To what extent do the sources present the kings as Essays

To what extent do the sources present the kings as the most important individuals in Sparta? The Spartan Constitution has been admired by many throughout the years due to its balance blend of monarchy, oligarchy and democracy .Nonetheless, the unusual phenomenon of diarchy in the Lacedaemonian Constitution gave a rise to a crucial question: How important were the kings in Sparta? The Exceptional king Leonidas have earned all this admiration due to his excellent leadership of the state? Or just because he sacrificed himself at the battlefield, which was considered by the Spartans a great honor? Comparison with other influential bodies of the constitution such as the Ephors, the Gerousia and the Assembly will provide a clear indication of the importance and influence of the Spartan kings. According to our sources the kings would command the foreign policies of the state and they would also satisfy religious needs and perform judicial roles when required. Nonetheless, most of the sources are tainted by the Spartan Mirage. This supposed eunomia of the great Spartan state has made many of our sources unreliable to a certain degree such as Plutarch and Xenophon as they are pro-Spartan biased. Moreover, we have very few sources from Spartan origin as the Spartans did not kept written records except from oracles. The duties of the kings were mainly judicial, military and religious .It was in the military sphere that the powers of the kings were most unrestricted. According to Herodotus they had "the power of declaring war on whom they pleased" .He is reliable as a source as he is untainted by the Spartan Mirage. When on campaign, the kings have the power upon life and death even for Spartan Citizens. Everything depends on their performance."Everyone who wants to to get some business done begins with the king" who acted both "as a priest in the divine sphere and as a general in the human one", as stated by Xenophon who is very reliable due to the fact that he had lived in Sparta after he has been ostracized from Athens and he was also a contemporary. During wars they had "a bodyguard of 100 picked men". This illustrates that they were considered Supreme Commanders of the army."No one goes in front of him" as stated by Xenophon who is a contemporary, except if an enemy appears and he is then pr otected by his troops. On campaign the kings go first and return last which showed the importance of the presence of the king in a militaristic state like Sparta. However, the importance of the presence of the Ephors during warfare is highlighted as Aristotle states that "they used to send their personal enemies to accompany them". According to Aristotle the kings needed the Ephors at times of war to monitor their actions so that they would not overpass their powers. Although, the king has all the power concentrated in his hands during warfare his decisions should be supported also by the Ephors and the Gerousia. Aristotle states that the powers of the Ephors were considered "excessive and dictatorial". On the other hand, during times of piece more power was concentrated in the hands of the Gerousia rather than the kings as the Gerondes did not have controls by the Ephors like the kings .The Gerousia also played an important role within the Spartan Constitution and includes 30 members of which 28 were elders and the other two were the kings .If the king used his position wisely within the Gerousia which was considered to include "the best and wisest of the good and wise" ,he could be very influential when it comes to political issues. Judicial matters concerning heiresses, adaptations and road building were responsibilities of the kings. In addition, during a meeting "everyone rises from their place for a king "as stated by Xenophon, showing the great respect and obedience to the presence of the king. The kings themselves were considered to be descendants of Heracles and their divinity is confirmed by Herodotus as he states that they belonged to "two priesthoods" .The kings had to perform all the public sacrifice's on behalf of the city and every seventh and first day of the month they had "to offer in sacrifice