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Cleomenes I
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==Herodotus' account== Most of the life of Cleomenes is known through the ''[[Histories (Herodotus)|Histories]]'' of [[Herodotus]], an Athenian historian of the second half of the 5th century.<ref>Cartledge, ''Sparta and Lakonia'', p. 124, "Herodotus provides us with practically all our information on Kleomenes".</ref> He is one the most important characters of books 5 and 6, covering the decades before the [[Greco-Persian Wars|Persian Wars]].<ref>Hornblower, ''Herodotus, Book V'', pp. 12, 13.</ref> Herodotus' account however contains many mistakes, especially on the chronology of several major events, and is also very biased against Cleomenes.<ref>Ste. Croix, "Herodotus and King Cleomenes", p. 421, writes "I believe that Herodotus’ picture of Cleomenes, overall, is gravely inadequate and in parts misleading".</ref> It seems that Herodotus got his information on Cleomenes from his opponents: the descendants of his half-brothers [[Leonidas I|Leonidas]] and [[Cleombrotus (regent)|Cleombrotus]], as well as those of [[Demaratus]], the other Spartan king who was deposed by Cleomenes in 491.<ref>Cartledge, ''Sparta and Lakonia'', pp. 123, 124.</ref><ref>Hornblower, ''Herodotus, Book V'', p. 221, mentions that Herodotus could have spoken with the descendants of Demaratus in Asia Minor, where they lived.</ref> Herodotus for instance states that Cleomenes' reign was short; however he ruled for about 30 years.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /> Demaratus conversely receives positive treatment in the ''Histories'', even though he betrayed to the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persians]] during the [[First Persian invasion of Greece|First Invasion of Greece]].<ref name=":0" /> [[Paul Cartledge]] writes that Cleomenes suffered from a ''[[damnatio memoriae]]'' from the Spartans, notably for having corrupted the [[Pythia|Oracle]] of [[Delphi]] in 491.<ref name=":10">Cartledge, ''Sparta and Lakonia'', p. 130.</ref> Other historians, however, identify aspects of the Herodotean account which do not conform with the negative portrayal of Cleomenes by his opponents, demonstrating that his account was not totally influenced by them.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Osborne |first=Robin |date=2009-03-16 |title=Greece in the Making 1200-479 BC |url=https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203880173 |doi=10.4324/9780203880173|isbn=978-0-203-88017-3 }}</ref> The mistake of Cleomenes' reign has often been identified as a fault of the text, rather than of Herodotus: Wilson's 2015 edition of the text therefore amends the passage by adding ἔτι, meaning still or yet, so that it reads "Cleomenes did not reign ''for much longer''".<ref>Hdt. 5.48; Wilson, N. (ed.), ''Herodoti Hidtoriae Libri V-IX, Oxford Classical Texts, Oxford University Press, Oxford.''</ref> Elsewhere, Cleomenes dutifully reports to the ephors about an attempt to bribe him,<ref>Hdt. 3.148</ref> and, when campaigning at [[Eleusis (Boeotia)|Eleusis]], it is [[Demaratus]] who unfaithfully deserts him.<ref>Hdt. 5.74-5</ref> Herodotus even explicitly states at one point that, unlike Demeratus, Cleomenes was "working for the common good of Greece".<ref>Hdt. 6.61</ref>
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