Spartan Kings/Regents Flashcards
Who was Leonidas?
Agiad King of Sparta between 489 to 480 BC.
Who were the two kings to go through the Agoge?
Leonidas and Agesilaus II
What significant thing did Leonidas do in his reign?
He led the Greeks at Thermopylae in 480 BC but died alongside his 300 Spartans.
He allowed 7 000 Greeks to flee from battle.
What does Plutarch say about Gorgo, Leonidas’ wife?
Plutarch, “Sayings of Spartan Women”: Gorgo asked Leonidas what she should do before he set off to Thermopylae, he responded “Marry a good man, and bear good children”
What does Herodotus record of the epitaph at Thermopylae?
Herodotus 7.228: “Go tell the Spartans, you who read: We took their orders, and are dead”.
Who was Pausanias?
Spartan general and Agiad regent from 479 to 478 BC. He died in 477 BC.
What significant thing did Pausanias do in his “reign”?
He led the Greeks at the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC and won against the Persians.
What does Plutarch say about Pausanias?
Pausanias was a very unpopular leader, with allied commanders “constantly treated with arrogance and ill-temper by Pausanias” (Plutarch, Aristeides 23)
What does Thucydides say about Pausanias?
Pausanias was believed to be “collaborating with the Persians” (Thucydides 1.95)
Who was Pleistoanax?
Agiad King of Sparta from 458 to 409 BC. He was the son of Pausanias.
What did Pleistoanax do that led to his exile?
He led an expedition to invade Attica but instead negotiated a settlement with Pericles that became the Thirty Year Peace. This led to him being sued in Sparta for his failed invasion and his exile.
When did Pleistoanax return to Sparta and why?
Returned c. 427 BC when Archidamus II died.
What does Thucydides say about Pleistoanax’s invasion of Attica?
Thucydides 1.114: “King Pleistoanax invaded Attica…Then, without advancing any farther, they returned home”.
What did Pleistoanax do after returning to Sparta?
He started negotiating for peace with Nicias and signed the Peace of Nicias in 421 BC.
What reason does Thucydides give for Pleistoanax wanting peace with Athens?
Thucydides 5.17: Explains how Pleistoanax believed if he returned the Spartan captives to Sparta, “his enemies would have no bases from which to attack him”.
