Agis (son of Archidamus)
Also known as: Agis · Family: Lacedæmonian · Role: king · First appears: Book 3 · Chapter 5
After the battle, Agis joined fourteen senior judges in condemning Pausanias (son of Plistoanax), though the rest of the court acquitted him. On Archidamus (father of Agesilaus)’s death, Agis, the elder son of age, succeeded him as king instead of Agesilaus; Cynisca was also Archidamus’s daughter. In the third year of the war, Agis and the Lacedæmonians forced Elis to free its subject cities and allow the Lacedæmonians to sacrifice and compete at Olympia. He later led an incursion into Elis, where Xenias, who had been privately friendly to him, betrayed the city.
After the Athenian fleet was destroyed at Ægos-potamoi, Agis and Lysander broke the oaths sworn between the Lacedæmonians and Athenians, making an agreement with their allies “to cut off Athens root and branch.” Agis first questioned the legitimacy of his son Leotychides, but, sick and carried home from Arcadia, declared before witnesses that he believed Leotychides was his son. Agis died fighting against the Macedonians and Antipater.
Relationship record
Life events
- Pausanias was condemned by part of the court after returning from Athens.(Book 3 · Chapter 5)
- With: Pausanias (son of Plistoanax)
- “Fourteen of the Seniors and Agis, the King of the other family, condemned Pausanias, the rest of the Court acquitted him.”
- Archidamus died, and Agis succeeded him instead of Agesilaus.(Book 3 · Chapter 8)
- With: Archidamus (father of Agesilaus) Agesilaus
- “And on the death of Archidamus, Agis the elder of his sons being of age succeeded, and not Agesilaus.”
- Agis and the Lacedæmonians forced Elis to grant liberty to subject cities and open Olympia.(Book 3 · Chapter 8 · 📍 Elis)
- “the people of Elis and Thrasydæus, who had been reduced by the war to the greatest extremity, made a convention to give liberty to their subject cities, and to raze the fortifications of their town, and to allow the Lacedæmonians to sacrifice to the god at Olympia and to contend in the games.”
- Agis and Lysander violated their oaths and agreed with allies to destroy Athens.(Book 3 · Chapter 8 · 📍 Athens)
- With: Lysander
- “Lysander the son of Aristocritus and Agis violated the solemn oaths which the Lacedæmonians and Athenians had mutually sworn to observe, and at their own responsibility, and not at the bidding of the Spartan community, made an agreement with their allies to cut off Athens root and branch.”
- Agis first questioned Leotychides’ legitimacy, then affirmed on his deathbed that Leotychides was his son.(Book 3 · Chapter 8)
- With: Leotychides
- “He repented however of his speech afterwards, for when he was carried home sick from Arcadia and had got to Heræa, he solemnly declared before a multitude of witnesses that he did verily believe that Leotychides was his son”
- Agis died fighting against the Macedonians and Antipater.(Book 3 · Chapter 10)
- With: Antipater (Macedonian statesman)
- “And Agis, the elder son of this Archidamus, met his death fighting against the Macedonians and Antipater.”
- Xenias betrayed Elis during Agis’s incursion.(Book 5 · Chapter 4 · 📍 Elis)
- With: Xenias
- “And on the occasion of Agis making an incursion into Elis, when Xenias played the traitor”
Book 3 · Chapter 5
- with Pausanias (son of Plistoanax) (Agis condemned Pausanias at his trial.) “Fourteen of the Seniors and Agis, the King of the other family, condemned Pausanias, the rest of the Court acquitted him.”
Book 3 · Chapter 8
- parent: Archidamus (father of Agesilaus) “And on the death of Archidamus, Agis the elder of his sons being of age succeeded, and not Agesilaus.”
- siblings with Agesilaus “And on the death of Archidamus, Agis the elder of his sons being of age succeeded, and not Agesilaus.”
- siblings with Cynisca “And on the death of Archidamus, Agis the elder of his sons being of age succeeded, and not Agesilaus. And Archidamus had also a daughter called Cynisca”
- friends with Xenias “And Xenias a man of Elis, who was privately friendly to Agis and publicly a champion of the Lacedæmonians”
- with Lysistratus (Agis left Lysistratus in command of part of his force.) “And when Agis led his army home again, he left Lysistratus the Spartan with a portion of his force, and the refugees from Elis, to cooperate with the men of Lepreum in ravaging the district.”
- child: Leotychides “The hastiness of speech of Aristo about the legitimacy of his son Demaratus Agis also imitated in regard to his son Leotychides”
- with Lysander (Lysander and Agis jointly made an agreement with their allies against Athens.) “Lysander the son of Aristocritus and Agis violated the solemn oaths which the Lacedæmonians and Athenians had mutually sworn to observe, and at their own responsibility, and not at the bidding of the Spartan community, made an agreement with their allies to cut off Athens root and branch.”
Book 5 · Chapter 4
- with Xenias (Xenias's treachery occurred during Agis's incursion.) “And on the occasion of Agis making an incursion into Elis, when Xenias played the traitor”
Book 7 · Chapter 10
- with Xenias (Xenias attempted to betray Elis to Agis.) “Xenias, a native of Elis, endeavoured to betray Elis to the Lacedæmonians and Agis”
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Extracted from the original text of Pausanias' Description of Greece. Made with Rho MD.