The ancient name commonly used for the Spartan state and its territory was Lacedaemon.
Lacedaemon was closely associated with Sparta and often appears in ancient Greek historical and literary sources. The term could refer to the Spartan polity, while Laconia more specifically described the region in the southeastern Peloponnese. Sparta was the principal city of this region and the center of Spartan political and military power.
The name is especially familiar from the formal title of the Spartan alliance, which ancient writers often described as the Lacedaemonians and their allies. This wording can cause confusion because modern translations sometimes use “Sparta” and “Lacedaemon” almost interchangeably.
Lacedaemon should not be confused with Messenia, the neighboring region conquered and controlled by Sparta for long periods, or Arcadia, the inland region north of Laconia. These geographical distinctions are important when reading accounts of Spartan wars and expansion.