Archidamus

Family: Spartan · Role: king · First appears: Cimon

Archidamus was a Spartan king and the son of Zeuxidamus; during the fourth year of his reign, Cimon was also associated with him. The accounts connect him with Agis as his son, while Agis’s material describes Archidamus as descended through Agesilaus and Eudamidas. He was Agis’s brother, and Lycurgus’s account says, “His brother Archidamus was too quick for Leonidas, and saved himself by a timely retreat.”

Archidamus was the right heir to the other Spartan line and was brought back from Messene. After returning secretly to Sparta, Cleomenes received him, helped bring him home, and “presently after murdered him”; the failure to avenge his death was taken as confirming suspicion that Cleomenes had been privy to it. Archidamus was also an enemy of Demetrius Poliorcetes: when Demetrius Poliorcetes formed designs against Lacedaemon, Archidamus came out to meet him.

Relationship record

Life events

Archidamus was murdered after returning secretly to Sparta.(Cleomenes)
- “received him on his coming privately into town, and joined in bringing him home, and presently after murdered him.”

Lycurgus

child: Agis “down to the time of Agis, the son of Archidamus.”

Cimon

child: Zeuxidamus “In the fourth year of the reign of Archidamus, the son of Zeuxidamus, king of Sparta”
with Cimon (interaction) “In the fourth year of the reign of Archidamus, the son of Zeuxidamus, king of Sparta”
parent: Zeuxidamus “Archidamus, the son of Zeuxidamus, king of Sparta”

Agis

parent: Agesilaus (parent->child) “Agesilaus left behind him a son called Archidamus”
parent: Eudamidas (parent->child) “he, by a son called Archidamus”
child: Eudamidas (parent->child) “and Archidamus, by another Eudamidas”

Cleomenes

siblings with Agis “His brother Archidamus was too quick for Leonidas, and saved himself by a timely retreat.”
child: Cleomenes “But his wife, then mother of a young child, he forced from her own house, and compelled Agiatis, for that was her name, to marry his son Cleomenes”
siblings with Cleomenes “he now exerted himself to have Archidamus, the brother of Agis, sent for from Messene”

Comparison of Tiberius and Caius Gracchus with Agis and Cleomenes

with Cleomenes (Cleomenes persuaded Archidamus to return; after Archidamus was killed, Cleomenes was suspected of complicity.) “He prevailed upon Archidamus, who was the right heir to the kingdom of the other line, to venture to return home from Messene; but after his being slain, by not doing anything to revenge his death, confirmed the suspicion that he was privy to it himself.”

Demetrius

enemies with Demetrius Poliorcetes “He had not long been master of Athens before he had formed designs against Lacedaemon; of which Archidamus, the king, being advertised, came out and met him”

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Extracted from the original text of Plutarch's Lives. Made with Rho MD.