Clausewitz claimed that war was diplomacy by other means. This may
explain why Sparta, popularly known as a militaristic society, was in fact a
city with a long history of effective diplomacy and high regard for the
diplomatic profession.
Sparta founded the first non-aggression pact in recorded history
when it stopped seeking to conquer its neighbors but sought defensive alliances
with them instead. A series of bilateral treaties evolved into what became
known as the Peloponnesian League. While initially this organization was an
instrument of Spartan hegemony, which required Sparta's allies to follow her
lead, in or about 500 BC the allies successfully asserted their power and
effectively converted the League into an alliance in which every member -
including Sparta - had an equal vote.
Sparta’s diplomatic history started early. According to Herodotus,
for example, Sparta sent an envoy to the Persian court in mid-6th Century, long
before the Persians had become interested in Greece. Allegedly, the Spartan
envoy warned the Great King against enslaving Hellenes - which prompted the
bewildered master of the Eastern world to ask who (in the hell) the Spartans
were?
The Spartans also maintained a temple dedicated to Talthybius, the
herald of Agamemnon. It was here that eerie lights and strange noises were
allegedly seen and heard after the murder of the Persian ambassadors sent to obtain
earth and water in 491. Eventually, the Spartans became so concerned about
arousing the wrath of the gods by breaching the diplomatic immunity of the
Persian ambassadors they sent two men as sacrifices to Xerxes to atone for the
murdered ambassadors. Both men were volunteers and Spartiates of good family,
Sperchias and Bulles.
Although usually dismissed as simply “natural,” the fact that
Sparta forged an alliance together with Athens, Corinth, Aegina, (all hated
rivals of one another!) and other lesser cities to oppose the Persian invasion
of 480 is also a brilliant Spartan diplomatic achievement. I say Spartan,
because the election of Sparta to lead on land and sea suggested that Athens
would not have been able to hold this alliance together without Spartan
influence. Arguably, it was Leonidas’ ability to put together a “coalition of
the willing” to fight against Xerxes, more than his untimely death at
Thermopylae, that was his greatest legacy.
Notably, some of Sparta’s best commanders were also excellent
diplomats. Brasidas comes to mind as a man, whose greatest power came not from
the strength of his arms, but his ability to win over allies and detach cities
from the Delian League. Likewise Sparta’s success in Syracuse was certainly not
a military success, no Spartan hoplites
were in action at any time. It was, however, an enormous diplomatic success
that had severely weakened Athens strength and morale.
The weaker Sparta became, the important it was for Sparta to forge
alliances and out-wit rather than out-fight her enemies. It may be an
indication of weakness, but it was nevertheless a diplomatic coup that Sparta
was one of the first city-states in Greece to forge an alliance with a rising
Rome, for example.
All in all, Sparta's diplomatic culture deserves much more
attention and research. A comprehensive work on Spartan diplomacy from the
Archaic to the Roman Periods would be a welcome addition to existing scholarly
literature.
Excellent post!! Thank you for all of your great work.
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