answersLogoWhite

0

"LaconiaYes, I'm guessing your thinking is: "The Spartans were so awesome, they'd have fought off the Romans!". Well, sorry to say, shortly after their glory days in 480BC, Sparta oppressed Thebes one time too many, and they attacked, bringing Sparta to her knees. Sparta lost her rank as a major player in world affairs at that time and by the time the Romans conquered Achaea, it was definitely within Rome's strength to do so"

But still to clarify, nobody ever 'took' or 'took over' Sparta. The Roman's reffered to the Spartan's as their 'Cousins' as they had great respect for them and their military accomplishments. Instead the Roman's used the remaining Spartan's to train them and to battle for Rome on missions to rid Rome of any remaining enemies.

As for Phillip II and Alexander of Macedonia, neither set foot in Sparta. The story goes, after refusal of entry to Sparta yet the remainder of Greece allowed Phillip in, Phillip sent the Spartan's a letter claiming that 'If I marched my army down the Sparta, it would flatten Sparta to the ground.' The Laconic wit of the Spartan's simply replied, 'IF'! As to say, Phillip never did and nor did Alexander. After Alexander's accomplishments he returned many gifts to Greece with the exception of the Spartan's, as they stood to defy them.

Sparta simply could not re-populate its army after a crushing defeat to the Thebans led by Epaminondas at the Battle of Leuctra. And so simply slipped away into the history books, and there's not a lot about them as they were warriors not historians.

User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago

Still curious? Ask our experts.

Chat with our AI personalities

RossRoss
Every question is just a happy little opportunity.
Chat with Ross
MaxineMaxine
I respect you enough to keep it real.
Chat with Maxine
FranFran
I've made my fair share of mistakes, and if I can help you avoid a few, I'd sure like to try.
Chat with Fran

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Did the roman empire ever take over Sparta?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp