Acropolis A Greek city's strong vantage point, citadel.
Agoge The distinctive Spartan system of upbringing and training.
Artemis See ORTHIA.
Bronze House Shrine of Sparta's patron deity Athena Poliachus (‘holder of the city’) It was situated on the low acropolis (see Map 1), and its walls were covered with bronze plates depicting mythical scenes. The site was excavated by British archaeologists early in the twentieth century.
Eiren A twenty-year-old who had proceeded at least two years beyond the class of boys (paides) in the agoge and was in command of his Troop (agele); he perhaps remained an Eiren to the end of his twenties. See Lycurgus, Ch. 17.
Elders Twenty-eight citizens aged sixty or over, elected for life to form (with the kings) Sparta's Gerousia.
Ephebes Youths in their late teens. See also Xenophon, Spartan Society, note 1.
Ephors Five magistrates elected annually from among all Spartiates (with no re-election possible). This board possessed sweeping powers – even over the kings – and took a leading role in the state's affairs.
Equals or Peers (Homoioi). Spartiates' term for themselves.
Gerousia Council of Elders: Sparta's supreme administrative, legislative and judicial body.
‘Good Order’ An approximation to the Greek eunomia, the condition of a stable state, well organized both socially and politically.
Gymnopaediae One of the principal annual festivals (literally that ‘of the naked boys‘; alternatively, perhaps, ‘of the unarmed boys’). All Spartiates in good standing took part. It was said to have been founded in commemoration of Sparta's severe defeat by Argos at the battle of Hysiae, traditionally dated to 669.
Harmost Spartan appointed as military governor abroad.
Helots Local inhabitants of Laconia and Messenia, owned by the Spartan state and required to work for its citizens in total subjection: they might on occasion be freed for military service.
Hoplites Heavily armed infantry who traditionally formed the principal troops of a classical Greek army.
Krypteia Organized, clandestine killing of random helots by youths of the Spartiate class.
Lesche A place where Spartiates gathered informally for conversation.
Mora Regiment: one of the six largest units of the Spartan army.
Orthia Later assimilated to Artemis (hence Artemis Orthia), goddess who had an important shrine at Sparta close to the west bank of the River Eurotas (see Map, p. 215). The character and purpose of the ritual are both obscure: see Lycurgus, Ch. 18, note 57.
Paidonomus ‘boy-herdsman’. Senior Spartiate appointed as Trainer-in-Chief of the class of boys (paides) in the agoge.
Peltasts Lightly armed infantry (in contrast to hoplites).
Perioeci ‘the dwellers round about’. Communities of free people occupying land in Laconia and Messenia granted them by the Spartan state in exchange for military service. See also Introduction, ‘Lycurgus: Non-Lycurgan Institutions’.
Polemarchs At Sparta, the six senior army officers, immediately subordinate to whichever king was commander in the field; they also messed with him on campaign.
Rhetra A Spartan law. See also Lycurgus note 16.
Satrap In the Persian and, later, Seleucid empires, the governor of a large region; in some instances tenure of the office became hereditary.
Skytale A Spartan device for sending secret messages. The text was written on a strip of leather wound round a staff, which the sender then retained. The recipient had a duplicate staff, and by correctly winding the strip round it could read the message. See Plutarch, Lysander (The Rise and Fall of Athens, rev. edn, Penguin, forthcoming), Ch. 19.
Spartiates Full Spartan citizens, who attained this status through a combination of birth, successful completion of the agoge and election to a mess. To remain such, they had to provide a stipulated minimum of produce for their mess and avoid demotion for cowardice or other anti-social behaviour. They referred to each other as Equals (see above).
Talent A large unit of weight, about 26 kg or 60 Greek minas, typically used for bullion or a mass of coins minted in a precious metal, silver in particular.
Three Hundred, also known as the Hippeis. The crack Spartan army unit of 300 men chosen and commanded by three Hippagretae. For its selection, see Xenophon, Spartan Society, Ch. 4.