Tristan Hughes

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It's 404 BC and the Spartans celebrate one of their greatest triumphs.

After decades of on and off fighting with Athens, they had finally defeated their great rival.

The polarised Greek world that had existed shattered, with Sparta now clearly ruling the roost over Greece, entering its golden age, its military zenith.

And yet, within a few decades, this legendary city's dominance would come tumbling down, never to rise to such heights again.

So why did this happen?

What caused Sparta to fall from power so quickly in the early 4th century BC?

It's a fascinating story that features battles, city revivals, overseas expeditions, formidable Spartan kings and so much more.

This is The Ancients.

I'm Tristan Hughes, your host, and this is The Fall of Sparta.

Joining me today, we have two returning guests, Dr. Roel Kaninadijk, Derby Fellow in Ancient History at Lincoln College, Oxford, and Dr. Owen Rees, Lecturer in Applied Sciences at Birmingham Newman University.

Roel and Owen, it is a pleasure to have you both on the podcast at the same time, in the same room.

We never thought it could happen, but it has happened.

Thanks for having me, Tristan.

It's such a pleasure.

We've had you both on in the past for individual episodes, but you are both experts on ancient Greece.

And it felt about time we covered the story of Sparta in the 4th century BC.

And it's often called the time when Sparta falls from prominence.

And is that a fair statement to say at the beginning?