Messenian Wars
The Messenian Wars were a series of conflicts between Sparta and the neighboring region of Messenia in the southwestern Peloponnese, primarily motivated by Sparta's desire for fertile land. The First Messenian War occurred in the third quarter of the eighth century BCE, during which Sparta successfully subjugated much of Messenia and enslaved its inhabitants, who became known as helots. This enslavement laid the groundwork for social tensions that erupted into the Second Messenian War in the early 660s BCE, when the helots revolted against Spartan rule during a period of Spartan vulnerability. The Spartans spent two decades suppressing this rebellion, illustrating the intense struggle between the two regions. Key to Spartan victories in both wars was the capture of the stronghold of Ithome, which played a crucial strategic role. The outcome of the Messenian Wars allowed Sparta to maintain dominance over Messenia for over three centuries, yet this control came with the persistent threat of rebellion from the oppressed Messenians. The harsh subjugation led to a significant Messenian diaspora, as many fled their enslavement. Overall, these wars shaped the militarized structure of Spartan society and had lasting cultural and historical implications for both regions.
Messenian Wars
Related civilizations: Messenia, Sparta, Archaic Greece.
Date: late eighth to mid-seventh century b.c.e.
Locale: Messenia, in southwestern Greece
Background
Land hunger drove the Spartans to conquer their fertile western neighbor, Messenia.
Action
Sparta fought two major wars to subdue Messenia, a neighboring region in the southwestern Peloponnese. During the First Messenian War (third quarter of the eighth century b.c.e.), Sparta subjugated much of Messenia and enslaved its inhabitants, who became known as helots. Two generations later, the helots revolted at a moment of Spartan weakness (early 660’s b.c.e.), precipitating the Second Messenian War. Sparta spent twenty years ruthlessly suppressing this rebellion and afterward oppressed the Messenians with renewed vigor. In each war, Spartan victory depended on seizure of the stronghold of Ithome in central Messenia.
Consequences
Victory in the Messenian Wars enabled Sparta to dominate Messenia for more than three hundred years. The Messenians posed a constant threat of rebellion, which the Spartans greatly feared. The Spartans maintained their position by brute force and terror, necessitating an intensively militarized state. Many Messenians fled slavery (slaves were called helots), producing a Messenian diaspora of exiles.
Bibliography
Cartledge, P. Sparta and Lakonia: A Regional History. Boston: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979.
Hanson, Victor Davis. The Wars of the Ancient Greeks. London: Cassell, 1999.
Oliva, P. Sparta and Her Social Problems. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Hakkert, 1971.
Pausanias. Guide to Greece. Vol. 2. Translated by Peter Levi. New York: Penguin, 1979.