The Agathoergi () were a special designation for a group of

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 Pe ...

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 Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), Agathoergi
/ref> A famous one was

Lichas In Greek mythology, Lichas ( ; ) was Heracles' servant, who brought the The Shirt of Nessus, poisoned shirt from Deianira to Hercules because of Deianira's jealousy of Iole, which killed him. Mythology Lichas brought to his master the deadly ...

, who according to the legends played a key role in fulfilling an oracle that required the Spartans to obtain the bones of

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 ...

in order to conquer

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 o ...

.A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Lichas
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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 300, some scholars have argued that they were chosen 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 ...

, the elected magistrates of Sparta, without regard to age.

References

Spartan army {{AncientGreece-stub