Achaean League

Achaean League, confederacy of 10 or 12 Peloponnesian states in ancient Greece. It was established originally by the ancient Achaeans, a Greek-speaking people living on the northern coast of the Peloponnese, the peninsula forming the southern part of Greece. The original league played little part in the wars of the 5th century bc, but, towards the end of the 4th century bc, it was conquered by the Macedonians. By 280 bc, almost 50 years after the death of the Macedonian king, Alexander the Great, and the subsequent internal strife in Macedonia, the Achaean League was re-established. The confederacy was further strengthened by the addition (251-229 bc) of Sicyon, Corinth, Megalopolis, and Argos.

The Achaean League was a federation. Each member state or town of the league was autonomous, but all members participated in a council that met twice a year to formulate common foreign policy and to enact legislation involving economic matters, such as coinage. The leading statesmen of the Achaean League included the generals Aratus of Sicyon and Philopoemen of Megalopolis.

About 235 bc Cleomenes III, king of Sparta, started a war with the league in an attempt to force the Achaeans into a Peloponnesian confederacy. Following two serious defeats the Achaeans asked and received help from Macedonia. Cleomenes III was finally defeated at Sellasta in 222 bc. As the price of aid from its former enemy, Achaea again became subject to Macedonia. About 198 bc the Achaeans allied themselves with the Romans against the Macedonians. During the next 40 years the Romans completely subjugated the league, together with the rest of Greece; in 168 bc they took 1,000 Achaeans to Rome as hostage, among them the Greek historian Polybius. In 146 bc Achaea became a Roman province encompassing the whole of Greece south of Thessaly and Macedonia.