("Who are you?")
("What do you think of this place?")
("Let's begin the tour.") Welcome to Assassin's Creed Wiki! Log in and join the community.
Tours: Spartan Politics
|
Where are the paintings? This article is in need of more images and/or better quality pictures from official media in order to achieve a higher status. You can help the Assassin's Creed Wiki by uploading better images on this page. |
|
Patience, brothers. Soon we will reveal the secrets of this painting. This article has been identified as being out of date. Please update the article to reflect recent releases and then remove this template once done. |
Learn the nuances of Sparta's unique political system.
Sparta's political system differed from most of Greece's.
One of its most distinctive features was that it was ruled by two kings.
These kings belonged to two dynasties: the Eurypontids and the Agiads, both of which were said to be descended from Herakles.
Both kings shared equal powers, and disputes between them required the intervention of special magistrates known as ephors.
However, if one of the kings were more charismatic or experienced, they could influence the weaker king's choices.
Learn More:
Xenophon, who wrote the biography of the Spartan king Agesilaos, attests that the two kinhgs and the ephors exchanged vows on a monthly basis. He writes that the ephors swore to preserve the kingship, but only on the condition that the kings followed the laws of Sparta.
Originally, Sparta's two kings always came from different houses, until Hellenistic period when Kleomenes III abolished the kingship of Sparta and placed his brother on the second throne.
Spartan kings had several responsibilities and functions. As lifetime magistrates, they were technically Sparta's priests and strategists, and their duties encompassed everything from politics to justice. Originally, both kings would lead military campaigns in times of war. However, from 507 BCE onwards, only one of the two kings could be head of the army. On the battlefield, kings were accompanied by three hundred elite soldiers for protection. But being a king wasn't only about working and fighting. They enjoyed special privileges as well. Spartan kings lived at the expense of the city, owned royal estates in the surrounding perioikic cities, and received the majority of the spoils of war. When they passed away, they were buried with special honors, and the population mourned them for a period of ten days. Learn More: During the Classical period, various kings of Sparta (Kleomenes, Pausanias, Archidamos, Agis II) were accused by the Gerousia of trying to pursue their own personal external policies. Furthermore, during the Greco-Persian Wars, the kings also ran the navy as navarchs (admirals), giving them power not only in their own lands, but away from them as well. The double-kingship and the supervision of the kings by the ephors, as well as other measures, were demostrative of Sparta's efforts to control the kings and limit their power.
The kings of Sparta enjoyed many important religious honors. They were in charge of sacrifices both during military campaigns and at home. The kings received double portions of the meat at all communal meals, and they were also the first to pour libations. They also personally conducted public sacrifices as priests, which helped remind their subjects of their divine connection to Herakles and Zeus. Learn More: One of the Spartan king's religious duties was appointing the Pythians — the people who received prophecies from the Oracle at Delphi. Pythians were extremely important to Sparta, as they received supposed "foreknowledge" that could help the kings prepare their military campaigns. Spartan kings were also believed to be descendants of Zeus. Because of this, they served as high-priests of Zeus, and enjoyed special privileges during religious rituals, as well as on the battleifled.
The ephors, or overseers, were give magistrates elected by the Spartan assembly. They were chosen from amongst Spartan citizens over thirty, and served for one year with no possibility of re-election. The ephors played a large part in administrating the city, and were considered the most democratic agents in the Spartan political system. They had judicial power, and ordered the dispatching of the Spartan army during wars. They also met and negotiated with representatives from other states, in addition to running the agoge, the Spartan education system. While not as powerful as the two kings, the ephors still held great sway over Sparta's affairs. Learn More: TBA
("I'm ready for the quiz.") ("Take on the next suggested tour.") ("Take me on a random tour.") ([LEAVE] "That's all for now.")