The Euryclids () were a prominent

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 ...

n family holding important offices starting in the 1st century BC.

History

The founder of the family was

Gaius Julius Eurycles Gaius Julius Eurycles or Eurycles of Sparta (born in Sparta; fl. 1st century BCE), was "''hegemon'' of the Lacedaemonians" (Λακεδαιμονίων ἡγεμών), a benefactor of Greek cities, and founder of the family of the Euryclids. Life ...

, the son of Lachares. Eurycles was a Spartan commander who obtained

Roman citizenship Citizenship in ancient Rome () was a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance. Citizenship in ancient Rome was complex and based upon many different laws, traditions, and cu ...

and office, with the title of "Λακεδαιμονίων ηγεμών" ("

ruler A ruler, sometimes called a rule, scale, line gauge, or metre/meter stick, is an instrument used to make length measurements, whereby a length is read from a series of markings called "rules" along an edge of the device. Usually, the instr ...

of the

Lacedaemonians 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 ...

") and the position of dynast in Sparta. Eurycles' coins start in the period 31-27 BC. His son Gaius Julius Laco was '' duumvir quinquennalis'' and Isthmian agonothete, as was Laco's son Gaius Julius Spartiaticus; both were members of the

Roman equestrian order The (; , though sometimes referred to as "knights" in English) constituted the second of the property/social-based classes of ancient Rome, ranking below the senatorial class. A member of the equestrian order was known as an (). Descripti ...

. Eurycles also probably adopted (Gaius Julius) Deximachos c. 18-12 BC (P. Memmia), who is thought to have assumed the name Gaius Julius Eurycles Herculanus.Gill 1993 With Gaius Julius Eurycles Herculanus Lucius Vibullius Pius, the first Spartan senator, under

Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...

and

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

, the family entered the

Roman senate The Roman Senate () was the highest and constituting assembly of ancient Rome and its aristocracy. With different powers throughout its existence it lasted from the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in 753 BC) as the Sena ...

. Herculanus might have had no issue, and one of his heirs was

Quintus Pompeius Falco Quintus Pompeius Falco (c. 70after 140 AD) was a Roman senator and general of the early 2nd century AD. He was governor of several provinces, most notably Roman Britain, where he hosted a visit to the province by the Emperor Hadrian in the last y ...

(Quintus Roscius Coelius Murena Silius Decianus Vibullius Pius Julius Eurycles Herculanus Pompeius Falco), who carried the family names forward.

References

Sources

* Atkinson, Kathleen Mary Tyrer Chrimes. Ancient Sparta: a re-examination of the evidence. Manchester University Press ND, 1949

* Birley, Anthony R.. "Hadrian and Greek Senators", ''

Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik The (commonly abbreviated ZPE; "Journal of Papyrology and Epigraphy") is a peer-reviewed academic journal which contains articles that pertain to papyrology and epigraphy. It has been described as "the world's leading and certainly most prolific ...

'' 116 (1997) 209–245

* Fougères, Gustave. "Inscriptions de Mantinée", '' Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique''. 20 (1896) pp. 119-166.

* Gill, David W. J
In Search of the Social Elite in the Corinthian Church
In: ''

Tyndale Bulletin The ''Tyndale Bulletin'' is an academic journal published by Tyndale House in Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county tow ...

'' 44.2 (1993) 323-337. * Grier, Elizabeth. ''Certain Rich Men of the Second Century after Christ''. Classical Association of the Atlantic States, 1930

* Lindsay, Hugh. Augustus and Eurycles.

* Spawforth, Antony J. S. ''Roman Corinth: The Formation of a Colonial Elite''.

* Zoumbaki, Sophia B. ''The Composition of the Peloponnesian Elites in the Roman period and the Evolution of their Resistance and Approach to the Roman Rulers''. ({{usurped,

}) 1st-century BC Greek people Ancient Greek families Ancient Spartans