*Second Mycenaean War- Sparta vs Mycenaen Helots (and Argos) (1 maio 650 ano antes da era comum – 1 jun 625 ano antes da era comum)

Descrição:

So, the next great historical event that makes a difference in Sparta is the second Mycenaean War, which occurs in the years, of course these are approximate, somewhere between 650 and 625 this happens. Notice in each case, first and second war, our guess is a whole quarter of a century of fighting; that's very important to realize. These were not your typical Greek war of later years. This was not one day we'd have a battle and we'd go home. This was a campaign that lasted a generation, that's how hard it was to conquer Mycenae, and then in the second Mycenaean War, how hard it was to put down the tremendous rebellion that brought about the second Mycenaean War. It was a helot rebellion. The helots could not have succeeded in making this such a hard fight had they not been assisted by some of the neighbors of Sparta. Argos, you will remember, from the time of Pheidon, they have been an enemy and a competitor of the Spartans, and so the Argives are quick to join and help the helots in their rebellion against Sparta, but so too do a number of cities to the north of Sparta, from the region called Arcadia, also join in with the helots and even so far as the northwestern corner of the Peloponnesus, a town called Pisa near Olympia also joins the coalition against the Spartans. So you can imagine that the Spartans push forward created opposition and the helots took advantage of that, and joined with the other states to put Sparta in danger.
The ancient tradition says the Spartans really were in terrible danger and it was a very, very hard fight and what happened was going to turn out to be the first of a pattern. When the helots were defeated in battle they didn't quit, they didn't stop fighting, they retreated to the safest place they could find and there in Mycenae there is very rugged mountain called Ithome which is a kind of a natural fortress and which the helots fortified still more. So, they could stay up there on that mountain and fight off Spartan attacks for quite a long time. Remember, the Spartans are hampered in this war by having to cope with neighboring cities battling them as well. By the time that is over, you move towards the ultimate arrangement of life in the Sparta that we will come to know. pg. 108

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