Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §6.57.1-6.57.5

Privileges and Judicial Powers of Spartan Kings in Peace

Passage 959 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Details the various privileges that the Spartan kings enjoy in times of peace, including double portions at public sacrifices, offerings for Apollo's temple, seats of honor, appointment of proxies, judicial power over heiresses and public roads, and voting rights in the council of elders.

§6.57.1ταῦτα μὲν τὰ ἐμπολέμια, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα τὰ εἰρηναῖα κατὰ τάδε σφι δέδοται. ἢν θυσίη τις δημοτελὴς ποιέηται, πρώτους ἐπὶ τὸ δεῖπνον ἵζειν τοὺς βασιλέας, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων πρῶτον ἄρχεσθαι διπλήσια νέμοντας ἑκατέρῳ τὰ πάντα ἢ τοῖσι ἄλλοισι δαιτυμόνεσι, καὶ σπονδαρχίας εἶναι τούτων καὶ τῶν τυθέντων τὰ δέρματα.
These are their privileges in war, and their other privileges in peace are given to them as follows: if any public sacrifice is offered, the kings are to sit down first at the feast, and the service is to begin first with them, serving to each of them double of everything that is given to the other guests, and the right of pouring the first libation belongs to them, as well as the hides of the animals sacrificed.
§6.57.2νεομηνίας δὲ πάσας καὶ ἑβδόμας ἱσταμένου τοῦ μηνὸς δίδοσθαι ἐκ τοῦ δημοσίου ἱρήιον τέλεον ἑκατέρῳ ἐς Ἀπόλλωνος καὶ μέδιμνον ἀλφίτων καὶ οἴνου τετάρτην Λακωνικήν, καὶ ἐν τοῖσι ἀγῶσι πᾶσι προεδρίας ἐξαιρέτους.
And on all new moons and on the seventh day of the waxing month, there is to be given to each of them from the public treasury a perfect victim for the temple of Apollo, and a medimnus of barley-meal, and a Laconian quart of wine; and at all the games they are to have privileged seats of honor.
καὶ προξείνους ἀποδεικνύναι τούτοισι προσκεῖσθαι τοὺς ἂν ἐθέλωσι τῶν ἀστῶν, καὶ Πυθίους αἱρέεσθαι δύο ἑκάτερον.
And they are to appoint the proxies, whomever of the citizens they wish to be assigned to this duty; and each of them is to choose two Pythians.
οἱ δὲ Πύθιοι εἰσὶ θεοπρόποι ἐς Δελφούς, σιτεόμενοι μετὰ τῶν βασιλέων τὰ δημόσια.
These Pythians are messengers sent to Delphi, who take their meals with the kings at the public expense.
§6.57.3μὴ ἐλθοῦσι δὲ τοῖσι βασιλεῦσι ἐπὶ τὸ δεῖπνον ἀποπέμπεσθαί σφι ἐς τὰ οἰκία ἀλφίτων τε δύο χοίνικας ἑκατέρῳ καὶ οἴνου κοτύλην, παρεοῦσι δὲ διπλήσια πάντα δίδοσθαι· τὠυτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς ἰδιωτέων κληθέντας ἐπὶ δεῖπνον τιμᾶσθαι.
But if the kings do not come to the dinner, there is to be sent to their houses to each of them two choinikes of barley-meal and a kotyle of wine; but if they are present, they are to be given double of everything; and they are to be honored in this same way when they are invited to dinner by private citizens.
§6.57.4τὰς δὲ μαντηίας τὰς γινομένας τούτους φυλάσσειν, συνειδέναι δὲ καὶ τοὺς Πυθίους.
And they are to keep the oracles that are given, and the Pythians also are to share in the knowledge of them.
δικάζειν δὲ μούνους τοὺς βασιλέας τοσάδε μοῦνα, πατρούχου τε παρθένου πέρι, ἐς τὸν ἱκνέεται ἔχειν, ἢν μή περ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτὴν ἐγγυήσῃ, καὶ ὁδῶν δημοσιέων πέρι· §6.57.5καὶ ἤν τις θετὸν παῖδα ποιέεσθαι ἐθέλῃ, βασιλέων ἐναντίον ποιέεσθαι.
And the kings alone are to judge these cases only: concerning an heiress (patrouchos), as to whom it belongs to have her, if her father has not betrothed her; and concerning public roads; and if anyone wishes to adopt a son, he must do so in the presence of the kings.
καὶ παρίζειν βουλεύουσι τοῖσι γέρουσι ἐοῦσι δυῶν δέουσι τριήκοντα· ἢν δὲ μὴ ἔλθωσι, τοὺς μάλιστά σφι τῶν γερόντων προσήκοντας ἔχειν τὰ τῶν βασιλέων γέρεα, δύο ψήφους τιθεμένους, τρίτην δὲ τὴν ἑωυτῶν.
And they are to sit in council with the elders, who are twenty-eight in number; and if they do not come, those of the elders who are most nearly related to them are to have the privileges of the kings, casting two votes, and a third which is their own.

Notes

  1. 6.57.1νέμοντας — An accusative plural participle referring to the implicit servers. It functions as the grammatical subject, in the accusative, of the passive/middle infinitive ἄρχεσθαι.
  2. 6.57.2ἐς Ἀπόλλωνος — A common classical ellipsis where the noun for "temple" (ἱρόν) is omitted after the genitive Ἀπόλλωνος, meaning "into the temple of Apollo."
  3. 6.57.4ἐς τὸν ἱκνέεται ἔχειν — "To the one whom it falls to have (marry) her." The impersonal verb ἱκνέεται ("it reaches/falls to") governs the infinitive ἔχειν ("to have/marry") and the relative pronoun τὸν (whose antecedent "the suitor" is omitted).
  4. 6.57.5δυῶν δέουσι τριήκοντα — Literally "thirty wanting two," meaning twenty-eight. A standard Greek numerical expression where the present participle δέουσι ("lacking") governs the genitive of the numeral δυῶν ("two").

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.57.1-6.57.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.57.1-6.57.5

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