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| c. 650–630 |
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| The Second Messenian War. Messenia revolted against the Spartans. Allied to the Arcadians and Argos, Messenia won the Battle of Senyclarus. But in a 19-year war, Sparta finally defeated the Messenians and reintroduced helotry. | 1 |
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| 625 |
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| Cypselus's son Periander (625–585) succeeded him and brought Corinth to its political and cultural zenith. He had wide international dealings—his nephew Psammetichus was named after the pharaoh of Egypt. | 2 |
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| 600 |
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| Corinth founded the colony of Potidaea in the northern Aegean in order to foster trade with Macedonia. | 3 |
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| 585 |
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| Psammetichus (585–582) became tyrant of Corinth but was soon murdered. An oligarchic government was reestablished. | 4 |
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| c. 575–555 |
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| The Tegean War. Sparta defeated Tegea after a long and difficult war (c. 575–555). Tegea became a subject ally, nominally independent, but bound to follow Spartan foreign policy and provide it with troops. | 5 |
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| c. 555 |
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| Sparta extended its alliance system, the Peloponnesian League, which eventually included all the states in the peninsula except Achaea and Argos. Allies contributed two-thirds of their military forces in war, always under Spartan leadership, though each member had a vote in foreign-policy decisions. King Anaxandridas (560–520) led a campaign which overthrew the tyrant of Sicyon. In Sparta, Cheilon and the other ephors dominated Spartan politics. | 6 |
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| c. 544 |
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| The Battle of the 300 hampions. Sparta and Argos fought a war over control of the Thyrean plain. Each side picked 300 “champions” for a fight to the death to decide the issue. When neither side accepted the result, the two armies fought a pitched battle, which the Spartans won. Argos retained its independence but lost its regional power. | 7 |
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| c. 524–510 |
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| Pursuing their antityrannical policy, the Spartans supported an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Polycrates, the tyrant of Samos in 524. They succeeded in deposing tyrannies in Naxos (522) and Athens (510). | 8 |
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| c. 519–490 |
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| The Reign of Cleomenes I. The Agiad king Cleomenes I reasserted royal power in Sparta and brought the Peloponnesian League to its height. When the expulsion of the Peisistratid tyrants from Athens resulted not in a pro-Spartan oligarchy but in democratic reforms (See 510), Cleomenes led an expedition into Attica. The invasion failed due to the opposition of the Eurypontid king Demaratus (c. 515–491) and the defection of Corinth. | 9 |
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