Classical World

During the fifth and fourth centuries b.c.e. , Sparta infringed upon the local and regional autonomy of the Peloponnesians, and consequently, smaller coalitions such as the Elean League became fragmented and incorporated into the Peloponnesian League. The present paper focuses on Elis and how regional concerns and the preservation of its own alliance influenced the history of the Peloponnesos. In particular, Elean resistance to Sparta centered on the control over its dependent cities such as Lepreon, as Elis attempted to preserve the unity of its own regional alliance amidst the larger and more powerful polis of Sparta and its Peloponnesian League.