Zeus is scheduled for release fall 2000

The success the Spartans had enjoyed in the conquest of Laconia encouraged further expansion. The collective eye of the Spartans turned to the territory to their west, called Messenia. After a bitter struggle, which is called by historians the First Messenian Way and, according to tradition, lasted 20 years and ended in 720BC, Messenia was incorporated into the Spartan polis. Most of the inhabitants there became helots. The helots were the largest part of Spartan society even before the conquest of Messenia (some estimate that there was as many as 7 helots per Spartan citizen), and the addition of so many helots would play an important part in future Spartan politics.

The conquest on Messenia made Sparta the largest of the Archaic Greek states - its territory covered over 3000 square miles, and was about a three times the size of Athens. Sparta was also a rich state, and its pottery and metalwork was amongst the finest to be found anywhere. The foundations on which this was built, however, were unsteady at best. Following the conquest of Messenia, there has been civil was over the question of how the new territory would be divided. The dissenters were eventually expelled by the polis, and they went to Italy, founding Sparta's only colony, Taras.

Much more serious, however, were the dissatisfied rumblings which were coming from the helots in Messenia. Following the Spartan defeat at the hands of the polis of Argos in the 660s BC at the Battle of Hysiae, Messenia erupted into open revolt. The Second Messenian War is not very well documented, but it is clear that the Spartans were again victorious, and the leaders of the rebellion were exiled to Sicily, where they gained control of the city of Zancle, which they renamed Messene in honour of their former homeland.

The helot revolt in Messenia was a terrifying example to the citizens of Sparta of the results of their enslavement policy. Far from abandoning it, however, they decided to meet the threat head on, and began systematically to gear their entire society towards producing the finest hoplites in the world in order to ensure they could prevail over any future rebellions. The Spartan regime needed fighters who would rather die for their polis than crack and run away in the heat of battle.

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