Zeus is scheduled for release fall 2000

Sparta was governed by a strange mixture of monarchy, oligarchy and democracy. At the top of the tree stood the two basileis (kings). 1 king came from the powerful Agiad family, and the other from the equally important Eurypontid family (it is thought that this system of dual kingship evolved after competition between the leading families from 2 of the 4 villages which originally joined up to form Sparta). Succession was hereditary, and usually passed on to the eldest son born during the reign of his father. One king functioned as the leader of the armed forces, and the other remained in Sparta to look after domestic matters. Hence the polis was never without a leader, and there was still someone at the helm if the "commander-in-chief" king fell in battle. The monarchs also had religious duties - they were considered the sons of Zeus through Heracles, and officiated at important ceremonies. All public sacrifices in Sparta had to be carried out by one of the basileis.

The 2 kings each had a place on the Council of Gerontes (Council of Elders, also called the gerousia), on which sat another 28 men, all over the age of 60 (military service ended at 60, and the people on the Council served until they died). Theoretically, any Spartan male over 60 could become a member of the Council, but in practise it was usually limited to members of the rich aristocratic families. Members of the gerousia were elected by acclamation - when the list of candidates was read out, the person who received the loudest shouts was duly elected. Every bill had to be considered by the Council before it was allowed to be put before the Spartan assembly, and all decisions of the assembly had to be accepted by the gerousia before they passed into law. It also acted as the highest court of law in Sparta, and had exclusive jurisdiction over cases of murder, treason, or any other crimes which carried the penalty of loss of property, death or exile.

Another component in the Spartan government were the 5 ephors ("overseers"). These were men over the age of 30 who were elected annually to keep an eye on the conduct of the gerousia and the kings to make sure the rule of law wasn't subverted. They had to re-take their oath of office ever month and, to ensure that they didn't abuse their power, could only serve a single 1 year term, were never allowed to be re-elected, and their successors conducted an audit of their actions. The ephors could impeach and remove kings who acted improperly. Whenever a king left Sparta, he was accompanied by 2 of the ephors, who kept an eye on his actions. They also oversaw education, and ensured that iron discipline was maintained. Every year, the ephors also declared war on all the helots, thus removing the possibility of a murder charge being brought against any Spartan who killed a helot.

The final organ of government was also the most democratic. This was the assembly, which included every male citizen over 30. There was no debate here - the crowd simply listened to a proposal, and then either accepted or rejected it.

Next page - changes and the Spartan image