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Section II (Ancient Societies): Spartan Society to the Battle of Leuctra 371 BC
Quick questions on Spartan political system: HSC Ancient History
15short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the dual kingship?Show answer
Sparta had two simultaneous kings, one from the Agiad royal house (descended from Agis, son of Heracles via one line) and one from the Eurypontid house (descended from Eurypon, son of Procles, the other line). Hereditary through the eldest legitimate son.
What is the gerousia?Show answer
The gerousia was the council of elders. It comprised 28 men aged at least 60 (the age of release from active military service), plus the two kings, for a total of 30 members. The 28 were elected for life by the apella, voting by acclamation. Election was a high honour and restricted to a small number of prominent families.
What is the ephorate?Show answer
Five ephors were elected annually by the apella from the entire Spartiate citizen body. Office was for one year only with no immediate re-election. The chief ephor gave his name to the year (the eponymous ephor).
What is the apella?Show answer
The apella was the citizen assembly. All Spartiate males aged 30 and over could attend. The assembly met monthly at the full moon at the Sciastion in the outdoor space near the Eurotas.
What is the mixed constitution?Show answer
Aristotle (Politics 1265b, 1294b) described the Spartan constitution as a mixed form combining elements of monarchy (the kings), oligarchy (the gerousia), democracy (the apella), and tyranny (the ephorate's extensive power). The mixed form was praised by classical political philosophers as stable.
What is historiography?Show answer
Paul Cartledge (Sparta and Lakonia, 1979; Agesilaos, 1987) treats the constitution as gradually shifting authority from the kings to the ephorate. The ephoral dominance is the central institutional fact of the classical period.
What is military command?Show answer
The king led the army, commanded the right wing in battle, and had broad operational authority on campaign.
What is religious authority?Show answer
As chief priests of Zeus Lacedaemonius and Zeus Uranios, the kings consulted Delphi and supervised the major state festivals (Hyacinthia, Gymnopaedia, Karneia).
What is judicial role?Show answer
The kings judged certain civil cases (succession of heiresses, public roads, adoption).
What is membership of the gerousia?Show answer
Each king sat as an ex officio member of the council of elders.
What is personal privileges?Show answer
Double rations at the syssitia, a personal guard of 300 hippeis (an elite unit of citizen warriors), and elaborate royal funerals (Herodotus 6.58 describes the practices).
What is probouleutic?Show answer
Prepared the agenda for the apella. Decisions had to be debated in the gerousia before going to the assembly.
What is veto?Show answer
Plutarch (Lycurgus 6) records a "rider" to the Great Rhetra giving the gerousia and the kings power to dissolve the apella if it tried to amend a proposal. This effectively gave the gerousia legislative control.
What is judicial?Show answer
Acted as the court for capital cases, including charges against the kings.
What is presiding over the gerousia and apella?Show answer
The ephors set the agenda and called the votes.