For the sake of clarity and simplicity these lists do not indicate the many controversies which surround the order and dates of the early kings in different ancient traditions. From the fifth century onwards, the dates of each king's reign and his relationship to his predecessor are given.
Three generations were said to come between Heracles, founder of the family, and Aristodemus, father of Eurysthenes and Procles, the first kings.
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Agiad Kings |
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Eurysthenes |
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Agis I |
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Echestratus |
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Labotas |
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Doryssus |
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Agesilaus I |
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Archelaus |
8th century BC (contemporary with Charilaus/Charillus) |
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Teleclus |
8th century |
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Alcamenes |
8th century |
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Polydorus |
7th century (contemporary with Theopompus) |
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Eurycrates |
7th century |
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Anaxander |
7th century |
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Eurycratidas |
7th/6th century |
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Leon |
6th century (contemporary with Agasicles) |
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Anaxandridas II |
6th century |
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Cleomenes I (son) |
c. 520–491 |
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Leonidas I (brother) |
491–480 |
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Pleistarchus (son) |
480–458 |
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Pleistoanax (son of regent Pausanias) |
458–446/5 and 427/6–408 (in exile for the intervening period) |
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Pausanias (son) |
408–395 |
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Agesipolis I (son) |
395–380 |
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Cleombrotus I (brother) |
380–371 |
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Agesipolis II (son) |
371–370 |
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Cleomenes II (brother) |
370–309 |
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Areus I (grandson) |
309–265 |
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Acrotatus (son) |
265–c. 255 |
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Areus II (son) |
c. 255-c. 251 |
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Leonidas II (grandson of Cleomenes II) |
c. 251–242 and 241–235 |
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Cleombrotus II (son-in-law) |
242–241 |
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Cleomenes III (son of Leonidas II) |
235–222 (died 219) |
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Eurypontid Kings |
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Procles |
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Soüs |
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Eurypon |
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Prytanis |
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Eunomus |
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Polydectes |
(Lycurgus was his younger brother, according to Plutarch, Lycurgus Ch. 1) |
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Charilaus/Charillus |
8th century BC (contemporary with Archelaus) |
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Nicander |
8th century |
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Theopompus |
late 8th/early 7th centuries (contemporary with Polydorus) |
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Anaxandridas I |
7th century |
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Archidamus I |
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Anaxilas |
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Leotychidas I |
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Hiocratidas |
6th century |
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Agasicles |
6th century (contemporary with Leon) |
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Ariston |
6th century |
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Demaratus |
late 6th century-491 |
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Leotychidas II (distant cousin) |
491–c 469 |
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Archidamus II (grandson) |
c. 469–427 |
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Agis II (son) |
427–400 |
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Agesilaus II (half-brother) |
400–360 |
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Archidamus III (son) |
360–338 |
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Agis III (son) |
338–331 |
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Eudamidas I (brother) |
33 I–unknown date |
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Archidamus IV (son) |
unknown date-294 or later |
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Eudamidas II (son) |
after 294–244/3 |
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Agis IV (son) |
244/3–241 |
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Eudamidas III (son) |
241–227 |
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Archidamus V (uncle) |
227 |
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Eucleidas (Agiad – brother of Cleomenes III) |
227–222 |
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caption
‘The city has neither been consolidated nor does it possess lavish temples and buildings, but consists of village settlements of the antique Greek type.’ This description by Thucydides (The Peloponnesian War, 1.10) around 400 BC is borne out by such archaeological evidence as can be gained from an area where a modern town occupies much of the original site. Even the location of the agora is not known. There are references in ancient authors to suggest that the messes were situated to the south-east, along the ‘Hyacinthian Way' which led to the shrine of Apollo at Amyclae about eight kilometres away. The dotted line represents the approximate course of the second-century encircling wall. The names of the four villages are marked in capitals (see further above, p. xix)
caption
All the territory south of the dotted line was under Spartan control prior to the liberation of Messenia in 369 BC.