League of the Arcadians Κοινὸν τῶν ʼΑρκάδων Koinon ton Arkadon | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 370 BC | |||||||||
| Common languages | Arcadian Greek | ||||||||
| Religion | Ancient Greek religion | ||||||||
| Government | Federation | ||||||||
| Strategos | |||||||||
| Legislature | Arcadian assembly | ||||||||
| Historical era | Classical Antiquity | ||||||||
• Re-founded | 370 BC | ||||||||
| Currency | Drachma | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Greece | ||||||||
The Arcadian League (Ancient Greek: Κοινὸν τῶν Ἀρκάδων) was a league of city-states in ancient Greece. It combined the various cities of Arcadia, in the Peloponnese, into a single state. The league was founded in 370 BC, taking advantage of the decreased power of Sparta, which had previously dominated and controlled Arcadia. Mantinea, a city that had suffered under Spartan dominance, was particularly prominent in pushing for its founding. The league was responsible for the foundation of Megalopolis.
Although initially successful in resisting Spartan influence in Arcadia, the league was soon divided in the power struggles that engulfed Greece in the 4th century BC. Thebes, which had been instrumental in the founding of the league, soon came into conflict with Mantinea. At the Battle of Mantinea (362 BC), the cities of the league fought against each other, Mantinea fighting alongside Sparta and Athens, while Tegea and others sided with Thebes.