Areus I.

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Areus I († 265 BC ) was king of Sparta . He ruled for 44 years from 309 to 265 BC. Chr.

Succession to the throne

Areus was the son of Akrotatos , the eldest son of King Cleomenes II of the house of the Agiads . Since Akrotatos died before Cleomenes, it came after the king's death in 309 BC. Between Areus and Cleonymos to disputes about the succession to the throne. The Gerusia decided that Areus should become king, and the ephors endowed Cleonymus with all sorts of powers so that he would not become Sparta's enemy.

Wars

280 BC A Greek alliance was formed on the initiative of Sparta. They wanted to free themselves together with their ally Ptolemy Keraunos from the supremacy of Antigonus II Gonatas . First Areus invaded Aetolia as a military leader with Spartan and Allied troops and devastated the Kirrhenian land, which the Aetolians, although it was the holy land of Apollo , used for agriculture. 500 Aetolian shepherds banded together and pursued the scattered attackers, allegedly killing 9000 of them, the others fled. A second campaign against the Aetolians failed because it was assumed that Sparta did not want to liberate Greece, but rather to rule it itself. The allies therefore did not send contingents.

272 BC BC transferred Areus to Crete to provide military support for the Gortynes . Cleonymos took advantage of Areus' absence and urged Pyrrhus of Epirus to attack Sparta. Pyrrhus invaded Laconia and devastated the country. But he did not succeed in conquering the city of Sparta. When Areus returned with 2000 soldiers, Pyrrhus withdrew and turned against Argos . Here he was killed fighting Antigonus.

Chremonic War

When Ptolemy II Philadelphos 267 BC BC moved against Athens to free it from the power of Antigonus, Areus supported him. But the enemy's troops hit them hard, so that they finally withdrew. Areus fell in 265 BC Near Corinth in battle with Antigonus. His son Akrotatos succeeded him. Two statues and an equestrian image of the Eleans were consecrated in Areus' honor in Olympia . Areus to a letter to the Jewish High Priest Onias I. wrote.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Diodor , Bibliothéke historiké , 20, 29.
  2. ^ Pausanias , Journeys in Greece , 3, 6, 2-6.
  3. ↑ Junianus Justinus , Historiarum Philippicarum libri XLIV , 24, 1.
  4. ↑ Plutarch , Pyrrhos , 26-29.
  5. ^ Pausanias, Travels in Greece , 1, 13, 5.
  6. ↑ Junianus Justinus, Historiarum Philippicarum libri XLIV , 26, 2.
  7. ↑ Plutarch, Agis , 3.
  8. ^ Pausanias, Journeys in Greece , 6, 12, 5; 6, 15, 9.
  9. ↑ 1 Makk 12.20  EU
predecessor Office successor
Cleomenes II King of Sparta
309–265 BC Chr. 		Akrotatos
personal data
SURNAME Areus I.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of Sparta
DATE OF BIRTH before 309 BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 265 BC Chr.