Sellasia
Sellasia is a historical site located in Laconia, southern Greece, approximately eight miles north of Sparta. It was strategically positioned along the route to Arcadia and overlooked the middle valley of the Oenus River. While Diodorus referred to Sellasia as a city (polis), it likely did not hold formal city status. The town has a notable history, having been plundered by the Theban general Epaminondas in 370 BC, before being recaptured by Sparta five years later. In 222 BC, Sellasia became the site of a significant battle during the Hellenistic period, where King Cleomenes III of Sparta faced off against the Macedonian king Antigonus III Doson. Despite Cleomenes' advantageous positioning for phalanx warfare, he was ultimately outflanked and defeated, resulting in the destruction of his army and the town itself, leading to a reduction of its population to slavery. The precise location of Sellasia remains uncertain, with two potential sites, Ayios Konstantinos and the lower Paleogoulas, suggested by historians.
Sellasia
A town in Laconia (southern Greece)
It lay about eight miles north of Sparta, overlooking the middle valley of the Oenus (Kelephina), a tributary of the Eurotas, and occupying a strategic position on the road leading up into Arcadia. Described by Diodorus as a city (polis), though it is unlikely to have possessed that formal status, Sellasia was plundered and burned by the Theban Epaminondas (370), but recaptured by the Spartans five years later.
In 222 it was the scene of one of the decisive battles of the Hellenistic age. In this engagement, the Macedonian monarch Antigonus III Doson confronted King Cleomenes III of Sparta, whose attempted employment of social revolution to serve Spartan expansion had caused great alarm. Although our three sources for the battle are conflicting, it is clear that Cleomenes occupied the river valley (which was suitable for phalanx warfare) and the hills on either side, but was nevertheless outflanked and succumbed to superior numbers and experience. His army was completely destroyed, and Antigonus entered Sparta unopposed. Sellasia itself suffered destruction and its population was reduced to slavery. Its site has not been identified with certainty; two hills, Ayios Konstantinos and the lower Paleogoulas, have been suggested.