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See also: Greek general, was See also: born at See also: Megalopolis, and educated by the See also: academic philosophers Ecdemus and Demophanes or Megalophanes, who had distinguished themselves as champions of freedom
.
Avoiding the fashionable and luxurious gymnasia, he devoted himself to military studies, hunting and border forays
.
In 233–2 See also: Philopoemen skilfully evacuated Megalopolis before the attack of Cleomenes III., and distinguished himself at Sellasia (222)
.
The next eleven years he spent as a See also: condottiere in Crete
.
Elected See also: commander of the See also: League's cavalry on his return, he reorganized that force and defeated the Aetolians on the Elean frontier (210)
.
Appointed to the chief command two years later, he introduced heavy See also: armour and close formation for the See also: infantry, and with a well-trained army beat Machanidas of See also: Sparta, near Mantinea
.
The new " liberator " was now so famous that See also: Philip V. of Macedon attempted to
See also: poison him
.
In 202–1 Philopoemen drove Nabis, the Spartan See also: tyrant, from See also: Messene and routed him off See also: Tegea
.
After another long sojourn in Crete he again received the command against Nabis
.
Though unsuccessful at See also: sea, he almost annihilated Nabis's See also: land force near See also: Gythium, but was prevented by the See also: Roman Flamininus from taking Sparta
.
In 190 Philopoemen protected Sparta, which meanwhile had joined the League and thereupon seceded, but punished a renewed defection so cruelly as to draw the censure of See also: Rome upon his country
.
At Messene he likewise checked a revolt (189), but when that city again rebelled, in 184, he was captured in a skirmish and promptly executed
.
His See also: body was recovered by the See also: Achaeans and buried with See also: great solemnity
.
Philopoemen's great merit lies in his having restored to his compatriots that military efficiency without which the Achaean League for all its skilful See also: diplomacy could never stand
.
Towards Rome he advocated a courteous but See also: independent attitude
.
In politics he was a democrat, and introduced reforms of a popular character (see ACHAEAN LEAGUE)
.
See also: Polybius' Histories (x.–xxiii.) are our chief authority
.
These and a See also: special See also: treatise on Philopoemen (now lost) were used by Plutarch (Philopoemen), See also: Pausanias (viii
.
49-51), See also: Livy (xxxi.–xxxviii.), and indirectly by See also: Justin (See also: xxx.–xxxiv.)
.
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