Page:History of Greece Vol II.djvu/454

 438 HISTORY OF GREECE. territory which figures on ;he map as Messenia, south of tha river Nedon, and westward of the summit of Taygetus, ap- pears as subject to Sparta, arid as forming the western portion of Laconia ; distributed, in what proportion we know not, between Perioekic towns and Helot villages. By what steps, or after what degree of farther resistance, the Spartans conquered this country, we have no information ; but we are told that they made over Asine to the expelled Dryopes from the Argolic peninsula and Mothone to the fugitives from Nauplia. 1 Nor do we hear of any serious revolt from Sparta in this territory until one hun- dred and fifty years afterwards, 2 subsequent to the Persian inva- sion, a revolt which Sparta, after serious efforts, succeeded in crushing. So that the territory remained in her power until her defeat at Leuktra, which led to the foundation of Messene by Epameinondas. The fertility of the plains, especially of the central portion near the river Pamisus, so much extolled by ob- servers, modern as well as ancient, rendered it an acquisition highly valuable. At some time or other, it must of course have been formally partitioned among the Spartans, but it is probable that different and successive allotments were made, according as the various portions of territory, both to the east and to the west of Taygetus, were conquered. Of all this we have no in- formation. 3 Imperfectly as these two Messenian wars are known to us, we may see enough to warrant us in making two remarks. Both were tedious, protracted, and painful, showing how slowly the results of war were then gathered, and adding one additional illustration to prove how much the rapid and instantaneous con- quest of Laconia and Messenia by the Dorians, which the Hera- kleid legend sets forth, is contradicted by historical analogy. Both were characterized by a similar defensive proceeding on 1 Pausan. iv. 24, 2 ; iv. 34, 6 ; iv. 35, 2. * Thucyd. i. 101. 3 Pausatrias says, T^V [J.EV u/U,r/i> Meaaqviav, K/JJV rfff 'Aaivaiuv, avroi iJieXdy^avov, etc. (iv. 24, 2.) In an apophthegm ascribed to king Polydorns, leader of the Spartans dnring the first Messenian war, he is asked, whether he is really taking arms against his brethren, to which he replies, " No ; I am only marching to tha unallotted portion of the territory." (Plutarch, Apophthegm. Lakonic. p 231.) tirl T/JV unliTipu