Abstract
Megalopolis was founded after 370 b.c. as the capital of a Pan-
Arcadian league.2 The inspiration for the league seems to rest with the
Arcadians, but the credit for the location of the capital city belongs
to Epameinondas who saw the strategic importance of the site as
part of a system of fortresses extending from Messene to Argos in
order to enclose Sparta. This fact contributes much to the under-
standing of Megalopolis' history, for it helps to explain her continued
opposition to Sparta. The city was also the meeting place of the
Myrioi, the Arcadian popular assembly, although the southern
location of Megalopolis with respect to the rest of Arcadia was less
convenient for a popular assembly of all the Arcadians than a more
central location would have been. Forty villages were completely or
partially abandoned to populate the Great City
Arcadian league.2 The inspiration for the league seems to rest with the
Arcadians, but the credit for the location of the capital city belongs
to Epameinondas who saw the strategic importance of the site as
part of a system of fortresses extending from Messene to Argos in
order to enclose Sparta. This fact contributes much to the under-
standing of Megalopolis' history, for it helps to explain her continued
opposition to Sparta. The city was also the meeting place of the
Myrioi, the Arcadian popular assembly, although the southern
location of Megalopolis with respect to the rest of Arcadia was less
convenient for a popular assembly of all the Arcadians than a more
central location would have been. Forty villages were completely or
partially abandoned to populate the Great City
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 57-110 |
| Number of pages | 63 |
| Journal | Museum Notes (American Numismatic Society) |
| Volume | 13 |
| State | Published - 1967 |