(), the 16th king of Sparta in the Agid line, was
born to Anaxandrides by his second wife, previous to the birth by his first of Dorieus,
Leonidas, and Cleombrotus. [ANAXANDRIDES.] He accordingly, on his
father's death, succeeded, not later it would seem than 519 B. C., and reigned for a period of
29 years. (Clinton, F. H. ii. p. 208.)
In
In 510 Cleomenes commanded the forces by whose assistance Hippias was driven from Athens,
and not long after he took part in the struggle between Cleisthenes and the aristocratical
party of Isagoras by sending a herald with orders, pointed against Cleisthenes, for the
expulsion of all who were stained with the pollution of Cylon. He followed this step by coming
and driving out, in person, 700 households, substituting also for the new Council of 500 a
body of 300 partisans of Isagoras. But his force was small, and having occupied the acropolis
with his friends, he was here besieged, and at last forced to depart on conditions, leaving
his allies to their fate. In shame and anger he hurried to collect Spartan and allied forces,
and set forth for his revenge. At Eleusis, however, when the Athenians were in sight, the
Corinthians refused to proceed; their example was followed by his brother-king Demaratus; and
on this the other allies also, and with them Cleomenes, withdrew. When in the acropolis at
Athens, he is related to have attempted, as an Achaean, to enter the temple, from which
Dorians were excluded, and to have hence brought back with him to Sparta a variety of oracles
predictive of his country's future relations with Athens; and their contents, says Herodotus,
induced the abortive attempt which the Spartans made soon after to restore the tyranny of
Hippias. (
In 500, Sparta was visited by Aristagoras, a petitioner for aid to the revolted Ionians. His
brazen map and his accompanying representations
In 491 the heralds of Dareius came demanding earth and water from the Greeks; and Athens
denounced to Sparta the submission of the Aeginetans. Cleomenes went off in consequence to
Aegina, and tried to seize certain parties as hostages. Meantime Demaratus, with whom he had
probably been on bad terms ever since the retreat from Eleusis, sent private encouragements to
the Aeginetans to resist him, and took further advantage of his absence to intrigue against
him at home. Cleomenes returned unsuccessful, and now leagued himself with Leotychides, and
effected his colleague's deposition. [DEMARATUS.] (
His madness and death, says Herodotus, were ascribed by the Spartans to the habit he
acquired from some Scythian visitors at Sparta of excessive drinking. Others found a reason in
his acts of sacrilege at Delphi or Eleusis, where he laid waste a piece of sacred land (the
Orgas), or again at Argos, the case of which was as follows. Cleomenes
invaded Argolis, conveying his forces by sea to the neighbourhood of Tiryns; defeated by a
simple stratagem the whole Argive forces, and pursued a large number of fugitives into the
wood of the hero Argus. Some of them he drew from their refuge on false pretences, the rest he
burnt among the sacred trees. He however made no attempt on the city, but after sacrificing to
the Argive Juno, and whipping her priestess for opposing his will, returned home and excused
himself, and indeed was acquitted after investigation, on the ground that the oracle
predicting that he should capture Argos had been fulfilled by the destruction of the grove of
Argus. Such is the strange account given by Herodotus (Mor. p. 245; s.v.
TELESILLA.]
Herodotus appears ignorant of it, though he gives an oracle seeming to refer to it. It is
perfectly probable that Cleomenes thus received some check, and we must remember the Spartan
incapacity for sieges. The date again is doubtful. Pausanias, (
The life of Cleomenes, as graphically given by Herodotus is very curious; we may perhaps,
without much imputation on the father of history, suspect that his love for personal story has
here a little coloured his narrative. Possibly he may have somewhat mistaken his character;
certainly the freedom of action allowed to a king whom the Spartans were at first half
inclined to put aside for the younger brother Dorieus, and who was always accounted half-mad
(Dor. 1.8.6; Clinton, Lysistr. 272.)