021. Governing Spartans

EPISODE 21 GOVERNING SPARTANS

Welcome back folks and to the first of what will be a series of episodes designed to explain the different facets of the Spartan world in the lead up to the Greco-Persian wars.

This time its the governmental structures of Sparta that we'll be focusing on to see the various bodies responsible for Spartan law-making in action.

It's popularly believed that Sparta was an oligarchic state, and to be fair by the time Xenophon and Aristotle penned their constitutions of the Lacedaemonians the city had indeed become one. However, the secret to its stability and success in the 6th and 7th centuries was the result of a stable government that embraced elements of Monarchic, Aristocratic and Democratic rule.

They had their kings, descended from Heracles whom were bound by Apollo's word to a council of elders. This council forwarded proposals to a sovereign citizen assembly for ratification. Fulfilling the executive function of government was an annually elected board of 5 Ephors whose members came from the Demos. This system was designed to give everyone their fair share of rule, to check any one element from growing to preponderant.

I'll break down the cities god given constitution and various organs of state to hopefully build a picture how they operated together, and sometimes against one another.

I hope you all enjoy, and take good care.

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