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The Lelantine War between Khalkis and Eretria was the first major historical conflict that drew in combatants from around the Greek world. And yet, we know next to nothing about it. Ancient historians and other authors mention it in passing, but they don’t tell us exactly when it happened, how long it lasted, or even who won. While it’s possible to reconstruct a rough outline from ancient sources, some scholars maintain that the war may never have taken place at all. The Lelantine War can give us a glimpse of an aristocratic approach to warfare in the early polis. But it also provides a lesson in the difficulty distinguishing between history and legend in the early Archaic Period.

For views of Euboea and the Lelantine Plain, see Episode 11 at epicgreekhistory.substack.com

Reading Suggestions:

A History of the Archaic Greek World by Jonathan M. Hall

Early Greece by Oswyn Murray

“The Lelantine War: A Conflict Lost in Time” by Josh Brouwers in Ancient World Magazine 

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