Sparta and the Sea

November 12, 2025 at 7:45 pm

Sparta and the Sea

Nicholas Cross – U.S. Naval Academy

The Spartans are commonly depicted as the quintessential land army but also as incompetent in maritime matters. Even when they assumed control of the seas at the end of the Peloponnesian War, it was only for a few years.

But this view of their unfamiliarity with the sea comes from Atheno-centric sources and the “Spartan mirage,” the exaggerated view of Spartan militarism. Instead, as this presentation shows, there had been maritime ventures beginning early in Sparta’s history. There are several literary references and some archaeological evidence for their harbors along the Peloponnesus, from where they must have embarked on colonization expeditions throughout the Mediterranean.

There are also anecdotes of military expeditions by sea at the same time as the Peloponnesian League was forming on land. This evidence suggests that the Spartans had always possessed naval resources and a maritime consciousness.

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Donald O Kane