Sparta after the Peloponnesian War

After the Peloponnesian War, Spartan hegemony of Greece would seem to have been assured. A single generation, though, would have seen Sparta at the peak of its power, and its defeat by the Thebans at Leuctra, effectively turning it into a second rate power. The victory in the Peloponnesian War was a significant factor in bringing about this change in fortune, but other long term factors have also been identified which suggest that Spartan undoing …

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