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 had two kings simultaneously, who were called the archagetai, coming from two separate lines. According to tradition, the two lines, the Agiads (, ) and Eurypontids (, ), were respectively descended from the twins Eurysthenes and Procles, the descendants of Heracles, who supposedly conquered Sparta two generations after the Trojan War. The dynasties themselves, however, were named after the twins' grandsons, the kings Agis I and Eurypon, respectively. The Agiad line was regarded as being senior to the Eurypontid line.Cartledge, Paul, The Spartans, Vintage Books, 2003.

Although there are lists of earlier purported kings of Sparta, there is little evidence for the existence of any before the mid-sixth century BC.

Spartan kings received a recurring posthumous hero cult like that of the similarly Doric kings of Cyrene.Pindar and the cult of heroes. By Bruno Currie Page 245 . The kings' firstborn sons, as heirs-apparent, were the only Spartan boys expressly exempt from the Agoge; however, they were allowed to take part if they so wished, and this endowed them with increased prestige when they ascended the throne.

Legendary kings of Sparta Ancient Greeks named males after their fathers, producing a patronymic with the suffix -id-; for example, the sons of Atreus were the Atreids. For royal houses, the patronymic was formed from the name of the founder or of an early significant figure of a dynasty. A ruling family might thus have a number of dynastic names; for example, Agis I named the Agiads, but he was a Heraclid and so were his descendants.

If the descent was not known or was scantily known, the Greeks made a few standard assumptions based on their cultural ideology. Agiad people were treated as a tribe, presumed to have descended from an ancestor bearing its name. He must have been a king, who founded a dynasty of his name. That mythologizing extended even to place names. They were presumed to have been named after kings and divinities. Kings often became divinities, in their religion.

Lelegids The Lelegid were the descendants of Lelex (a back-formation), ancestor of the Leleges, an ancient tribe inhabiting the Eurotas valley before the Greeks, who, according to the mythological descent, amalgamated with the Greeks Year Lelegid Other notable information 1600 BC Lelex son of Poseidon or Helios, or he was said to be autochthonous 1575 BC Myles son of Lelex 1550 BC Eurotas son of Myles, father of Sparta

Lacedaemonids The Lacedaemonids contain Greeks from the age of legend, now treated as being the Bronze Age in Greece. In the language of mythologic descent, the kingship passed from the Leleges to the Greeks. Year Lacedaemonid Other notable information Lacedaemon son of Zeus, husband of Sparta Amyklas son of Lacedaemon. He founded Amyklai Argalus son of Amyklas Kynortas son of Amyklas Perieres son of Kynortas Oibalos son of Kynortas Tyndareos (First reign); son of Oibalos and father of Helen Hippocoon son of Oibalos and brother of Tyndareos Tyndareos (Second reign) Years with no dates (only " ") are unknown

Atreids The Atreidai (Latin Atreidae) belong to the Late Bronze Age, or the Mycenaean Period. In mythology, they were the Perseids. As the name of Atreus is attested in Hittite documents, this dynasty may well be protohistoric. Year Atreid Other notable information 1250 BC Menelaus son of Atreus and husband of Helen Orestes son of Agamemnon and nephew of Menelaus Tisamenosson of Orestes Dion husband of Amphithea, the daughter of Pronax Years with no dates (only "") are unknown

Heraclids The Spartan kings, as Heracleidae, claimed descent from Heracles, who through his mother was descended from Perseus. Disallowed the Peloponnesus, Heracles embarked on a life of wandering. The Heracleidae became ascendant in the Eurotas valley with the Dorians who, at least in legend, entered it during an invasion called the Return of the Heracleidae; driving out the Atreids and at least some of the Mycenaean population.

Year Heraclid Other notable information Aristodemos son of Aristomachus and husband of Argeia Theras (regent) son of Autesion and brother of Aristodemus's wife Argeia; served as regent for his nephews, Eurysthenes and Procles. Years with no dates (only "") are unknown

Agiad dynasty The dynasty was named after its second king, Agis.

Year Agiad Other notable information 930 BC Eurysthenes Return of the Heracleidae 930 – 900 BC Agis I Subjugated the Helots 900 – 870 BC Echestratus Expelled the Cynurensians that were in power. 870 – 840 BC Labotas 840 – 820 BC Doryssus 820 – 790 BC Agesilaus I 790 – 760 BC Archelaus 760 – 740 BC Teleclus Killed by the Messenians 740 – 700 BC Alcamenes First Messenian War begins 700 – 665 BC Polydorus First Messenian War ends; killed by the Spartan nobleman PolemarchusA Classical Dictionary By John Lemprière. Pg 618. 665 – 640 BC Eurycrates 640 – 615 BC Anaxander 615 – 590 BC Eurycratides 590 – 560 BC Leon 560 – 520 BC Anaxandridas II Battle of the Fetters 520 – 490 BC Cleomenes I Greco-Persian Wars begins 490 – 480 BC Leonidas I Battle of Thermopylae 480 – 459 BC Pleistarchus First Peloponnesian War begins 459 – 445 BC, 426 – 409 BC Pleistoanax Second Peloponnesian War begins 445 – 426 BC, 409 – 395 BC Pausanias Helped restore democracy in Athens; Spartan hegemony 395 – 380 BC Agesipolis I Corinthian War begins 380 – 371 BC Cleombrotus I 371 – 369 BC Agesipolis II 369 – 309 BC Cleomenes II Third Sacred War begins 309 – 265 BC Areus I Killed in battle against Aristodemus, the tyrant of Megalopolis 265 – 262 BC Acrotatus II 262 – 254 BC Areus IIA Prosopography of Lacedaemonians, Part 396. By Alfred S. Bradford. Page 44. 254 – 242 BC Leonidas II Briefly deposed while in exile avoiding trial 242 – 241 BCCleombrotus II 241 – 235 BC Leonidas II 235 – 222 BC Cleomenes III Exiled after the Battle of SellasiaFollowing the Battle of Sellasia, the dual monarchy remained vacant until Cleomenes III's death in 219. 219 – 215 BC Agesipolis III last Agiad, deposed by the Eurypontid Lycurgus

Eurypontid dynasty The dynasty is named after its third king Eurypon. Not shown is Lycurgus, the lawgiver, a younger son of the Eurypontids, who served a brief regency either for the infant Charilaus (780–750 BC) or for Labotas (870–840 BC) the Agiad.

Year Eurypontid Other notable information 930 BC Procles Return of the Heracleidae 890 BC Soos Son of Procles and father of Eurypon. Likely fictitious.Cartledge, Sparta and Lakonia, p. 90. 890 – 860 BC Eurypon Likely fictitious. 860 – 830 BC Prytanis Likely fictitious. 830 – 800 BC Polydectes 800 – 780 BC Eunomus Likely fictitious. 780 – 750 BC Charilaus Ward and nephew of the Spartan reformer Lycurgus; War with the Argives; destroyed the border-town of Aegys; Battle of Tegea. Perhaps the first historical Eurypontid king.Cartledge, Sparta and Lakonia, p. 92. 750 – 725 BC Nicander 725 – 675 BC Theopompus First Messenian War

Currently known two lists of kings:

According to Herodotus, VIII: 131 Year Eurypontid Other notable information 675 – 660 BC Anaxandridas I 660 – 645 BC Archidamus I 645 – 625 BC Anaxilas 625 – 600 BC Leotychidas I 600 – 575 BC Hippocratidas

According to Pausanias, III, 7: 5-6 Year Eurypontid Other notable information 645 – 625 BC Zeuxidamus 625 – 600 BC Anaxidamus 600 – 575 BC Archidamus I

Year Eurypontid Other notable information 575 – 550 BC Agasicles Contemporary with Leon 550 – 515 BC Ariston Battle of the Fetters. 515 – 491 BC Demaratus deposed 491 – 469 BC Leotychidas II great grandson of Hippocratidas, Greco-Persian Wars 469 – 427 BC Archidamus II Second Peloponnesian War begins 427 – 401 BC Agis II Spartan hegemony; Attacked Epidaurus, Leuctra, Caryae, Orchomenos, and Mantineia; Invaded the Argolis; Council of war formed to check his powers. 401 – 360 BC Agesilaus II Corinthian War begins 360 – 338 BC Archidamus III Third Sacred War begins 338 – 331 BC Agis III 331 – 305 BC Eudamidas I 305 – 275 BC Archidamus IV 275 – 245 BC Eudamidas II 245 – 241 BC Agis IV 241 – 228 BC Eudamidas III 228 – 227 BC Archidamus V 227 – 222 BCEucleidas Actually an Agiad; installed by Cleomenes III in place of Archidamus V. Died in the Battle of Sellasia.Following the Battle of Sellasia, the dual monarchy remained vacant until Cleomenes III's death in 219. 219 – 210 BC Lycurgus obscure background and possibly of non-royal descent, deposed the Agiad Agesipolis III and ruled alone 210 – 206 BC Pelops son of Lycurgus

Sole kings

Year Tyrants Other notable information 210–207 BC Machanidas regent for Pelops 206–192 BC Nabis first regent for Pelops, then usurper, claiming descent from the Eurypontid king Demaratus 192 BC Laconicus last known king of Sparta from Heraclid dynasty

The Achaean League annexed Sparta in 192 BC.

Notes and references Notes

References

Bibliography Paul Cartledge, Sparta and Lakonia, A Regional History 1300–362 BC, London, Routledge, 2002 (originally published in 1979). The Cyclopædia, Volume 20. By Abraham Rees. Page 157+ (List of kings of Sparta on pg. 164). Sir William Smith, A New Classical Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, Mythology, and Geography: Partly Based Upon the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Harper & Brothers, 1851. Sir William Smith. Abaeus-Dysponteus. J. Murray, 1890. Sir William Smith. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology: Earinus-Nyx. J. Murray, 1876. William Smith (Ed.) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology: Oarses-Zygia. J. Murray, 1880.

External links Livius Eurypontids and Agiads by Jona Lendering