Person

Cleomenes III

c. 260–219 BCE · 3rd century BCE

Cleomenes III was King of Sparta from about 235 BCE. He cancelled debts, redistributed land and enlarged the citizen body, then fought the Achaean League in the Cleomenean War, taking cities such as Tegea. Aratus called in Antigonus III of Macedon, who defeated Cleomenes at Sellasia in 222 BCE; he died in exile in Alexandria.

Cleomenes III
Image: Michael Burghers, late 17th century · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 3 profiles

SpartaDecline, SummaryAntigonid Kingdom of MacedoniaMilitary, SummaryAchaean LeagueSocioeconomy, Military, Decline

Mentioned in 5 state histories

SpartaTegeaMantineaMegalopolisAchaean League

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Cleomenes III. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cleomenes-iii
MLA
“Cleomenes III.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cleomenes-iii. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Cleomenes III.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cleomenes-iii.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Cleomenes III’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cleomenes-iii (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻