La royauté à Sparte de Ménélas à Nabis : fondements, pratiques et représentations

Spartan dual kingship is one of the most astonishing aspects of Sparta's constitution: despite the vicissitudes of history, it was perpetuated with a certain constancy in a particular political system from its mythical origins to its evolution into a monarchy and disappearance in the Hellenistic period. This preservation has been achieved at the cost of constantly reinventing the representation of kings and their institutional function.

Indeed, there are two hereditary kings, belonging to two houses, according to two distinct genealogies, both descending from Zeus, Herakles and to a certain extent Menelaus, by way of Helen (and her twin brothers); however, the principles of Spartan kingship are not limited to institutional diarchy. The basileia in Sparta is not a mere archè, a royal magistracy or even " a sort of military command vested in generals with absolute powers and held for life" (Arist., Pol. 1285a7). Nor is it the equivalent of the Greek tyranny of the Archaic or Classical periods. And even in Hellenistic times, Nabis reminds Flamininus that in the past, instead of tyrant, the Romans called him king (Liv. 34.31.13). Through their religious, military, political and judicial prerogatives/powers, by their specific way of life from their education to their funerals, and above all by their intrinsic and particular charisma, the two Lacedemonian kings never ceased to conquer "prestige [...] in spite of the limits imposed by the laws on the powers of this kingship" (Cloché 1949).

This international conference seeks to take stock of this institution, its embodiment and its prestige. To our knowledge, royal power in Sparta has not been the subject of a conference or monograph since the studies of Pierre Carlier (1984, 2008) and Paul Cartledge (1987, 2001); the most recent updates are those of Ellen Millender (2009, 2018).

Reflections will focus on :

• the mythical and political origins of the royal dyarchy, and its originality in the Mediterranean world.
• the dyarchy functioned and/or malfunctioned as a result of succession quarrels or antagonisms between royal families: was it a factor of stability or instability within the regime?
• the ceremonial attributions and rites that surround the office, as well as the practices of powers according to the actors and historical circumstances, over the long term.
• the representation – key feature of the Spartan "mirage" or not? – or even the reappropriation of Spartan kingship through Athenocentric (Isocrates, Plato, Aristotle, etc.), Hellenistic and Roman viewpoints.

Organization

• Jean-Christophe Couvenhes, maître de conférences en Histoire grecque, Sorbonne Université, unité mixte de recherche "Anthropologie et histoire des mondes antiques (AnHiMA)"
• Pierre Pontier, maître de conférences habilité à diriger des recherches en littérature grecque, unité de recherche "Édition, Interprétation, Traduction des Textes Anciens (EDITTA)", Sorbonne Université

Speakers

• Carol Atack, Newnham College et University of Cambridge
• Andrew Bayliss, University of Birmingham
• Nancy Bouidghaghen, Université Paris XIII et University of Nottingham
• Louise Brouard, Sorbonne Université
• Jacqueline Christien, Université Paris Nanterre
• Jean-Christophe Couvenhes, Sorbonne Université
• Philip Davies, University of Nottingham
• Adrien Delahaye, Université Paul Valéry, Montpellier
• Louis-André Dorion, Université de Montréal
• Michèle Ducos, Sorbonne Université
• Olivier Gengler, Académie des Sciences de Heidelberg et Université de Tübingen
• Catherine Grandjean, Université de Tours
• Ariane Guieu-Coppolani, Sorbonne Université
• Noreen Humble, University of Calgary
• Ioanna Kralli, Ionian University
• Bernard Legras, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
• Marcello Lupi, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”
• Ellen Millender, Reed College, Portland
• Annalisa Paradiso, Università della Basilicata
• Pierre Pontier, Sorbonne Université
• Vassiliki Pothou, Universität Regensburg
• Nicolas Richer, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon

Event partners

This event is organized with the support of the “Edition, Interprétation, Traduction des Textes Anciens (EDITTA)” research unit, the “Anthropologie et histoire des mondes antiques” (AnHIMA) joint research unit, Sorbonne Université's “Mondes antiques et médiévaux” doctoral school, Sorbonne Université and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UFR “École d'histoire de la Sorbonne”).