Lacōnia

, Lacōnĭca , and Lacedæmon , a country in the southern parts of Peloponnesus, having Argos and Arcadia on the north, Me enia on the west, the Mediterranean on the south, and the bay of Argos at the east. Its extent from north to south was about 50 miles. It is watered by the river Eurotas. The capital is called Sparta, or Lacedæmon. The inhabitants never went on an expedition or engaged an enemy but at the full moon. See: Lacedæmon . The brevity with which they always expre ed themselves is now become proverbial, and by the epithet of Laconic we understand whatever is concise and not loaded with unnece ary words. The word Laconicum is applied to some hot baths used among the ancients, and first invented at Lacedæmon. Cicero , bk. 4 , Letters to Atticus , ltr. 10 .— Strabo , bk. 1 .— Ptolemy , bk. 3 , ch. 16 .— Mela , bk. 2 , ch. 3 .