The kingly authority existed at Sparta from the time of the con quest of the Peloponnesus by the Spartans, and was always shared by two persons at the same time. The two kings were the successive representatives of the two royal families descended from Eurysthenes and Prudes, the twin sons of Aristodemus, under whom time conquest of Laconia was achieved. (Herod. vi. 52.) The constitutional powers of the kings were very limited. They presided over the council of elders (Herod. vi. 57; Thucyd. i. 20), and the vote of each counted for no more than that of a private senator. They had the right of addressing the public assembly ; they sat as judges in a separate court of their own, where they decided upon private matters of importance. They were the commanders of the Spartan forces, and had the power of choosing from among the citizens persons to act as Proxcni, or protectors of foreigners visiting Sparta. When they had once crossed the borders of Laconia at the bead of their forces, their authority became unlimited ; on their return home, however, they were accountable for their conduct as generals. In fact in some instances the kings were dethroned or punished for misconduct and mismanagement as generals. They were not allowed to conclude treaties, or to determine the fate of cities, without communicating with the authorities at home. In the most ancient times the two kings had a joint command, but this led to inconvenience, and a law was passed, that in future one only of the two kings should have the command of the army on foreign service. The Spartan kings united the characters of priest and king (Herod. vi. 50), and officiated as high priest of the nation at all the public sacrifices offered for the state. On the accession of a king, all debts due from private indi viduals, to the state or the king, were remitted : and on the death of one of the kings, his funeral solemnities were celebrated by the whole community. There was a general mourning and suspension of all public business fur ten days. (Herod. vi. 58.) The senate (Oerusia) or council of elders was the aristocratical element of the constitution, and not peculiar to Sparta alone, but also found in other Dorian states. It included the two kings, who sat as presidents, and consisted of 30 tnemb<11, 10 from each of the three tribes, and one from each of the divieions called oboe. It was confined to men of distinguished character and station : no one was eligible to it till ho was 60 years of age (nuts, 'Isycur.,' 26), cud the additional qualifications were also of an aristocratic) nature. (Arise, PoL,' u.
6, 15.) The election was determined by vote, and the office was holden for life, and irresponsible. The duties of the councillors were deliberative, judicial, and exeoutive. In the first capacity they pre pared measures and passed preliminary laws, which were laid before the popular assembly. As a criminal court they could punish with death or degradation, and that too without being restrained by a code of written laws. (Arise, 'Pol.,' ii. 6.) They also appear to have exercised a judicial superintendence and censorship over the lives and manners of the citizens (Aul. Gell. xviii. 3), and probably were allowed a kind of patriarchal authority to enforce the observance of ancient usage and discipline. (Thid., 'Hist. of Greece,' i. p. 318.) The Ekklesia, or general assembly of the Spartan citizens, was not competent to originate any measure, but only to adopt or reject without alteration the laws and measures submitted to it by the proper authod. ties, a limitation which almost fixed the character of the Spartan con stitution, and justifies an observation of Demosthenes (' Dept.,' p. 4S9), that the Spartan senate was in many respects supreme. All citizens above the age of 30, not labouring under any disabilities, were admissible to the Ekklesia, or Apella, as it was called in the old Doriau dialect; but except magistrates, and especially the ephors and kings, no one addressed the people without being called upon. The same public officers also put the question to the vote; and as the magis trates only were the speakers and leaders of the assembly, the reso lutions of the whole people are (particularly in foreign matters) spoken of as the decrees of those authoritiea alone. The voting was by acclamation. The regular meetings were holden every full moon, and in cases of emorgency extraordinary assemblies were called.
The popular assembly alone had the power to "proclaim a war, conclude a peace, enter into an armistice for any length of time, and all negotiations with foreign powers, though conducted by the kings and ephors, could be ratified by the same authority only." (Muller, 'Dorians.') The highest officers of the state, such as magistracies and priesthoode, were filled up "by the votes of the people ; cases of disputed succession to the throne were decided by them ; changes in the constitution were proposed before them, and all new laws, after a previous resolution of the senate, were ratified by them." Accord ing to the theory of the constitution, the Ekklesia possessed the supreme political and legislative authority at Sparta, but subject to so many checks and limitations, that the government of the state is often spoken of as an aristocracy. One of these limitations was the
Ephoralty, a power apparently foreign to the constitution as esta blished by Lycurgus, and which appears in the first instance to have owed its aggrandisement to the connection established between itself and the assembly. In after times it encroached upon and overpowered the royal authority, and became the supporter of oligarchical prin ciples and privileges.
The free citizens of the community were divided into two classes : one composed of the Spartans, or descendants of the Dorian con querors of Laconia, and other individuals from time to time, but sparingly, associated with them; the other, of a subject population, living not in the city, but in the country, and called Periceci, or 'dwellers round,' who, though personally free, were denied all political privileges, the government and administration of the state being confined to the Spartans exclusively.
In theory and name, the constitution as settled by Lycurgus was a democracy, with two hereditary magistrates at its head; but in practice (at least before the encroachments of the ephoralty) it worked as if the supreme authority had been placed in the hands of a minority, and therefore was in reality a limited aristocracy, inde pendent and irrespective of the relation between the subject and tho ruling classes. From his very birth every Spartan boy was treated as the child of the state, and as such was liable to be exposed to die at the discretion of his father's kin, if be was a deformed or sickly infant. In his earliest years he was not left entirely to the manage. meet of his parents, though under their care, and at the age of seven be entered upon a course of public discipline, increasing in severity as he approached manhood; and as this education had only one end in view, that of training citizens to serve and defend their country, the discipline was in every respect subservient to this object. No accomplishments or arts, except of a military character, were taught, while every effort was made to ensure military skill, activity, fortitude, and bravery. The Spartan was to be taught both to dare and to bear with fortitude ; and for this purpose lie was inured from his youth to a coarse and scanty fare, to insufficient clothing, to self-denial, and the severest trials of pain and hardship. (` Cicero, 'Tue. Qurest.' v. 27.) By another custom, the Spartan youths were compelled, sometimes from hunger, sometimes at the command of their captaine, to get provisions or anything else by foraging in the fields or plundering houses ; if sneceesful, they retained their spoil, and were honoured with praise ; if detected, they were punished, not for the attempt, but for their want of ingenuity. They were taught music, to sing, and to play on the flute and the harp, but only with the view of forming their moral tastes ; and therefore the airs and the songs that they learnt were of a sacred or martial character. Hence the poetry of Homer was in very early times introduced iuto Sparta ; and Tyrtecus, the martial poet, was held in especial honour, as animating and encouraging their youth. Gymnastic dancing also formed a part of Spartan education; and the Pyrrhic dance was taught to boys as a warlike exercise, imitative of the movements and actions of a com batant in battle. But the lessons most strongly impressed upon the young Spartan, and the duties moat carefully inculcated, were those of modesty, obedience, and respect to rank and age. Together with all this, the young Spartan was impressed, both by precept and example, with a sense of shame; and taught to consider dishonour and disgrace as more terrible than death, when met either for the honour or at the command of his country. At the expiration of eighteen years, the Spartan youths passed from boyhood; and from this period to thirty they were considered to be in a state of transition to manhood. At twenty they served in the ranks. ('Dorian,' iv. 5, 3.) Even after maturity the Spartans were still expected to employ them selves in gymnastic exercises and amusements. (Yen., `Da Rep. Lacon.,' v. 7.) Nor were they exempt from military service till sixty. The last years of their life were spent in the service of the community, in the council of the Geriasia, or in superintending the education of the young ; and nowhere, it has been remarked by Cicero, had old ago a more agreeable or more honourable position than at Sparta. Another important feature of the Spartan institutions was the Syasitia, or public meals, in which all the citizens of a suitable age joined. The guests were divided into societies, or clubs, generally of fifteen men ; any vacancy was filled by ballot, and unanimous consent was requisite for the admission of new members. The repast of each club was of a frugal and temperate character, but enlivened by social and cheerful conversation, and the entertainment was provided by the contributions of the individual members.