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Agathoergi
The Agathoergi () were a special designation for a group of Spartan knights (ἱππεῖς), who were part of a larger body of 300 knights serving as bodyguards to the kings of Sparta during times of war. Every year, five men from the 300 were selected to serve as Agathoergi for specific diplomatic missions to foreign states. A famous one was Lichas, who according to the legends played a key role in fulfilling an oracle that required the Spartans to obtain the bones of Orestes in order to conquer Tegea. Role and Function The primary function of the Agathoergi was to undertake important diplomatic missions to foreign states. Their service was considered an honorable and prestigious task, and they were entrusted with the responsibility of representing Sparta's interests abroad. Their duties lasted for one year, after which they retired from their mission. Selection Process While it has traditionally been believed that the Agathoergi were selected based on seniority from among the 30 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lichas (Spartan)
Ancient Spartans with the name Lichas may refer to: * Lichas () or Liches () was a Spartan Agathoergi who played a key role in fulfilling an oracle that required the Spartans to obtain the bones of Orestes in order to conquer Tegea. Lichas discovered a giant coffin under a blacksmith's shop in Tegea, which matched the oracle’s description. He reported this back to Sparta, and, after being pretended to be banished, he returned, convinced the blacksmith to let him use the house, and dug up the bones. He then brought them back to Sparta, and from that point on, the Spartans were victorious over the Tegeans. The event is believed to have occurred early in the reign of Spartan kings Anaxandrides and Ariston, around 560 BCE. * Lichas, a Spartan son of Arcesilaus, was a prominent figure in several key events of the Peloponnesian War The Second Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), often called simply the Peloponnesian War (), was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek war fought between ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spartan
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 valley of Evrotas river in Laconia, in southeastern Peloponnese. Around 650 BC, it rose to become the dominant military land-power in ancient Greece. Sparta was recognized as the leading force of the unified Greek military during the Greco-Persian Wars, in rivalry with the rising naval power of Athens. Sparta was the principal enemy of Athens during the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), from which it emerged victorious after the Battle of Aegospotami. The decisive Battle of Leuctra against Thebes in 371 BC ended the Spartan hegemony, although the city-state maintained its political independence until its forced integration into the Achaean League in 192 BC. The city nevertheless recovered much autonomy after the Roman conquest of Greece in 146 BC and prospered during the Roman Empire, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orestes
In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; ) was the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and the brother of Electra and Iphigenia. He was also known by the patronymic Agamemnonides (), meaning "son of Agamemnon." He is the subject of several Ancient Greek plays and of various myths connected with his madness, revenge, and purification, which retain obscure threads of much older works. In particular Orestes plays a main role in Aeschylus' '' Oresteia.'' Etymology The Greek name Ὀρέστης, having become "Orestēs" in Latin and its descendants, is derived from Greek ὄρος (óros, "mountain") and ἵστημι (hístēmi, "to stand"), and so can be thought to have the meaning "stands on a mountain". Greek literature Homer In the Homeric telling of the story, Orestes is a member of the doomed house of Atreus, which is descended from Tantalus and Niobe. He is absent from Mycenae when his father, Agamemnon, returns from the Trojan War with the Trojan princess Cass ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tegea
Tegea (; ) was a settlement in ancient Arcadia, and it is also a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the Tripoli municipality, of which it is a municipal unit with an area of 118.350 km2. It is near the modern villages of Alea and Episkopi. The legendary founder of Tegea was Tegeates, a son of Lycaon. History Tegea (; ) was one of the most ancient and powerful towns of ancient Arcadia, situated in the southeast of the country. Its territory, called Tegeatis (Τεγεᾶτις), was bounded by Cynuria and Argolis on the east, from which it was separated by Mount Parthenium, by Laconia on the south, by the Arcadian district of Maenalia on the west, and by the territory of Mantineia on the north. The Tegeatae are said to have derived their name from Tegeates, a son of Lycaon, and to have dwelt originally in eight, afterwards nine, demoi or townships. In the Archaic period the nine demoi that und ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 ''éphoroi'', plural form of ''éphoros'') comes from the Ancient Greek ''epi'', "on" or "over", and ''horaō'', "to see", i.e., "one who oversees" or "overseer". The ephors were a council of five Spartan men elected annually who swore an oath monthly on the behalf of the state. The Spartan kings, however, would swear on behalf of themselves. The ephors did not have to kneel before the Kings of Sparta, and were held in high esteem by the citizens because of the importance of their powers and because of the holy role that they earned throughout their functions. Donald Kagan, ''The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War''. p. 29. Ithaca/New York 1969, . Several other Greek city-states with a Spartan ancestry also had ephors, such as Taras or Cyre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
