The siege of Gythium was fought in 195 BC between

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

and the coalition of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...

, the

Achaean League The Achaean League ( Greek: , ''Koinon ton Akhaion'' "League of Achaeans") was a Hellenistic-era confederation of Greek city states on the northern and central Peloponnese. The league was named after the region of Achaea in the northwestern P ...

, and

Pergamum Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; grc-gre, Πέργαμον), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Mysia. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on th ...

. As the port of Gythium was an important Spartan base, the allies decided to capture it before they advanced inland to Sparta. The Romans and the Achaeans were joined outside the city by the Pergamese and Rhodian fleets. The Spartans held out, but one of the joint commanders, Dexagoridas, decided to surrender the city to the Roman

legate Legate may refer to: * Legatus, a higher ranking general officer of the Roman army drawn from among the senatorial class :*Legatus Augusti pro praetore, a provincial governor in the Roman Imperial period *A member of a legation *A representative, ...

. When Gorgopas, the other commander, found out, he killed Dexagoridas and took sole command of the city. After Dexagoridas' murder, the Spartans held out more vigorously. However,

Titus Quinctius Flamininus Titus Quinctius Flamininus (c. 228 – 174 BC) was a Roman politician and general instrumental in the Roman conquest of Greece. Family background Flamininus belonged to the minor patrician '' gens'' Quinctia. The family had a glorious plac ...

of the allied forces arrived with 4,000 more men and the Spartans decided to surrender the city on the condition that the garrison could leave unharmed. The result of this

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...

forced

Nabis Nabis ( grc-gre, Νάβις) was the last king of independent Sparta. He was probably a member of the Heracleidae, and he ruled from 207 BC to 192 BC, during the years of the First and Second Macedonian Wars and the eponymous " War against Nab ...

, the

tyrant A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to ...

of Sparta, to abandon the surrounding land and withdraw to the city of Sparta. Later that year, Sparta capitulated to the allies.

Prelude

The Macedonians had been defeated in the

Second Macedonian War The Second Macedonian War (200–197 BC) was fought between Macedon, led by Philip V of Macedon, and Rome, allied with Pergamon and Rhodes. Philip was defeated and was forced to abandon all possessions in southern Greece, Thrace and Asia Min ...

in 197 BC which left the Spartans in control of Argos. This Spartan gain was a setback for the Achaean League who had been trying to incorporate Sparta into their league for many years. The Romans had won the Second Macedonian War and it left them in control of Greek affairs. However, they decided not to occupy Greece but to garrison some cities for five years.Livy, ''Rome and the Mediterranean'', 125 The tyrant of Sparta, Nabis, who had declared himself king, was troubling the Achaean League and was also threatening to destroy the peace in Greece. In 195 BC, Flamininus summoned his army in Greece and that of his allies at

Plataea Plataea or Plataia (; grc, Πλάταια), also Plataeae or Plataiai (; grc, Πλαταιαί), was an ancient city, located in Greece in southeastern Boeotia, south of Thebes.Mish, Frederick C., Editor in Chief. “Plataea.” '' Webst ...

Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia ( el, Βοιωτία; modern: ; ancient: ), formerly known as Cadmeis, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, and its ...

. He then marched from Plataea to Argos where he was joined by 10,000 Achean infantry and 1,000 cavalry.Livy, ''Rome and the Mediterranean'', 164 After a few brief skirmishes, the allies decided to abandon the siege and they pitched in

Tegea Tegea (; el, Τεγέα) was a settlement in ancient Arcadia, and it is also a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the Tripoli municipality, of which it is a municipal un ...

.Livy, ''Rome and the Mediterranean'', 165 They then advanced upon

Caryae Caryae or Karyai ( grc, Κάρυαι) was a town of ancient Laconia upon the frontiers of Arcadia. It was originally an Arcadian town belonging to Tegea, but was conquered by the Spartans and annexed to their territory. Caryae revolted from Spart ...

where they were joined by 1,500 Macedonians and 400

Thessalian Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thess ...

cavalry. Nabis also made his own preparations. Nabis had always been on good terms with Cretan leaders and he requested 1,000 of their best soldiers who were hand picked to assist him. As well as the Cretans, he hired 3,000 mercenaries and 10,000 citizens.Livy, ''Rome and the Mediterranean'', 166 The Romans and their allies then advanced upon Sellasia not far north of Sparta. The Romans were defeated in a small battle and they retreated. The Romans then won another battle against the Spartans and forced them to retreat into the city.Livy, ''Rome and the Mediterranean'', 168

Siege

Some coastal cities surrendered to the Romans which allowed them to have a base in the coastal regions of

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia ( el, Λακωνία, , ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word '' laconic''—to speak in a blunt, c ...

. Gythium was a large city and had been made by the Spartans as their main port and naval arsenal. The Romans advanced upon the city and they were joined there by the combined Rhodian and Pergamese fleets. The sailors from the Roman, Pergamese, and Rhodian fleets built siege engines which had devastating effects on the walls. One of the city's joint commanders, Dexagoridas, offered to surrender the city to the Roman

in charge of the fleet while Flamininus was gone. When the other commander Gorgopas found out, he murdered Dexagoridas. Now with the city under Gorgopas' command the defenders became reinvigorated. The siege was proving more difficult until Flamininus arrived with 4,000 Roman soldiers.Livy, ''Rome and the Mediterranean'', 169 With the arrival of the new soldiers, the allied soldiers were encouraged and began bombarding the city again with their siege engines while the Rhodian and Pergamese fleet continued to put pressure on the Spartans from the sea. The Spartans knew that they did not have much of a chance of withstanding the renewed allied assault and Gorgopas decided to surrender the city to the Romans under the condition that the garrison was allowed to leave the city unharmed.

Aftermath

When Nabis found out that Gythium had fallen to the allies he decided to abandon the remaining Laconian countryside that he controlled. Nabis sent envoys to Flamininus who offered Nabis a parley. The Romans attacked Sparta when the parley ended but the Spartans withstood the initial allied assaults. Nabis, however, seeing that the situation was hopeless, agreed to surrender the city to the Romans.Livy, ''Rome and the Mediterranean'', 175 The Romans forced Nabis to abandon Argos and most of the coastal cities of Laconia.Livy, ''Rome and the Mediterranean'', 176 The Romans formed all the cities that had broken off from Sparta on the Laconian coast into the Union of Free Laconians.Greenhalgh and Eliopoulos. ''Deep into Mani:Journey to the southern tip of Greece.'', 21 However, the Romans didn't strip Nabis of his powers because they wanted a state in the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge which ...

to counter the growing Achaean League.Green. ''Alexander to Actium:The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age.'',423 Nabis attacked Gythium two or three years later only to retreat after being unable to capture the city but in 192 BC he was assassinated by the Aetolians before he had a chance to attempt another attack on the city. In 189 BC, the Spartans, having been deprived of a port, attacked and captured the city of Las. The Acheans, threatened by the attack, demanded the surrender of those responsible for the attack and when that was refused they captured the city.Livy, ''Rome and the Mediterranean'', 365

Notes

References

Primary sources

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...

. ''Rome and the Mediterranean.''

Secondary sources

*Peter Green. ''Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age.'' *Peter Greenhalgh and Edward Eliopoulos. ''Deep into Mani:Journey to the southern tip of Greece.'' {{good article

Gythium Gytheio ( el, Γύθειο, ) or Gythio, also the ancient Gythium or Gytheion ( grc, Γύθειον), is a town on the eastern shore of the Mani Peninsula, and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government ...

195 BC Ancient Laconia

2nd century BC in Greece