(Ἀγιάδαι; Agiádai). Royal dynasty in Sparta, which, according to Herodotus (6,51), held a higher rank than the second Spartan royal dynasty, the ( Eurypontids). However, the authority of individual kings was based on their deeds and the quality of their leadership. As the founding father of the A. stands the mythic figure of the Heraclid Eurysthenes, whose son Agis [1] I became the eponymous hero of the house. In the early construct devised to explain the Spartan double kingdom appear Eurysthenes and Procles, the supposed first Eurypontid king, as the twin sons of Aris…
Agiads(245 words)
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Welwei, Karl-Wilhelm (Bochum), “Agiads”, in: Brill’s New Pauly, Antiquity volumes edited by: Hubert Cancik and , Helmuth Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes edited by: Manfred Landfester, English Edition by: Francis G. Gentry. Consulted online on 01 April 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e108040>
First published online: 2006
First print edition: 9789004122598, 20110510
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