State of Arcadia.—Tegea and Mantineia the most powerful Arcadian towns, before the building of Megalopolis.—Encroachments of Sparta upon the southern boundary of Arcadia.—Unsuccessful attempts of the Spartans against Tegea.—They are directed by the oracle to bring to Sparta the bones of the hero Orestês.—Their operations against Tegea become more successful; nevertheless, Tegea maintains her independence.—Boundaries of Sparta towards Argos—conquest of Thyreatis by Sparta.—Battle of the three hundred select champions, between Sparta and Argos, to decide the possession of the Thyreatis—valor of Othryades.—Thyreatis comes into possession of Sparta—efforts of the Argeians to recover it.—Alteration of Grecian opinion, as to the practice of deciding disputes by select champions.—Kynurians in Argolis, said to be of Ionic race, but Dorized.—Full acquisition of the southern portion of Peloponnesus, from sea to sea, by the Spartans before 540 B. C.—Great comparative power of Sparta at that early time.—Careful personal training of the Spartans at a time when other states had no training at all.—Military institutions of Sparta.—Peculiar and minute military subdivisions, distinct from the civil Enômoties, etc.—Careful drilling of the Enômoties.—In other Grecian cities there were no peculiar military divisions distinct from the civil.—Recognized superiority of Sparta—a part of early Grecian sentiment—coincident with the growing tendency to increased communion.—Homeric mode of fighting—probably belonged to Asia, not to Greece.—Argos—her struggles to recover the headship of Greece.—Her conquest of Mykenæ, Tiryns, and Kleônæ.—Nemean games.—Achaia—twelve autonomous towns, perhaps more—little known. 441-466 HISTORY OF GREECE. PART I. CONTINUATION OF LEGENDARY GREECE. CHAPTER XVIII. CLOSING EVENTS OF LEGENDARY GREECE.—PERIOD OF INTERMEDIATE DARKNESS, BEFORE THE DAWN OF HISTORICAL GREECE. SECTION I.—RETURN OF THE HERAKLEIDS INTO PELOPONNESUS.