Sphodrias () (d. 371 BC) was a

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

n general during the

Spartan Hegemony Spartan hegemony refers to the period of dominance by Sparta in Greek affairs from 404 to 371 BC. Even before this period the polis of Sparta was the greatest Spartan army, military land power of classical Ancient Greece, Greek antiquity and govern ...

over

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. As governor of Thespiai in 378 BC, he made an unsuccessful attack against

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

without any order from Sparta. He was put on trial for this act, but unexpectedly acquitted, thanks to the support of the two Spartan kings, Cleombrotus I and Agesilaus II. This acquittal greatly upset Athens which rapidly concluded an alliance with Thebes against Sparta as a result. Sphodrias later died at the

battle of Leuctra The Battle of Leuctra (, ) was fought on 6 July 371 BC between the Boeotians led by the Thebes (Greece), Thebans, and the History of Sparta, Spartans along with their allies amidst the post–Corinthian War conflict. The battle took place in the ...

against Thebes in 371 BC.

Life

Sphodrias was a Spartan officer from the circle of the Agiad king Cleombrotus I (r. 380–371), who likely used his influence to appoint him harmost (military governor) of Thespiai in

Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia (; modern Greek, modern: ; ancient Greek, ancient: ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Central Greece (adm ...

, in central Greece.Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', p. 136. In a night of March 378, Sphodrias attempted to take control of

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...

—the harbour of

—during a surprise night attack, while a Spartan delegation was precisely in Athens to conduct negotiations.Ste. Croix, ''Origins of the Peloponnesian War'', p. 134. Sparta at the time tried to prevent an alliance between Athens and its enemy Thebes, which was revengeful after Sparta had dismantled the Boeotian League at the end of the Corinthian War in 387 (hence the presence of a Spartan garrison in Thespiai, a former member of this league). Sphodrias' attack failed, but still scandalised the Athenians, who immediately arrested the three Spartan ambassadors. However, the Athenians soon released them after they were assured by Sparta that Sphodrias would be sued and executed for his uncalled action. Moreover, one of them was Etymokles, member of the

Gerousia The Gerousia (γερουσία) was the council of elders in ancient Sparta. Sometimes called Spartan senate in the literature, it was made up of the two Spartan kings, plus 28 Spartiates over the age of sixty, known as gerontes. The Gerousia ...

and friend of the other Spartan king Agesilaus II (r. 400–360), who yielded unprecedented influence over Spartan politics at the time. Agesilaus was also behind the embassy to win Athens against Thebes, which goal was put into jeopardy by Sphodrias' recklessness. Therefore, the Athenians confidently expected Agesilaus to use his influence to condemn Sphodrias, who had significantly harmed his interests. Sphodrias was thus recalled to Sparta 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 ''éph ...

to be tried before the Gerousia, the Spartan senate, which also served as supreme court. Fearing the influence of Agesilaus in the Gerousia, he fled and was judged ''in absentia'', therefore implicitly admitting his guilt. However, against all odds, Sphodrias was acquitted. It is the only recorded time in ancient Greek and Roman history that someone judged ''in absentia'' for a capital charge was still acquitted. Sphodrias could logically count on the votes of Cleombrotus and his friends, but the decisive support came from Agesilaus, who had already been king for more than 20 years and was probably the most senior member of the Gerousia (as the gerontes had to be older than 60 to be elected), and by far the most influential. The two kings being in agreement, they and their supporters could outweigh any third group in the Gerousia.Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', p. 137. Two ancient sources discuss Agesilaus' motivations.

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

tells that Sphodrias' son Kleonymos was the beloved of Agesilaus' son Archidamus (later king between 360–338), who convinced his father to spare Sphodrias, but this was probably a slur against Agesilaus and not the main reason.Ste. Croix, ''Origins of the Peloponnesian War'', p. 135. A contemporary and friend of Agesilaus,

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; ; 355/354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian. At the age of 30, he was elected as one of the leaders of the retreating Ancient Greek mercenaries, Greek mercenaries, the Ten Thousand, who had been ...

has the same story but further writes that the king thought that it was not in Sparta's best interest to condemn a good soldier.Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', pp. 136, 137. G. E. M. de Ste. Croix writes that the '' oliganthropia''—the dwindling number of Spartan citizens—already took alarming proportions, and Agesilaus refused to contribute to the problem. Paul Cartledge suggests that Agesilaus intervened in favour of Sphodrias to make the other king Cleombrotus "under a deep personal obligation to himself". Thus, Agesilaus favoured reinforcing his own position within Sparta over a diplomatic conciliation with Athens, which joined Thebes against Sparta as a result of the spectacularly unjust verdict. It was also a direct cause of the creation of the Second Athenian League in 378. The case of Sphodrias presents several similarities with that of Phoebidas, another Spartan officer that acted on his own initiative to take the acropolis of Thebes, and was likewise acquitted during his trial by Agesilaus. Sphodrias, as well as his son Kleonymos and king Cleombrotus, died at the

against Thebes in 371.Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', pp. 137, 138.

References

Bibliography

Ancient sources

, ''

Parallel Lives * Culture of ancient Greece Culture of ancient Rome Ancient Greek biographical works Ethics literature History books about ancient Rome Cultural depictions of Gaius Marius Cultural depictions of Mark Antony Cultural depictions of Cicero ...

'' (Agesilaus). *

'', Hellenica.''

Modern sources

* Paul Cartledge, ''Agesilaos and the Crisis of Sparta'', Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987. * G. E. M. de Ste. Croix, ''The Origins of the Peloponnesian War'', London, Duckworth, 1972. {{Authority control 371 BC deaths Ancient Spartan generals 4th-century BC Spartans Ancient Greek garrison commanders Spartan hegemony Year of birth unknown