Charilaus (), also spelled Charilaos, Charillos, or Charillus, was a king of

Sparta 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 Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

in the middle of the 8th century BC. He was probably the first historical king of the Eurypontid dynasty.

Life and reign

Sparta was a

diarchy Diarchy (from Greek , ''di-'', "double", and , ''-arkhía'', "ruled"),Occasionally spelled ''dyarchy'', as in the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' article on the colonial British institution duarchy, or duumvirate. is a form of government charac ...

, with two kings of equal powers from distinct dynasties. However, in its earliest history, Sparta was likely ruled by only one king, from the Agiad dynasty. In the 8th century, a

synoecism Synoecism or synecism ( ; , ''sunoikismos'', ), also spelled synoikism ( ), was originally the amalgamation of villages in Ancient Greece into ''poleis'', or city-states. Etymologically, the word means "dwelling together (''syn'') in the same h ...

occurred on the site of Sparta, where four villages merged to create the

polis Polis (: poleis) means 'city' in Ancient Greek. The ancient word ''polis'' had socio-political connotations not possessed by modern usage. For example, Modern Greek πόλη (polē) is located within a (''khôra''), "country", which is a πατ ...

of Sparta. At this occasion, two of the villages ( Limnai and Kynosoura) probably requested to also have a king from their territory sharing power with the Agiad one, who was based in the other two villages ( Pitana and Mesoa). In later times, the Spartans crafted a mythical story making the second dynasty—the Eurypontids—as old as the Agiads, notably by inventing several kings to make the two dynasties symmetrical. Modern scholars consider instead that Charilaus was the first historical Eurypontid king.Cartledge, ''Sparta and Lakonia'', p. 92. Charilaus and the Agiad Archelaus are indeed the first kings of Sparta mentioned together in ancient sources, a good indication that they were the first pair of kings formed after the synoecism. The dates of his reign are nevertheless conjectural and disputed. Paul Cartledge dates his reign from c.775–c.760, W. G. Forrest and

Joseph Fontenrose Joseph Eddy Fontenrose (17 June 1903 in Sutter Creek – July 1986 in Ashland, Oregon) was an American classical scholar. He was centrally interested in Ancient Greek religion, Greek religion and Greek mythology; he was also an expert on John Ste ...

from c.775–c.750, but Victor Parker places it a generation later in c.750–c.725.Cartledge, ''Sparta and Lakonia'', p. 89.Fontenrose, ''The Delphic Oracle'', p. 192. During the joint reign of Charilaus and Archelaus, Sparta conquered the Aigys, an area in the northwest of

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia (, , ) is a historical and Administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti (municipality), Sparta. The word ...

, on the border with Tegea. This event is principally known thanks to an oracle from the

Pythia Pythia (; ) was the title of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo at Delphi. She specifically served as its oracle and was known as the Oracle of Delphi. Her title was also historically glossed in English as th ...

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...

. The oracle reads: "If they divide a half share of the additional portion for Apollo, it will be much better for them."Parke & Wormell, ''Delphic Oracle'', p. 93. The oracle is considered genuine by modern scholars, as it is very simple without the elaboration typical of later forgers. Moreover, it was given at a time when Delphi was gaining international credibility within the Greek world (mainly for

colonisation 475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence. Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...

enterprises) and started a special relationship with Sparta. The oracle tells that the kings should devote half of the land taken from Aigys to Apollo. Writing in the 2nd century AD, the geographer Pausanias precisely mentions that there was a temple of Apollo Cereatas in the area, a further indication of the oracle's authenticity. If genuine, this oracle would be the oldest known from Delphi. Pausanias also embellished Charilaus' reign by saying that Sparta's expansion was blocked in the south by the resistance of Amyklai, therefore prompting the conquest of Aigys in the north. Paul Cartledge however dismisses this story as "worthless", because Sparta would have never attacked Aigys with Amyklai so close to its southern borders. He suggests instead that Amyklai was conquered in the earliest times of Sparta, in the 10th or 9th centuries. According to Pausanias, Charilaus was the successor of his father Polydectes.Pausanias, ''Description of Greece''. Robert Hale Ltd., London, Book 3, VII, 2-3. Charilaus is best known as the ward and nephew of the Spartan reformer Lycurgus.Plutarch, ''Lives: Lycurgus''. During his reign, the Spartans invaded

Argolis Argolis or Argolida ( , ; , in ancient Greek and Katharevousa) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, situated in the eastern part of the Peloponnese penin ...

. The long-standing hostility with Tegea is also believed to date from Charilaus' reign. Charilaus was succeeded by his son

Nicander Nicander of Colophon (; fl. 2nd century BC) was a Greece, Greek poet, physician, and grammarian. The scattered biographical details in the ancient sources are so contradictory that it was sometimes assumed that there were two Hellenistic authors ...

, the father of Theopompus.

Notes

Bibliography

Ancient sources

* Pausanias, ''Description of Greece.'' *

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

, ''

Parallel Lives * Culture of ancient Greece Culture of ancient Rome Ancient Greek biographical works Ethics literature History books about ancient Rome Cultural depictions of Gaius Marius Cultural depictions of Mark Antony Cultural depictions of Cicero ...

'' (Lycurgus).

Modern sources

* Paul Cartledge, ''Sparta and Lakonia, A Regional History 1300–362 BC'', London, Routledge, 2002 (originally published in 1979). * W. G. Forrest, ''A History of Sparta'', New York, Norton, 1986. *

, ''The Delphic Oracle, Its Responses and Operations, with a Catalogue of Responses'', Berkeley, University of California Press, 1978. * Herbert William Parke, D. E. W. Wormell, ''The Delphic Oracle: The History'', Oxford, Blackwell, 1956. * Victor Parker, " Some Dates In Early Spartan History", ''Klio'', 75, 1993, pp. 45–60. {{Kings of Laconia & Sparta 8th-century BC monarchs 8th-century BC Spartans Eurypontid kings of Sparta 8th-century BC deaths Year of birth unknown