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0.Introduction
GiventhecentralroleofSpartainthehistoryofarchaicandclassicalGreece,
studiesoftheallianceitledareasoldasclassicalstudiesthemselves.Aninvesti-
gationintothebeginningsofthesestudies,whileinterestinginitself,would,how-
ever,makelittlesensefromthepointofviewofhistoricalreconstruction.Dueto
anincreasingnumberofsources(inscriptions),theprogressofourknowledge
concerningthemechanismsofGreekinterstatelawsandpoliticalstructuresofthe
archaicworld,aswellasadeeperreflectiononthefunctioningoforaltradition
anditsusebyhistoriographyemerginginthefifhcentury,theearlierattempts
todescribetheSpartansymmachyhavebecomemoreofahistoricalcuriosity
thanafoundationforfurtherresearch.Nevertheless,itisworthnotinghowvery
diferentinterpretationsoftheoriginsofthisalliancehavebeen.Terecon-
structionsofFriedrichKörtum,whosawinthePeloponnesianLeague(onthis
designation,seebelow)aDoricalliancefromtheperiodoftheReturnofthe
HerakleidaiappropriatedbytheSpartans,orErnstCurtius,whorecognisedin
itakindofamphictyonymeanttoprotecttheOlympiansanctuary,nowadays
seemcompletelyfanciful.Butfancifulastheyare,theyactuallyhaveverylittlein
common.
1
Suchdiversityremindsusthatallthereconstructionsoftheearly
historyofthePeloponnesianLeaguewerepossiblebecauseofthefactthatł
incontrastwiththeHellenicLeague,orDelianLeagueandtheSecondAthe-
nianEmpirełtheSpartansymmachyhadnostartingpointthatcouldbeeasily
determined.
2
1
Ontheseoldtheories,seeBaltrusch(1994)19n.86.
2
Althoughitgoesbeyondthescopeofthepresentwork,letusnotethatthePelopon-
nesianLeaguehasnoobviousendingpointeither.Althoughtheeventsof365,whenCorinth
andanumberofothercitiesacceptedthepeacewiththeBoiotiansthattheSpartansdidnot,are