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12
0.Introduction
TefactthatthePeloponnesianLeaguewasnotcreatedthroughasworncon-
firmationofafoundationactbyagroupofstatesiscrucialforourunderstand-
ingofitscharacter.TemembersoftheHellenicLeaguewereawarethatthey
weremembersoftheHellenicLeague,whilethemembersoftheDelianLeague
sharedthesameawarenesswithregardtotheiralliance.Butweretheinhabitants
ofparticularPeloponnesiancitieswhobecamealliesofSpartansthroughoutthe
sixthcenturyawarethattheyaccededtoasymmachyunderSparta)shegemony?
Toputitinmoregeneralterms,wasanideaofaleaguepossibleatallamong
theGreeksinthemidsixthcenturyBCE?TehistoricalCfuzziness)oftheidea
oftheSpartansymmachyatitsbeginningsdidnotstopscholarsansweringthis
questionintheamrmativeandenvisagingaspecificshapeofthenetworkofSpar-
tanalliances.TeGreeklinguisticusageseemedtoencouragesuchanapproach.
SincetheHellenicLeagueiscalledinthesourcesCtheLakedaimoniansandtheir
allies)(andtheDelianLeague,respectively,CtheAtheniansandtheirallies))what
wouldbethereasontotreattheSpartansymmachy,whichtheancientscalled
CtheLakedaimoniansandtheirallies)
,asapoliticalentityofadiferentnature?In
consequence,itwasnamedwithaconvenient,althoughunattestedbytheancient
authorsdesignationCthePeloponnesianLeague)
,whichseemednomoreimprecise
withrespecttotheSpartanalliancethanthemodernlabelCHellenicLeague)with
respecttotheanti-Persiancoalitionof481-479,orCDelianLeague)
,withrespectto
theAthenianarchē.
3
TefactthatthesourcesapplytotheSpartanalliesthecol-
lectivedesignationCthePeloponnesians)
,whichseemstosuggesttightinstitutional
bondsbetweenthem,providesanadditionalargument.
TeideaoftheSpartansymmachyasaconcretepoliticalrealityresultedinthe
conceptionoftheoriginsandformofthePeloponnesianLeaguethatcontinuesto
dominatethediscourse;itwasbasedonthenarrativesofHerodotus,Tucydides,
andXenophon,andsupportedbyscantyepigraphicevidence(inscriptionsor,
morefrequently,theirdiscussionsinthesources).Duetoitsfirmfoundationsin
usuallythoughttohavemarkedtheendofthealliance(seee.g.Rhodes[2011]1087withn.6),
Xenophon,whowitnessedtheevents,makesnosuchstatement;seeHell.7.4.6-11.
3
Cf.Kagan(1969)10:CTeancientsusuallycalledthegroupthe“Lakedaimoniansand
theirAllies”
,atermthatmodernhistorianswoulddowelltoadopt,hadnotthetitlePelopon-
nesianLeaguealreadygaineduniversalcurrency)
.Ididnotconductasystematicresearchin
ordertofindoutwhowasthefirsttousethetermCPeloponnesianLeague)
.Teearliestattestation
IencounteredisMaximilianJacoby)srenderingofthedimcultolΛoKεδoipωνίωνσπoνδoίin
T.1.31.2asPeloponnesicherBundinhisGermantranslationofTucydides)Historiai(Hamburg
1804).Anyway,inBusolt(1878),thefirstCmodern)studyontheSpartansymmachy,theterm
PeloponnesischerBundappearsassomethingobvious.