Battle of Hysiae (669 BC)

The Battle of Hysiae was fought between the forces of Sparta and those of Argos at Hysiae, a stronghold located to the southwest of Argos and east of Tegea, near the border with Sparta. The battle took place in around 669/8 BCE, during the rule of the Argive tyrant Pheidon II.

Battle
Conventional warfare during this time period would include the two armies meeting in an open field, but the Argives chose the city of Hysiae for reasons still unknown. By this time, the aspis, a shield designed by the city of Argos, was already equipped with the Argive army, giving the Argive army another advantage over the Spartan army. It is presumed that the battle ensued inside the city of Argos, where the Spartan army was packed by the proto-phalanx invented perhaps by Pheidon, and where the army perished.