Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

GEROUSIA. GEROIUSIA. b73
oracle, exhibits the principal features of the Spartan It appears, therefore, to use the words of Muller,
polity: - Build a temple," says the Pythian that the popular assembly really possessed the
god, " to Ilellanian Zeus and Hellanian Athena; supreme political and legislative authority at Sparta,
divide the tribes, and institute thirty obas; ap- butit was so hampered and checked by the spirit
point a council with its princes; call an assembly of the constitution, that it could only exert its au(&areXAch Elv) between Babyca and Knakion, then thority within certain prescribed limits; so that
make a motion and depart; and let there be a the government of the state is often spoken of as
right of decision and power to the people" (&i4/e an aristocracy.
tpde Jc rluEY Kal Kcpros, Plut. Lyculy. 6; MIiiller, Besides the FctcXroala which we have just deDor. iii. 5. ~ 8). scribed, we read in later times of another
By this ordinance full power was given to the called the small assembly (Xen. Hell. iii. 3. ~ 18),
people to adopt or reject whatever was proposed which appears to have been convened on occato them by the king and other magistrates. It sions of emergency, or which were not of sufficient
was, however, found necessary to define this power importance to require the decision of the entire
more exactly, and the following clause, ascribed to body of citizens. This more select assembly was
the kings Theopompus and Polydorus, was added probably composed of the oYOo101, or superior citito the original rhetra, " but if the people should zens, or of some class enjoying a similar precefollow a crooked opinion the elders and the princes dence, together with some of the magistrates of
shall withdraw " ('robs 7rPEo'UeYEdEas seal a&pxa- the state [Ecc.LETI], and if, as appears to have
ye'Tas a&roor7i'rrpas {Ies). Plutarch (I. c.) in- been the case, it was convened more frequently
terprets these words to mean "' That in case the than the greater assembly, it is evident that an adpeople does not either reject or approve in toto a ditional restraint was thus laid upon the power of
measure proposed to them, the kings and council- the latter (Philo. Museumn, vol. ii. p. 65), the
lors should dissolve the assembly, and declare the functions of which must have been often superseded
proposed decree to be invalid." According to this by it.
interpretation, which is confirmed by some verses The preceding remarks will enable us to decide
in the Eunomia of Tyrtaeus, the assembly was not a question which has been raised, what was the
competent to originate any measures, but only to real nature of the constitution of Sparta? From
pass or reject, without modification, the laws and the expressions of Greek writers, every one would
decrees proposed by the proper authorities: a limi- at once answer that it was aristocratic; but it has
tation of its power, which almost determined the been asserted that the aristocracy at Sparta was an
character of the Spartan constitution, and justifies aristocracy of conquest, in which the conquering
the words of Demosthenes, who observed (c. Lep. people, or Dorians, stood towards the conquered,
p. 489. 20), that the yepovsia at Sparta was in or Achaians, in the relation of nobles to commons,
many respects supreme-Aeoanr'T-rs erei'r&, -roA- and that it was principally in this sense that the
Adg. All citizens above the age of thirty, who constitution of Sparta was so completely anti-popuwere not labouring under any loss of franchise, lar or oligarchical. (Arnold, Thtuc. Append. ii.)
were admissible to the general assembly or threAXa Now this indeed is true; but it seems no less true
(Plut. Lycsyg. 25), as it was called in the old Spar- that the Spartan government would have been
tarl dialect; but no one except public magistrates, equally called an oligarchy or aristocracy even if
and chiefly the ephors and kings, addressed the there had been no subject class at all, on account
people without being specially called upon. (Mul- of the disposition and administration of the soveler, Dor. iii. 4. ~ 11.) The same public functionaries reign power within the Spartan body alone. The
also put the question to the vote. (Thuc. i. 80. 87.) fact is, that in theory at least, the Spartan constituHence, as the magistrates only (ra TeAX or apXai) tion, as settled by Lycurgus, was a decided demowere the leaders and speakers of the assembly, cracy, with two hereditary officers, the generals of
decrees of the whole people are often spoken of as the commonwealth, at its head; but in practice (at
the decision of the authorities only, especially in least before the encroachments of the ephors) it
matters relating to foreign affairs. The intimate was a limited aristocracy; that is, it worked as if
connection of the ephors with the assembly is the supreme authority was settled in the hands of
shown by a phrase of very frequent occurrence in a minority. The principal circumstances which
decrees (Eao#, froe epots kal,r-f Ec'cAn/ia). justify us in considering it as such, are briefly " the
The method of voting was by acclamation; the restraints imposed upon the assembly, the extenplace of meeting between the brook Knakion and sive powers of the councillors, their election for
the bridge Babyca, to the west of the city, and en- life, their irresponsibility, the absence of written
closed. (Plut. Lyczug. 6.) The regular assemblies laws, of paid offices, of offices determined by lot,"
were held every fall moon; and on occasions of and other tlings thought by the Greeks characteremergency extraordinary meetings were convened. istic of a demilocracy. Independent of which we
(Herod. vii. 134.) must remember that Sparta was at the head of the
The whole people alone could proclaim " a war, oligarchical interest in Greece, arid always supconclude a peace, enter into an armistice for any ported, as at Corcyra and Argos, the oligarchical
length of time; and all negotiations with foreign party, in opposition to the democratic, which was
states, though conducted by the kings and ephors, aided by Athens. In fact Dr. Arnold himself obcould be ratified by the same authority only." With serves, that even in the relations of the conquering
regard to domestic affairs, tihe highest offices, such people among themselves the constitution was far
ais iagistracies and priesthoods, were filled " by less popular than at Athens. We must, however,
the votes of the people a disputed succession to bear in mind that the constitution, as settled by
the tilronie vWas decided upon by them; changes in Lycurgus, was completely altered in character by
the conistitution were proposed and explained, and the usurpation of the ephors. To such an extent
fall new laws, after a previous decree in the senate, was this the case, that Plato (Leg. iv. p. 713)
were confirmed by them," (MIiiller, Dor 4. ~ 9.) doubted whether the government at Sparta might