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The Gerousia (γερουσία) was the council of elders in ancient Sparta. Sometimes called Spartan senate in the literature, it was made up of the two Spartan kings, plus 28 men over the age of sixty, known as gerontes. The Gerousia was a prestigious body, holding extensive judicial and legislative powers, which shaped Sparta's policies.
The Byzantine senate or Eastern Roman senate (Greek: Σύγκλητος, Synklētos, or Γερουσία, Gerousia) was a continuation of the Roman Senate, established in the 4th century by Constantine I. It survived for centuries, but the senate's powers varied greatly during its history and gradually diminished until its eventual ...
The Spartan Constitution (or Spartan politeia) are the government and laws of the classical Greek city-state of Sparta.All classical Greek city-states had a politeia; the politeia of Sparta however, was noted by many classical authors for its unique features, which supported a rigidly layered social system and a strong hoplite army.
An example of the ancient Greek gerontocracy can be seen in the city-state of Sparta, which was ruled by a Gerousia, a council made up of members who were at least 60 years old and who served for life.
The breakdown of the Gerousia's final vote is known (an exceptional occurrence in Spartan history): the 28 gerontes were evenly divided, but Agis cast his vote against his colleague. Pausanias was nonetheless saved by the ephors, who unanimously voted in his favour, but the reason behind this support is unknown. [31]
Lycurgus (/ l aɪ ˈ k ɜːr ɡ ə s /; Ancient Greek: Λυκοῦργος Lykourgos) was the legendary lawgiver of Sparta, credited with the formation of its eunomia (' good order '), [1] involving political, economic, and social reforms to produce a military-oriented Spartan society in accordance with the Delphic oracle.
The ekklesia was responsible for electing men to the gerousia for life. Candidates were selected from the aristocrats and presented before the apella. The candidate who received the loudest applause became a member of the gerousia. The ekklesia also elected the five ephors annually. Ephors presided over meetings of the gerousia and the apella.
The perioeci were free, unlike the helots, but were not full Spartan citizens. They lived in their own cities in the perioecis , which were described by ancient authors as poleis . [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] These cities were under the control of the Spartan state, [ 7 ] but were self-governing on domestic issues.