The battle of Sardis took place in the period of the Spartan-Persian War, when the Spartan king Agesilaus made a surprise attack on Sardis – the residence of Persian satrap Tissaphernes, in the spring of 395 B. C. Probably the Spartan king hoped to take the city even before the arrival of satrap’s troops. Besides, the capture of one of the centers of the western satrapies of the Persian empire was a threat to the internal regions of Asia Minor. In the battle of Sardis Agesilaus defeated only cavalry of Tissaphernes. However Spartan victory still served more psychological factor. From the military viewpoint, the results of victory were not too significant. The numerous Persian infantry was not actually involved in it, and the Persian losses were not too large. Sardis was not captured by Agesilaus since the main forces of the Persians arrived in time to prevent a possible attack by the Spartans on the city. However, after the defeat of his cavalry Tissaphernes could hardly take military action against Agesilaus. Agesilaus also proved to be highly skilled military leader, and the Spartan army reaffirmed their fighting qualities on the field of battle with the Persians. As for the differences in the description of the battle in various ancient authors, they can be resolved only partially as a result of the historical reconstruction of the military campaign and the course of the fight, which looks very hypothetical.