The Agiad dynasty was one of the two royal families of
Sparta
Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...
, a powerful
city-state
A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...
of
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...
. The Agiads were seniors to the other royal house, the
Eurypontids
For most of its history, the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta in the Peloponnese was ruled by kings. Sparta was unusual among the Greek city-states in that it maintained its kingship past the Archaic age. It was even more unusual in that it ha ...
, with whom they had an enduring rivalry. Their hypothetical founder was
Agis I
Agis I (Greek: ) was a king of Sparta and eponym of the Agiad dynasty. He was possibly the first historical king of Sparta, reigning at the end of the tenth century BC, during the emergence of the Dorians in Laconia. He is said by most ancient au ...
, possibly the first king of Sparta at the end of the 10th century, who gave his name to the dynasty. The last Agiad king was
Agesipolis III
Agesipolis III ( grc-gre, Ἀγησίπολις; died 183 BC) was the 32nd and last of the kings of the Agiad dynasty in ancient Sparta.
Agesipolis was the son of another Agesipolis and grandson of Cleombrotus II and Chilonis, daughter of Leoni ...
, deposed by the Eurypontid
Lycurgus
Lycurgus or Lykourgos () may refer to:
People
* Lycurgus (king of Sparta) (third century BC)
* Lycurgus (lawgiver) (eighth century BC), creator of constitution of Sparta
* Lycurgus of Athens (fourth century BC), one of the 'ten notable orators' ...
in 215 BC. Their most famous member was probably
Leonidas I
Leonidas I (; grc-gre, Λεωνίδας; died 19 September 480 BC) was a king of the Greek city-state of Sparta, and the 17th of the Agiad line, a dynasty which claimed descent from the mythological demigod Heracles. Leonidas I was son of King ...
, known for his heroic death at the
battle of Thermopylae
The Battle of Thermopylae ( ; grc, Μάχη τῶν Θερμοπυλῶν, label=Greek, ) was fought in 480 BC between the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Xerxes I and an alliance of Greek city-states led by Sparta under Leonidas I. Lasting o ...
in 480 BC.
History
In order to explain the peculiarity of the Spartan two kings, the Spartans elaborated a legend saying that
Aristodemos—the first king of Sparta—had twins,
Eurysthenes
Eurysthenes ( el, Εὐρυσθένης, "widely ruling") was king of Sparta and one of the Heracleidae in Greek mythology. He was a son of Aristodemus and Argia, daughter of Autesion. He had a twin brother, Procles. Together they received the l ...
and
Prokles. Since the Spartans did not know who was born first, they opted for a
diarchy
Diarchy (from Greek , ''di-'', "double", and , ''-arkhía'', "ruled"),Occasionally misspelled ''dyarchy'', as in the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' article on the colonial British institution duarchy, or duumvirate (from Latin ', "the office of ...
, a college of two kings with the same power;
Eurysthenes
Eurysthenes ( el, Εὐρυσθένης, "widely ruling") was king of Sparta and one of the Heracleidae in Greek mythology. He was a son of Aristodemus and Argia, daughter of Autesion. He had a twin brother, Procles. Together they received the l ...
being the first Agiad,
Prokles the first Eurypontid.
[Hard, ''Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology'', p. 291.]
Modern scholars consider instead
Agis I
Agis I (Greek: ) was a king of Sparta and eponym of the Agiad dynasty. He was possibly the first historical king of Sparta, reigning at the end of the tenth century BC, during the emergence of the Dorians in Laconia. He is said by most ancient au ...
and
Eurypon Eurypon, otherwise called Eurytion ( grc-gre, Εὐρυπῶν, Εὐρυτίων), son of Soos and grandson of Procles, was the third king of that house at Sparta, and thenceforward gave it the name of Eurypontidae.
Plutarch talks of his having r ...
to be the founders of each dynasty, as they give their name to their descendants, not the mythical twins. The two dynasties were however not related until the
Hellenistic era
In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in 3 ...
and the Eurypontids reached royal status much later than the Agiads. As a result, in order to balance the two royal lines, several names were inserted in the list of Eurypontid kings, such as
Soos Soos or SOOS may refer to:
People Surname
* Frank Soos, American short story writer
* Ricky Soos, English retired middle-distance runner
* Rozalia Șooș, Romanian former handballer
Places
* Soos, Iran, a village in Qazvin Province, Iran
* Sooß, ...
(meaning "stability"),
Prytanis
The ''prytaneis'' (πρυτάνεις; sing.: πρύτανις ''prytanis'') were the executives of the '' boule'' of ancient Athens.
Origins and organization
The term (like ''basileus'' or ''tyrannos'') is probably of Pre-Greek etymology (pos ...
and Eunomos (said to have ruled at the same time as
Lycurgus
Lycurgus or Lykourgos () may refer to:
People
* Lycurgus (king of Sparta) (third century BC)
* Lycurgus (lawgiver) (eighth century BC), creator of constitution of Sparta
* Lycurgus of Athens (fourth century BC), one of the 'ten notable orators' ...
). Thus, while the Agiads might have ruled from the end of the 10th century, the Eurypontids only received the kingship in the beginning of the 8th century at the earliest.
It is probable that the two dynasties came to rule jointly under the kings
Archelaos (Agiad) and
Charillos (Eurypontid) in the 8th century, as a result of the
synoecism
Synoecism or synecism ( ; grc, συνοικισμóς, ''sunoikismos'', ), also spelled synoikism ( ), was originally the amalgamation of villages in Ancient Greece into ''poleis'', or city-states. Etymologically the word means "dwelling toge ...
that created the polis of Sparta. The city was composed of five villages (
Pitana,
Mesoa,
Limnai,
Kynosoura,
Amyklai
Amyclae or Amyklai ( grc, Ἀμύκλαι) was a city of ancient Laconia, situated on the right or western bank of the Eurotas (river), Eurotas, 20 stadion (unit), stadia south of Sparta, in a district remarkable for the abundance of its trees and ...
), the latter of which merged with the other four after the initial synoecism. The Agiads had their burial ground located in Pitana, while the Eurypontids were in Limnai, which suggest that the dual monarchy was created when the four villages merged.
Archelaus and
Charilaus Charilaus ( grc-gre, Χαρίλαος), also spelled Charilaos, Charillos, or Charillus, was a king of Sparta in the middle of the 8th century BC. He was probably the first historical king of the Eurypontid dynasty.
Life and reign
Sparta was a d ...
are the first kings of Sparta that are considered together in ancient sources: following the
oracle
An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination.
Description
The word '' ...
of
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracle ...
, they destroyed and conquered
Aigys, in the northwest of Sparta. The connection of the Spartan kings with Herakles likely dates of the same period, which also witnessed the construction of the
Menelaion
The archaeological site of Menelaion (translit. Menelaeion) ( grc, Μενελάειον) is located approximately 5 km from the modern city of Sparta. The geographical structure of this site includes a hill complex (Northern hill, Menelaion, P ...
, a
heroon to
Menelaus
In Greek mythology, Menelaus (; grc-gre, Μενέλαος , 'wrath of the people', ) was a king of Mycenaean (pre- Dorian) Sparta. According to the ''Iliad'', Menelaus was a central figure in the Trojan War, leading the Spartan contingent of th ...
.
The genealogies given by the Greek writers
Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known f ...
and
Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to:
*Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium''
*Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC
*Pausanias of Sicily, physician of th ...
remain highly suspect before the 5th century, as it is not conceivably believable to have 16 direct successions (from father to son) from Eurystenes and Prokles. A lot of successions must have been collateral, especially when considering that of the 26 successions that took place after 491, only 14 were from father to son. Moreover, ancient chronologies produce an average length of 40 years per reign, which is far too long and a consequence of the descent from Herakles myth. Paul Cartledge suggest an average length of 30 years per generation, thus giving a regnal date of c. 930–900 for Agis I, founder of the Agiads. These dates relate well with the archaeological evidence.
Members
''Spartan kings are shown in bold, all dates BC.''
*
Eurysthenes
Eurysthenes ( el, Εὐρυσθένης, "widely ruling") was king of Sparta and one of the Heracleidae in Greek mythology. He was a son of Aristodemus and Argia, daughter of Autesion. He had a twin brother, Procles. Together they received the l ...
, elder twin son of
Aristodemus
In Greek mythology, Aristodemus (Ancient Greek: Ἀριστόδημος) was one of the Heracleidae, son of Aristomachus and brother of Cresphontes and Temenus. He was a great-great-grandson of Heracles and helped lead the fifth and final attack ...
. He was invented by the Spartans in order to push back the date of the Dorian conquest of Laconia, as well as to explain the origin of the Spartan diarchy.
* Lathria, wife of Eurystenes, daughter of
Thersander In Greek mythology, the name Thersander (; Ancient Greek: ''Thersandros'' means 'bold man' derived from 'boldness, braveness' and 'of a man') refers to several distinct characters:
*Thersander or Thersandrus, a Corinthian prince as the son of ...
, another Heraclid, and twin sister of Anaxandra, the wife of Prokles, the twin brother of her husband.
*
Agis I
Agis I (Greek: ) was a king of Sparta and eponym of the Agiad dynasty. He was possibly the first historical king of Sparta, reigning at the end of the tenth century BC, during the emergence of the Dorians in Laconia. He is said by most ancient au ...
, allegedly son of Eurysthenes and eponym of the Agiad dynasty. Some modern historians consider he could have been the first historical king of Sparta, with a reign dating from c.930–c.900.
[Forrest, ''History of Sparta'', p. 21.]
*
Echestratus
Echestratus ( grc-gre, Ἐχέστρατος) was a King of ancient Sparta from about 900 to 870 BC. He was a son of king Agis I, and third of the Agiad line of Spartan kings.
In his reign Sparta gained control of the district of Cynuria on the ...
, allegedly son of Agis I, with a reign perhaps dated from the beginning of the 9th century, c.900–c.870.
*
Lycurgus
Lycurgus or Lykourgos () may refer to:
People
* Lycurgus (king of Sparta) (third century BC)
* Lycurgus (lawgiver) (eighth century BC), creator of constitution of Sparta
* Lycurgus of Athens (fourth century BC), one of the 'ten notable orators' ...
, mythical reformer of Sparta. He is found as the son of Agis I, brother of Echestratus and regent for his nephew Labotas in Herodotus. Modern scholars thinks Herodotus reproduced an attempt from the Agiads to poach him from the Eurypontids.
*
Labotas
Labotas or Leobotes (Ancient Greek, Greek: Λαβώτας or Λεωβώτης) was the son of Echestratus and was the fourth king of Sparta from the Agiad, Agiad dynasty.
Labotas led a war against the Argives because the Kynouria occupied and sup ...
, allegedly son of Echestratus, with a reign hypothetically dated from c.870–c.840.
*
Doryssus
Doryssus or Dorissus or Doriagus ( el, Δόρυσσος) was a king of ancient Sparta, who reigned for 29 years. Pausanias identified him as the son of Labotas or Leobotes and the father of Agesilaus I. He was killed in battle between the Spartans ...
, allegedly son of Labotas, with a reign hypothetically dated from c.840–c.815.
*
Agesilaus I
Agesilaus I (; grc-gre, Ἀγησίλαος), son of Doryssus, was the 6th king of the Agiad line at Sparta, excluding Aristodemus. According to Apollodorus of Athens, he reigned forty-four years, and died in 886 BC. Pausanias makes his reign ...
, allegedly son of Doryssus, with a reign hypothetically dated from c.815–c.785.
[Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', p. 22.]
*
Archelaus, allegedly son of Agesilaus I, with a reign hypothetically dated from c.785–c.760.
He was perhaps the first Agiad king to reign alongside an Eurypontid (
Charilaus Charilaus ( grc-gre, Χαρίλαος), also spelled Charilaos, Charillos, or Charillus, was a king of Sparta in the middle of the 8th century BC. He was probably the first historical king of the Eurypontid dynasty.
Life and reign
Sparta was a d ...
).
*
Teleclus
Teleclus or Teleklos (Greek: Τήλεκλος) was the 8th Agiad dynasty king of Sparta during the eighth century BC. He was the son of King Archelaus and grandson of King Agesilaus I.
Pausanias reports that Teleclus' reign saw the conquest of Am ...
, allegedly son of Archelaus, king perhaps dated from c. 760–c.740. He was reputedly murdered by
Messenians
Messenia or Messinia ( el, Μεσσηνία) was an ancient district of the southwestern Peloponnese, more or less overlapping the modern Messenia region of Greece. To the north it had a border with Elis along the Neda river. From there the borde ...
.
*
Alcmenes
Alcmenes ( grc-gre, Ἀλκμένης) or Alcamenes, Alkamenos, was the 9th king of Sparta of the Agiad dynasty, from c. 740 to c. 700 BC.
According to Pausanias, he was a commander in the night-expedition against Ampheia, which began the First M ...
, allegedly son of Agesilaus I, with a reign possibly dated from c.740–c.700.
*
Polydorus
In Greek mythology, Polydorus (; grc, Πολύδωρος, i.e. "many-gift d) or Polydoros referred to several different people.
*Polydorus, son of Phineus and Cleopatra, and brother of Polydector (Polydectus). These two sons by his first wife were ...
, allegedly son of Alcmenes, king in the first half of the 7th century. He was described as a revolutionary king, pushing for a land-reform, but was murdered by an opponent named Polemarchus.
*
Eurycrates
Eurycrates ( grc-gre, Εὐρυκράτης ''Eurykrates'') was the 11th Agiad dynasty king of the Greek city-state of Sparta, who was preceded by his father Polydorus followed by his son Anaxander
Anaxander or Anaxandros ( grc-gre, Ἀνάξα ...
, allegedly son of Polydorus, with a reign possibly dated from c.665–c.640.
*
Anaxander
Anaxander or Anaxandros ( grc-gre, Ἀνάξανδρος) was the 12th Agiad dynasty King of Sparta (ruled c. 640–615 BC).
He was the son of King Eurycrates and father of King Eurycratides.
His grandson was King Leon of Sparta
Leon ( g ...
, allegedly son of Eurycrates, with a reign possibly dated from c.640–c.615.
* Leandris, wife of Anaxander and mother of Eurycratidas.
*
Eurycratides
Eurycratides ( grc-gre, Εὐρυκρατίδης, "wide ruler") was the thirteenth king of Sparta from the Agiad dynasty. He succeeded his father Anaxander around 615 BC and reigned during a devastating period of war with Tegea.
In 590 BC, Eury ...
, son of Eurycratides, king from c.615 to c.590.
*
Leon
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...
, son of Eurycratides, king from c.590 to c.560.
*
Anaxandridas II
Anaxandridas II ( grc-gre, Ἀναξανδρίδας) was an Agiad king of Sparta between c. 560 BC and c. 524 BC, father of Leonidas I and grandfather of Pleistarchus. Under the leadership of the ephor Chilon, in office during the middle of th ...
, son of Leon, king from c.560 to 524. He was married to his niece, but as he remained sonless, he married a second time. From his second wife, he had Cleomenes I; then he returned to his first wife and had three sons in quick succession: Dorieus, Leonidas I and Cleombrotus, the latter two perhaps as twins.
*
Cleomenes I
Cleomenes I (; Greek Κλεομένης; died c. 490 BC) was Agiad King of Sparta from c. 524 to c. 490 BC. One of the most important Spartan kings, Cleomenes was instrumental in organising the Greek resistance against the Persian Empire of Dariu ...
, first son of Anaxandridas II, king from 524 to 490. He engineered the deposition of the Eurypontid
Damaratus in 491, for which he was sent into exile. He was recalled soon after, but was possibly murdered by his half-brother Leonidas I.
*
Dorieus
Dorieus (died c.510 BC; grc-gre, Δωριεύς) was a Spartan prince of the Agiad dynasty who is mentioned several times in Herodotus. The second son of Anaxandridas II, he was the younger half-brother of Cleomenes I and the elder full brother of ...
, second son of Anaxandridas II. He challenged the claim of his half-brother Cleomenes I when their father died. Refusing to be ruled by him, he moved to colonial ventures in
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
and
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
, where he died c.510.
*
Leonidas I
Leonidas I (; grc-gre, Λεωνίδας; died 19 September 480 BC) was a king of the Greek city-state of Sparta, and the 17th of the Agiad line, a dynasty which claimed descent from the mythological demigod Heracles. Leonidas I was son of King ...
, third son of Anaxandridas II, king from 490 to 480. He famously died in the
battle of Thermopylae
The Battle of Thermopylae ( ; grc, Μάχη τῶν Θερμοπυλῶν, label=Greek, ) was fought in 480 BC between the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Xerxes I and an alliance of Greek city-states led by Sparta under Leonidas I. Lasting o ...
.
*
Cleombrotus, fourth son of Anaxandridas II, died in 479. He was regent for Pleistarchus in 480, and died just before the
battle of Plataea
The Battle of Plataea was the final land battle during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place in 479 BC near the city of Plataea in Boeotia, and was fought between an alliance of the Greek city-states (including Sparta, Athens, C ...
in 479.
*
Gorgo, daughter of Cleomenes I, she married her uncle Leonidas I. Mother of Pleistarchus.
* Alkathoa, wife of Cleombrotus, mother of Pausanias and Nicomedes.
* Euryanax, son of Dorieus, perhaps illegitimate. He fought at the battle of Plataea.
*
Pleistarchus
Pleistarchus ( grc-gre, Πλείσταρχος ; died c. 458 BC) was the List of kings of Sparta, Agiad King of Sparta from 480 to 458 BC.
Biography
Pleistarchus was born as a prince, likely the only son of King Leonidas I and Gorgo, Queen of ...
, son of Leonidas and Gordo, king between 480 and 459.
*
Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to:
*Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium''
*Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC
*Pausanias of Sicily, physician of th ...
"the Regent", first son of Cleombrotus and Alkathoa, regent of his nephew Pleistarchus in 479. Although he won the battle of Plataea, he was suspected of
Medism
In ancient Greece, medism ( el, μηδισμός, ''medismos'') was the imitation of, sympathizing with, collaboration with, or siding with Persians.
The ethnonym "Mede" was often used by the Greeks of the Persians although, strictly speaking, the ...
and executed by the
ephors
The ephors were a board of five magistrates in ancient Sparta. They had an extensive range of judicial, religious, legislative, and military powers, and could shape Sparta's home and foreign affairs.
The word "''ephors''" (Ancient Greek
...
.
*
Nicomedes Nicomedes may refer to:
*Nicomedes (mathematician), ancient Greek mathematician who discovered the conchoid
*Nicomedes of Sparta, regent during the youth of King Pleistoanax, commanded the Spartan army at the Battle of Tanagra (457 BC)
*Saint Nicom ...
, second son of Cleombrotus and Alkathoa, regent of his nephew Pleistoanax in 458. He won the
battle of Tanagra in 457.
*
Pleistoanax
Pleistoanax, also spelled Plistoanax, ( grc-gre, Πλειστοάναξ) was Agiad king of Sparta from 458 to 409 BC. He was the leader of the peace party in Sparta at a time of violent confrontations against Athens for the hegemony over Greece.
...
, first son of Pausanias the regent, king between 459 and 409. He was exiled for 18 years for having allegedly taken a bribe from the Athenian
Pericles
Pericles (; grc-gre, Περικλῆς; c. 495 – 429 BC) was a Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Pelopo ...
, between 445 to 427. His son Pausanias reigned meanwhile. He returned to Sparta in 427 and reigned until his death in 409.
[White, "Some Agiad Dates", p. 141]
* Cleomenes, second son of Pausanias the regent, regent himself of his nephew Pausanias when his brother Pleistoanax was in exile.
[Poralla & Bradford, ''Prosopographie'', p. 77.]
* Aristocles, third son of Pausanias the Regent. He helped his brother Pleistoanax to bribe the
Pythia
Pythia (; grc, Πυθία ) was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo at Delphi. She specifically served as its oracle and was known as the Oracle of Delphi. Her title was also historically glossed i ...
in order to secure his return from exile. He later fought in the
battle of Mantinea in 418.
*
Pausanias, son of Pleistoanax, king for a first time during the exile of his father between 445 to 427. His reign resumed on the death of his father in 409, until 395 when he had to go into exile.
He also wrote historical treaties during his exile.
*
Agesipolis I
Agesipolis I ( grc-gre, Ἀγησίπολις; died 380 BC) was the twenty-first of the kings of the Agiad dynasty in ancient Sparta.
Agesipolis succeeded his father Pausanias, while still a minor, in 394 BC, and reigned fourteen years. Upon the ...
, first son of Pausanias, king from 395 to 380. As he was still a minor in 395, Aristodemus became his regent. He died in
Chalkidice
Chalkidiki (; el, Χαλκιδική , also spelled Halkidiki, is a peninsula and regional unit of Greece, part of the region of Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia in Northern Greece. The autonomous Mount Athos region c ...
in the summer of 380.
*
Cleombrotus I
Cleombrotus I ( el, Κλεόμβροτος ; died 6 July 371 BC) was a Spartan king of the Agiad line, reigning from 380 BC until 371 BC. Little is known of Cleombrotus' early life. Son of Pausanias, he became king of Sparta after the death of hi ...
, second son of Pausanias, king from 380 to 371. He died at the
battle of Leuctra
The Battle of Leuctra ( grc-gre, Λεῦκτρα, ) was a battle fought on 6 July 371 BC between the Boeotians led by the Thebans, and the Spartans along with their allies amidst the post-Corinthian War conflict. The battle took place in the vicin ...
.
* Aristodemus, regent for Agesipolis I in 395, he won the
battle of Nemea
The Battle of Nemea (394 BC), also known in ancient Athens as the Battle of Corinth, was a battle in the Corinthian War, between Sparta and the coalition of Argos, Athens, Corinth, and Thebes. The battle was fought in Corinthian territory, at ...
in 394.
*
Agesipolis II
Agesipolis II ( grc-gre, Ἀγησίπολις Bʹ; died 369 BC), son of the king Cleombrotus I, succeeded his father and reigned as Agiad King of Sparta. His rule was exceedingly brief, from, at most, 371 until his death in 369 BC. Diodorus Sicu ...
, first son of Cleombrotus I, king from 371 to 370.
*
Cleomenes II
Cleomenes II ( grc-gre, Κλεομένης; died 309 BC) was king of Sparta from 370 to 309 BC. He was the second son of Cleombrotus I, and grandfather of Areus I, who succeeded him. Although he reigned for more than 60 years, his life ...
, second son of Cleombrotus I, king from 370 to 309.
*
Acrotatus, first son of Cleomenes II, died before his father. He notably fought the tyrant
Agathocles Agathocles (Greek: ) is a Greek name, the most famous of which is Agathocles of Syracuse, the tyrant of Syracuse. The name is derived from , ''agathos'', i.e. "good" and , ''kleos'', i.e. "glory".
Other personalities named Agathocles:
*Agathocles, ...
in Sicily c.314.
[Bradford, ''Prosopography'', p. 22.]
*
Cleonymus, second son of Cleomenes II, he might have contested the claim of his nephew Areus I in 309, but became his regent instead. He had a long career as general for Sparta and as mercenary, in Italy,
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
,
Corcyra
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
,
Messenia
Messenia or Messinia ( ; el, Μεσσηνία ) is a regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a ...
, etc. After his wife Chilonis left him for Acrotatus (Areus' son) c.275, he went into exile in
Epirus
sq, Epiri rup, Epiru
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = Historical region
, image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinrich ...
and fought against Sparta during
Pyrrhus'
invasion of the Peloponnese in 272.
*
Areus I
Areus I ( grc-gre, Ἀρεύς; c. 320 or 312 – 265 BC) was Agiad King of Sparta from 309 to 265 BC. His reign is noted for his attempts to transform Sparta into an Hellenistic period, Hellenistic kingdom and to recover its former pre-eminence i ...
, son of Acrotatus, king from 309 to c.265. He notably transformed Sparta into a Hellenistic kingdom, but died before the walls of
Corinth
Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part o ...
during the
Chremonidean War
The Chremonidean War (267–261 BC) was fought by a coalition of some Greek city-states and Ptolemaic Egypt against Antigonid Macedonian domination. It ended in a Macedonian victory which confirmed Antigonid control over the city-states of Gre ...
.
*
Acrotatus, son of Areus, king from c.265 to c.262. His affair with Chilonis triggered the defection of Cleonymus to Epirus. He died before
Megalopolis
A megalopolis () or a supercity, also called a megaregion, is a group of metropolitan areas which are perceived as a continuous urban area through common systems of transport, economy, resources, ecology, and so on. They are integrated enoug ...
at the end of the Chremonidean War c.262.
*
Chilonis, a woman of the Eurypontid dynasty, first betrothed to Cleonymus, she left him to marry the future king Acrotatus.
*
Areus II
Areus II ( grc, Ἀρεύς Β΄) was Agiad King of Sparta from 262 to 254 BC. He never reigned as he was still a child when he died. He was succeeded by his cousin Leonidas II, who had served as regent.
Life
Areus was the son of Acrotatus ( ...
, son of Acrotatus and Chilonis, king from c.262 to 254. He was born after his father's death and died at 8 years old; his cousin Leonidas was his regent throughout his reign.
*
Leonidas II
Leonidas II (; grc, Λεωνίδας Β΄, ''Leōnídas B, "Lion's son, Lion-like") was the 28th Agiad King of Sparta from 254 to 242 BC and from 241 to 235 BC.
Biography
Leonidas was the son of Cleonymus and grandson of king Cleomenes II (), ...
, son of Cleonymus, king from 254 to c.236, regent of Areus II before his accession. In his youth, he served in the court of
Seleucus I
Seleucus I Nicator (; ; grc-gre, Σέλευκος Νικάτωρ , ) was a Macedonian Greek general who was an officer and successor ( ''diadochus'') of Alexander the Great. Seleucus was the founder of the eponymous Seleucid Empire. In the pow ...
. He was forced into exile by the Eurypontid king
Agis IV between 243 and 241.
*
Cratesiclea
Cratesiclea (died 219 BC), was a Spartan queen, married to king Leonidas II of Sparta.Plutarco, Vite Parallele: Agide, Cleomene.
During the reign of her spouse, her foreign origin was used by the opposition of her husband, as Spartan law declared ...
, wife of Leonidas II. She married Megistonos after the death of Leonidas. She went into exile in Egypt with her son Cleomenes III and was killed there in 219.
*
Cleombrotus II, put on the throne by the Eurypontid Agis IV to replace Leonidas II forced into exile in 243–241, but in turn went into exile when Leonidas was restored. He was the son-in-law of Leonidas II, but his relationship with the other Agiads is uncertain.
* Chilonis, daughter of Leonidas II, wife of Cleombrotus II. She followed her father into exile in 243, then her husband when he was in turn exiled in 241
*
Cleomenes III
Cleomenes III ( grc, Κλεομένης) was one of the two kings of Sparta from 235 to 222 BC. He was a member of the Agiad dynasty and succeeded his father, Leonidas II. He is known for his attempts to reform the Spartan state.
From 229 to 22 ...
, elder son of Leonidas II and Cratesiclea, king from c.236 to 222. He continued the social reforms of Agis IV, but was defeated by
Macedonia at the
battle of Selasia in 222, after which he went into exile in Egypt. He unsuccessfully tried a coup against
Ptolemy IV
egy, Iwaennetjerwymenkhwy Setepptah Userkare Sekhemankhamun Clayton (2006) p. 208.
, predecessor = Ptolemy III
, successor = Ptolemy V
, horus = ''ḥnw-ḳni sḫꜤi.n-sw-it.f'Khunuqeni sekhaensuitef'' The strong youth whose f ...
in 219, then committed suicide.
* Agiatis, wife of Cleomenes III, she had previously been married to Agis IV. She had one son from Agis (
Eudamidas III
Eudamidas III ( grc-gre, Εὐδαμίδας; reigned from 241 to 228 BC), son of Agis IV and Agiatis, daughter of Gylippus, was king of Sparta and a member of the Eurypontid dynasty. When his father was murdered he had just been born. Due to his ...
) and at least two sons from Cleomenes, who are unknown.
[Bradford, ''Prosopography'', p. 15.]
*
Eucleidas
Eucleidas ( grc-gre, Εὐκλείδας) reigned Sparta from 227 BC to 222 BC. He was an Agiad, son of Leonidas II, in the place of the Eurypontid king.
His brother, Cleomenes III, deposed his Eurypontid colleague Archidamus V, and installed his ...
, second son of Leonidas II and Cratesiclea, he was appointed as co-king by his elder brother Cleomenes III in the place of the Eurypontid
Archidamus V
Archidamus V ( grc, Ἀρχίδαμος Ε΄) was the 27th of the Kings of Sparta of the Eurypontid line, reigning during 228 and 227 BC.
He was the son of Eudamidas II and Agesistrata and through him the grandson of Archidamus IV, after whom ...
. He reigned between 227 and 222, when he died in the battle of Sellasia.
[Powell (ed.), ''Companion to Sparta'', p. 375.]
* Agesipolis, son of Cleombrotus II and Chilonis.
* Cleomenes, son of Cleombrotus II and Chilonis. He was regent for his nephew Agesipolis III in 219.
*
Agesipolis III
Agesipolis III ( grc-gre, Ἀγησίπολις; died 183 BC) was the 32nd and last of the kings of the Agiad dynasty in ancient Sparta.
Agesipolis was the son of another Agesipolis and grandson of Cleombrotus II and Chilonis, daughter of Leoni ...
, son of Agesipolis, grandson of Cleombrotus II, king in 219 at the death of Cleomenes III, but dethroned by the Eurypontid
Lycurgus
Lycurgus or Lykourgos () may refer to:
People
* Lycurgus (king of Sparta) (third century BC)
* Lycurgus (lawgiver) (eighth century BC), creator of constitution of Sparta
* Lycurgus of Athens (fourth century BC), one of the 'ten notable orators' ...
in 215.
He was sent as envoy to Rome c.184, but killed by pirates on the way.
[Bradford, ''Prosopography'', pp. 12, 13.]
Family tree
Agiad
References
Bibliography
*
David Asheri
David Asheri (1 November 1925, Florence - 3 February 2000, Jerusalem), born David Bonaventura, was an Italian-Israeli historian. Asheri is regarded as "one of the most distinguished scholars of ancient Greece". He is perhaps best known for his ...
, Alan Lloyd, Aldo Corcella, ''A Commentary on Herodotus, Books 1–4'', Oxford University Press, 2007.
*
John Boardman,
I. E. S. Edwards
Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen Edwards, (21 July 1909 – 24 September 1996) — known as I. E. S. Edwards— was an English Egyptologist and curator, considered to be a leading expert on the pyramids.
Biography
Born in London, he was the son of Edwar ...
,
N. G. L. Hammond, L. Sollberger, ''
The Cambridge Ancient History
''The Cambridge Ancient History'' is a multi-volume work of ancient history from Prehistory to Late Antiquity, published by Cambridge University Press. The first series, consisting of 12 volumes, was planned in 1919 by Irish historian J. B. Bury ...
, vol. III, part 1, The Prehistory of the Balkans; and the Middle East and the Aegean world, tenth to eighth centuries B.C.'', Cambridge University Press, 1982.
* W. den Boer, "Political Propaganda in Greek Chronology", ''Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte'', Bd. 5, H. 2 (Jun., 1956), pp. 162–177.
* Alfred S. Bradford, ''A Prosopography of Lacedaemonians from the Death of Alexander the Great, 323 B. C., to the Sack of Sparta by Alaric, A. D. 396'', Munich, Beck, 1977.
* John Briscoe, ''A Commentary on Livy: Books 34 - 37'', Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1981.
*
Paul Cartledge
Paul Anthony Cartledge (born 24 March 1947)"CARTLEDGE, Prof. Paul Anthony", ''Who's Who 2010'', A & C Black, 2010online edition/ref> is a British ancient historian and academic. From 2008 to 2014 he was the A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek C ...
, ''Agesilaos and the Crisis of Sparta'', Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987.
* ——, ''Sparta and Lakonia, A Regional History 1300–362 BC'', London, Routledge, 2002 (originally published in 1979).
* —— & Antony Spawforth, ''Hellenistic and Roman Sparta, A tale of two cities'', London and New York, Routledge, 2002 (originally published in 1989).
* W. G. Forrest, ''A History of Sparta'', New York, Norton, 1986.
* Robin Hard, ''The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology: Based on H.J. Rose's "Handbook of Greek Mythology"'', London/New York, Routledge, 2004.
* G. L. Huxley,
Problems in the "Chronography" of Eusebius, ''Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature'', 1982, Vol. 82C, pp. 183–196.
* E. I. McQueen,
The Eurypontid House in Hellenistic Sparta, ''Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte'', Bd. 39, H. 2 (1990), pp. 163–181.
* Victor Parker, "Some Dates In Early Spartan History", ''Klio'', 75, 1993, pp. 45–60.
* Paul Poralla & Alfred S. Bradford, ''Prosopographie der Lakedaimonier, bis auf die Zeit Alexanders des Grossen'', Chicago, 1985 (originally published in 1913).
* Anton Powell (editor), ''A Companion to Sparta'', Hoboken, Wiley, 2018. {{ISBN, 978-1-4051-8869-2
* M. L. West,
Alcmanica, ''The Classical Quarterly'', Vol. 15, No. 2 (Nov., 1965), pp. 188–202.
* Mary E. White,
Some Agiad Dates: Pausanias and His Sons, The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 84 (1964), pp. 140–152.