Key Facts
- Duration
- Approximately 2 years (429–427 BC)
- Besieging force leader
- Archidamus II of Sparta
- Fate of Plataea
- Razed to the ground by the Thebans
- Restoration of Plataea
- After 338 BC, by Philip II of Macedon
Strategic Narrative Overview
An initial Theban surprise attack on Plataea in 431 BC failed when the Plataeans repelled the invaders. In 429 BC, the Spartan king Archidamus II arrived with a larger force and began a formal siege, constructing elaborate circumvallation works. Athens, beset by plague and other military pressures, was unable to relieve the city. A number of Plataeans escaped through the siege lines in 428 BC, but the remaining garrison surrendered shortly afterward.
01 / The Origins
Plataea, a small city-state on the border of Boeotia and Attica, was a long-standing ally of Athens and a rival of Thebes. When the Peloponnesian War broke out, the Thebans — allied with Sparta — sought to eliminate this Athenian foothold on their doorstep. The city's strategic position made it a prime target for the Spartan-Theban alliance seeking to neutralize Athenian influence in central Greece.
03 / The Outcome
The surviving Plataeans surrendered to the Spartans in 427 BC. Spartan judges tried the defenders, and those who could not demonstrate service to Sparta were executed. The Thebans then demolished the city entirely, using its materials to construct a Theban inn. Plataea remained abandoned for decades until Philip II of Macedon ordered its restoration after 338 BC.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Archidamus II.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.