Mantinea

Mantineia, also called Mantineia or Mantineia, was an ancient city-state in Arcadia, in the central Peloponnese of Greece. It stood on the Mantinean plain and lay among the Arcadian towns in the north of the region, near the routes that linked Tegea and other key centers. The city’s political life was tied to Arcadian affiliations and later to the Arcadian League.

Mantineia played a notable role in classical Greek history as a center of regional power and as a site of major battles. It is best known for two large conflicts that bore the city’s name. The Battle of Mantineia in 418 BCE occurred during the Peloponnesian War when a Theban-led coalition faced Sparta and its allies. The engagement drew in several Greek powers and had significant military and political repercussions in the Peloponnese. The later Battle of Mantineia in 362 BCE was one of the era’s largest engagements, involving a Theban army under Epaminondas opposing a Spartan-Arcadian coalition; Epaminondas was killed in the fighting, and the battle marked the decline of Theban hegemony in the region and reshaped the balance of power in Greece.

Archaeological remains at the site include fortifications and public buildings associated with the classical city, and the site is associated with inscriptions and material finds from its long habitation. Today the ancient site is identified with the area near the modern village of Mantineia in Arcadia, within the broader landscape of the central Peloponnese.