The Campaign Against Persia
After the return of the 10,000 a campaign was staged against Persia
Agesilaos did well in Asia Minor, but Persian diplomacy seized the initiative before he could inflict serious damage to the empire.
They funded Athens and her allies to start war on Sparta.
The Corinthian war ( ) was an indecisive conflict which damaged the Greek world as a whole.

12. The Persian Empire

13. Ancient Corinth

14. Corinthian War
The alliance of Athens, Corinth, Thebes, Argos and others remains strong despite a number of setbacks by Spartan armies.
Initially funded by Persian money
A Persian fleet under the Athenian Conon destroys the Spartan navy off Cnidos (394 BC)
Then proceeds to effectively end the Spartan Empire in the Aegean
Athens tries to regain some of her possessions
At land the Spartan army retains an advantage but does not succeed to dominate
The Athenian Iphicrates using light troops succeeds in inflicting casualties on Spartan troops, and reveals the flaws of the Spartan phalanx.
This inconclusive warfare ends with the King’s peace in 387/6
Spartan power has diminished, and in the coming years Sparta is going to serve as the police force of the Great King of Persia in Greece.