Battle of Megalopolis

The Battle of Megalopolis place in autumn 331 or early 330 instead of BC between Sparta and Macedonia.

The Spartans under King Agis III. took advantage of the absence of Alexander the Great, who in distant Persia against Darius III. fought to a (not mentioned by the historian Arrian Alexander ) uprising against the Macedonian rule. Megalopolis, which had been founded in 371 BC in Arcadia as a bulwark against possible Spartan attempts at expansion, was a traditional enemy of Sparta, and thus natural target of an attack. The Macedonian regent Antipater came but with a superior, 40,000 -strong army to the aid of the besieged city, beating crushing the Spartans. Agis III. fell, while the Macedonian losses amounted to about 3,500 men with him 5,300 of his countrymen.

In an ironic comment on the events told Alexander the Great, as he had to contend themselves with the mighty Persian king, Antipater had been engaged in a " war Mice ". Sparta was a conquest by Antipater saves, but had 50 distinguished citizens are held hostage and probably now also during the reign of Agis III. execute rejected joining the Corinthian covenant.