Akrotat ( Greek: Ακρότατος ; 4th century BC) is an ancient Greek politician, the eldest son of the Spartan king Cleomenes II of the Agiad family (Eurisfenids). For some time he led the union of Sicilian cities, created for the war with the tyrant Syracuse Agathocles . King of Sparta did not, because he died during the life of his father.
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Content
Origin
Akrotat belonged to one of the two royal dynasties of Sparta , who built his family tree to Heracles . His father was Agiad Cleomenes II , who reigned in 370-309 BC. e. [1] ; Acrotat's younger brother was Cleonim [2] .
Biography
The first mention of Akrotat dates back to 331 BC. e. During the war with Macedonia, the Spartans suffered a heavy defeat at the Battle of Megalopolis , and in accordance with ancient laws, all those who escaped from the battlefield by flight had to lose their civil rights. Due to the scale of the disaster, it was decided to make an exception for this case; Akrotat was the only one who opposed. By this, the prince, according to Diodorus of Sicily , “offended many young people and for this reason strove for activities away from home.” Enemies of Akrotat once even beat him and “constantly abused him” [3] . Therefore, in 314 BC. e., when the Syracuse exiles, together with the ambassadors of Akragant , Gela, and Messana, invited him to lead the war against the tyrant Agathocles , Akrotat gladly agreed [4] .
Having not received the approval of the Ephors necessary in such situations, the prince with several ships went to Sicily . On the way, a storm brought him to Apollonia , which at that time was besieged by the Illyrians . Akrotat convinced the king of the last Glavkiy to make peace with the Apollonians. Then he crossed to Tarent and thanks to “family ties and the dignity of his family” [5] he persuaded the inhabitants of this city to set twenty ships against Agathocles [5] [4] .
In Akragant, Akrotat took over as a strategist . But he was in no hurry to start a war with Agathocles, instead striving for tyranny [6] and leading a wild life - including with the money of Sicilian communities. The most influential of the Syracuse exiles, Sosistratus, was ordered to treacherously kill at the feast by the order of Akrotat. In the end, the Sicilians, outraged by the behavior of the new tyrant, deprived him of authority and even wanted to stone him; Akrotat had to flee at night and return to Laconic with shame. After these events, Tarentus recalled his squadron from Sicily, and Gela, Akragant, and Messana made peace with Agathocles [7] [4] .
Akrotat soon died - even during the life of his father, that is, until 309 BC. e. After him remained the son of Ares [8] , who in 309 BC. e. became king of Sparta as heir to his grandfather [4] .
Notes
- ↑ Pechatnova, 2001 , p. 497.
- ↑ Basileus, 1897 , s. 67-68.
- ↑ Diodorus of Sicily , XIX, 70, 4-5.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Akrotatos 1, 1893 .
- ↑ 1 2 Diodorus of Sicily , XIX, 70, 8.
- ↑ Bervay, 1997 , p. 553.
- ↑ Diodorus of Sicily , XIX, 71.
- ↑ Plutarch, 1994 , Agid, 3.
Sources and Literature
Sources
- Diodorus of Sicily . Historical Library . Site "Symposium". Date of treatment March 3, 2018.
- Plutarch . Comparative biographies . - M .: Nauka, 1994 .-- ISBN 5-02-011570-3 , 5-02-011568-1.
Literature
- Berve G. Tirana of Greece. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 1997 .-- 640 p. - ISBN 5-222-00368-X.
- Pechatnova L. History of Sparta, the period of archaics and classics. - SPb. : Humanitarian Academy, 2001. - 510 p. - ISBN 5-93762-008-9 .
- Jessen Basileus // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1897. - Bd. III, 1. - Kol. 57-82.
- Niese B. Akrotatos 1 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1893. - Bd. I, 1. - Kol. 1207.