In 274 BC Pyrrhus was still in Italy. However, the crushing of the army in the battles with the Romans convinced him that the only solution was his return to Greece, where new opportunities presented themselves for his ambitious character. His goal was the capture of the Macedonian throne.
Pyrrhus, returning to Greece, planned to bring under his control the rich Macedonia. That is why he turned directly against the Macedonian king Antigonus Gonatas, son of his old comrade-in-arms, but also his opponent, Demetrius the Besieger. Pyrrhus invaded Macedonia, having also recruited Gallic mercenaries and advanced without meeting serious resistance as the Macedonians accepted him as the rightful king.
Pyrrhus advanced rapidly and captured one city after another. Only the city of Aigai resisted, and when it finally surrendered, as punishment, Pyrrhus assigned its garrison to 2,000 of his Gallic mercenaries. But they destroyed the tombs of the Macedonian kings that were there, changing the climate against Pyrrhus, when he refused to punish them.
Peloponnese
Antigonus, with new forces he gathered, again moved against Pyrrhus, but was again defeated by his son Ptolemy, king of Epirus. The defeated Antigonus retreated to eastern Macedonia, and Pyrrhus, as always, did not hurry to complete and secure his victory.
Logic dictated that Pyrrhus complete the incorporation of Macedonia into his state, defeating and definitively expelling his rival from there, and then turn to southern Greece. Unfortunately, in the person of the great Epirotian king, the martial value was not combined with political vision and inspiration, unlike his great cousin Alexander.
An important role in his decision seems to have been played by the invitation of the exiled king of Sparta Kleonymus, who was hoping for Pyrrhus' help in recovering the throne from the other king, Areas, Kleonymus' nephew. In fact, Kleonymus, having followers in Sparta, promised Pyrrhus an internal revolution in the city, presenting its capture as an easy task.
Persuaded by Cleonymus, Pyrrhus decided to invade the Peloponnese, a move without any political meaning, as Sparta did not have good relations with his rival Antigonus and thus the attack against it served no strategic purpose. About the only effect it would have would be to unite two enemies against him.
So with 25,000 infantry (28,000 according to Plutarch), 2,000 horsemen and 24 war elephants, he invaded in the spring of 272 BC. in the Peloponnese. The news of the Epirotean invasion of the Peloponnese caused widespread excitement as many believed the proclamations of Pyrrhus that he was coming as a liberator to liberate the Peloponnesian cities from the "tyranny of Antigonus".
War with Sparta
The Achaeans, the Helios, a strong portion in Argos, but also the Athenians, declared their support for Pyrrhus, while Megalopolis opened its gates to the Epirotian soldier.
The Spartans did not, initially, oppose the advance of Pyrrhus as they were rivals of Antigonus and saw rather positively the weakening of the Macedonian king. They were also convinced by the proclamations of Pyrrhus.
They also decided to send an embassy to Pyrrhus. However, before their delegation went there, part of Pyrrhus' army violated the Spartan borders. The Spartan delegation, led by Dercylides, nevertheless went to Megalopolis and met with Pyrrhus.
Derkylidas complained about the violation of the border, considering that it happened at the initiative of some hot-blooded officer of Pyrrhus. However, he was surprised to hear Pyrrhus declaring to him that they were in a state of war.
After this the ambassadors hastily returned to Sparta and conveyed the unpleasant news. The citizens found themselves in despair. Never before had Sparta been so unprepared for war and had never been so taken by surprise, having the enemy only a few days' march from her.
Its king himself, Areus, was away with his best soldiers in Crete, where he had gone to fight for Gortynos.
Preparations
By this time the once mighty Spartan war machine was a distant memory. Sparta had few citizens, with most others having lost their civil rights and consequently the ability to serve in the army.
There is no exact information on the number of fighting men the city could mobilize, but it would hardly have been more than 1,500-2,000, according to the sources. A few thousand more rough and lightly armed men could be added to this number.
However, these forces were impossible to stop the Macedonian phalanxes, the cavalry and especially the war elephants of Pyrrhus, in an open field.
The Spartans' only hope was to defend themselves in their city. but Sparta, an ancient tradition, had no walls. Consequently the Spartans would have to defend themselves by creating makeshift fortifications with all available materials, hoping for the return of Areus, to whom an urgent message was sent, for the possible arrival of reinforcements from the Ptolemies of Egypt, for luck and above all for their bravery.
And the Spartans proved themselves worthy of their forefathers after all. The Spartans, under the leadership of the Senate that met in those critical hours, threw themselves into the fight to strengthen the defense of their city.
It was then decided to transfer the women and children to Crete not only to protect them, but also to facilitate the defense and save food. Ultimately, however, this decision could not be implemented.
At the same time, it was decided to immediately fortify the city, as best as possible. The Spartans, working intensively, excavated a wide trench parallel to the camp, the so-called "ruler" of Pyrrhus, about 250 m long. Dams were also built from piles and where fortifications were built with stones and bricks.
And the trench was reinforced with carriages placed at its two ends, mainly. The ground was excavated and the wheels of the carriages were buried in the ground so that they could not be moved. The Spartans correctly calculated that these chariots would be a strong support and obstacle for the dreaded war elephants of Pyrrhus.
The decisions of the Senate soon became known in the city and immediately there were reactions. Archidamea, the king's sister, was the first to react to the decision to remove the women and children, and with a sword in her hand she appeared in the Senate and asked how the senators ask the women of Sparta to live when their country will not exist?
The place of women was on the side of the men, the defenders of the city, and common was to be the fate of all the citizens, and the corpses of the women must lie beside the corpses of their men.
"Good for the Lakaines after the men die..." , he said. Moved, the Senate changed its decision and ordered not only that the women and children stay in the city, but also that they contribute to its defense.
Immediately the women threw themselves into the fight for the fortification. They dug the trench, telling the men to rest because the next day they would fight hard and they had to save their strength.
Women of all ages, clad only in a single headdress, together with their children and the elders who could not bear arms, began the execution of the work vital to the city, which was to be ready the next morning. According to Phylarchos, the trench was about 4.5 m wide and 3 m deep.
The next day, at first light, the ditch was ready, and the men who hastened to take up positions along it, took, in the tradition of Sparta, their weapons from their wives and mothers, who handed them to them, saying that they must defend it with their lives or die as worthy children of Sparta.
These events are described by the historian Phylarchos, whose work "Historiai" was a basic source for Plutarch as well.
Blood in the fertile valley
As the sun rose, illuminating the ancient city and the entire fertile valley of Eurotas, the two rivals were ready. The Spartans had taken up positions behind their ditch and makeshift fortifications while Pyrrhus had ordered his army to deploy for battle in front of his camp.
Pyrrhus with surprise and anger saw the trench. He drew his sword from its scabbard and moved towards her himself. Try to pass. But the newly dug, soft, soil almost gave way and the king almost fell into it. So it was withdrawn.
His son Ptolemy, however, was put in charge of 2,000 Gallic mercenaries and elite Chaonian warriors attacked. He and his men rushed to the trench, descended into it, and endeavored to draw the chariots which the Spartans had placed upon it, by way of fortifications. The Gauls were furiously pulling the chariots, probably using ropes.
The situation was critical for the Spartans. But she was saved by Akrotatos, the son of King Areus, who with 300 elite warriors, probably the "horsemen" of the royal guard, passed through an opening and found himself behind Ptolemy's Gauls.
Before Ptolemy could react, Acrotatus and his men spread death to the immobile Gauls huddled in the ditch.
While this was going on Pyrrhus had also tried to cross the moat at another point, but to no avail, his men suffering losses from the Spartans' missiles.
The critical conflict
The brave resistance of the Spartans forced Pyrrhus to retreat. The Spartan Phyllios also distinguished himself in the battle, who fought heroically, although seriously wounded. When he felt his strength leaving him, Phyllios discreetly withdrew from the battle line to cool off in his city and not risk his body falling into the hands of the enemies.
Thus the battle continued all day without result for Pyrrhus, who, with the coming of night, ordered the operations to cease.
The Epirotian king was disappointed, as his army had suffered heavy losses, without any countermeasures. The Consul relates an interesting related anecdote. Pyrrhus, according to the story of the Consul, that night, after the battle, saw in a dream that Sparta was being burned by lightning.
He himself interpreted the dream favorably, saying that the city will fall. However, one of his partners, Lysimachus, interpreted the dream negatively. Pyrrhus then replied:"In the omen of excellent defense against Pyrrhus".
At first light the next morning Pyrrhus had lined up his army ready for the new attack. The Epirotian recruit soon after ordered the raid. The battle was fierce from the start. The Epirotes fought heroically, seeing their king defend himself.
The Spartans, for their part, defended themselves with incredible fanaticism, with their women at their side, tending to the wounded and bringing food, water, arrows, stones and javelins to the warriors.
Massacre
Pyrrhus, seeing that his troops could not cross the trench, ordered it to be filled with earth and all kinds of material, even with the corpses of men.
Despite the reaction of the Spartans, the moat began to fill in certain parts of it. In this way a corridor was created through which the troops of Pyrrhus could pass.
The Spartans gathered their reserves at the point of the corridor, but Pyrrhus also at this point threw his best units into battle, placing himself in charge, on horseback, with sword in hand.
It appears that Pyrrhus' stormy raid overthrew the Spartan resistance and entered the city. The fall of the city was a matter of moments. An arrow, however, fatally wounded Pyrrhus' horse, which knocked down its rider.
Pyrrhus fell hard to the ground. His men, seeing their king on the ground, panicked. Many officers rushed to the scene to see if he was alive. The result of this was to cause confusion which, of course, the Spartans took full advantage of.
With a desperate counter-attack, the indefatigable Laconians cut down many of the "Eagle's" soldiers, forcing the others to flee across the moat.
General failure
Pyrrhus, as soon as he recovered, ordered a retreat as his forces were particularly worn out. But the losses of the Spartans were also serious. Perhaps with a new general attack Pyrrhus would have succeeded in capturing the city. However, he did not dare to do so and decided to besiege the city, simultaneously plundering Laconia.
However, fate had already decided. Antigonus, whom Pyrrhus had left undisturbed in Macedonia, reacted to his adversary's plans by ordering his garrisons in the Greek cities to hasten to reinforce his old rivals the Spartans.
Antigonus' garrison in Corinth, Phocaeus Amenias, immediately moved towards Sparta. At the same time, the Spartan king Areus returned from Crete with 2,000 soldiers.
Plutarch states that Areus returned with 2,000 soldiers, while in another part of his narrative he states that Areus brought with him 1,000 Cretan archers. It is not known whether the 1,000 Cretans came in addition to the 2,000 Spartans or whether the 2,000 number included Spartans and Cretans together. Modern historians consider it more likely that the total force brought with Areas numbered 3,000 men.
In any case, the arrival of Areus and his men significantly strengthened the defense and raised the morale of the Spartans, while on the contrary it collapsed that of Pyrrhus' men. Pyrrhus then committed the second great error.
Instead of sticking to his decision to besiege Sparta, he ordered new attacks against the reinforced Spartans, leading himself in most cases, resulting in him being wounded. This move of his led to new needless losses and to a limitation of the militancy of the army, as well as of himself, due to the wounds.
Once again it appeared that Pyrrhus was a brave soldier, but not a strategist. After further setbacks he reverted to his previous plan of besieging Sparta, determined to winter there and resume the attack the following spring in 271 BC.
At the same time, small detachments of the army plundered Laconiki, while a fortified camp was created on the road between Sparta and Karion (other sources state that it was created near Tegea).