The League of Free Laconians () was established in southern Greece in 21 BC by the Emperor

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

,Greenhalgh and Eliopoulos. ''Deep into Mani: Journey to the southern tip of Greece'', 21 giving formal structure to a group of cities that had been associated for almost two centuries.

History

The (, 'free

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia (, , ) is a historical and Administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti (municipality), Sparta. The word ...

ns') are first mentioned in 195 BC, after

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

's defeat in the Roman-Spartan War. The Roman general Titus Quinctius Flamininus placed several coastal cities, inhabited by '' perioikoi'', under the protection of the

Achaean League The Achaean League () was a Hellenistic period, Hellenistic-era confederation of polis, Greek city-states on the northern and central Peloponnese. The league was named after the region of Achaea (ancient region), Achaea in the northwestern Pelopon ...

, separating them from the rump Spartan state. The most important of its cities was Gythium. A few years later, in 192 BC, Gythium was recaptured by

Nabis Nabis may refer to: * Nabis of Sparta, reigned 207–192 BCE * Nabis (art), a Parisian post-Impressionist artistic group * ''Nabis'' (bug), a genus of insects * NABIS, National Ballistics Intelligence Service, a British government agency See a ...

, but the Achean League immediately attacked the city. The city of Las was attacked and captured by the Spartans. The Achaean League retaliated and attacked Las and Sparta. Following the dissolution of the Achaean League in 146 BC, the joined the Lacedaemonian League (), a of Spartan colonies under Roman rule, until Emperor

re-established the League of Free Laconians in 21 BC.

Constitution

The highest officer in the league () was the ''

strategos ''Strategos'' (), also known by its Linguistic Latinisation, Latinized form ''strategus'', is a Greek language, Greek term to mean 'military General officer, general'. In the Hellenistic world and in the Byzantine Empire, the term was also use ...

'', who was assisted by the treasurer. At its height the ' consisted of 24 cities; however, the number decreased to 18. The ' continued to exist into the second half of the 3rd century AD, as is demonstrated by the coins and inscriptions of its member states. It continued until 297 AD when the Emperor

Diocletian Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...

reformed the provincial administration.

Member cities

According to Pausanias, the members of the ''koinon'' were:Pausanias. ''Description of Greece''
3.21.7
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Notes

Sources

Primary

* Pausanias, translated by W.H.S Jones, (1918). Pausanias Description of Greece. London: Harvard University Press. .

Secondary

*Peter Greenhalgh and Edward Eliopoulos, (1985). Deep into Mani: Journey to the southern tip of Greece. London: Trinity Press *{{cite encyclopedia , title = Eleutherolakones , encyclopedia =The New Pauly , volume =4 , pages =918 , publisher =Brill , date = , id = , accessdate = Mani Peninsula Ancient Laconia Laconians Greece under Roman rule