harmost
Sign in to saveHarmost () was a Spartan term for a military governor. The Spartan general Lysander instituted several harmosts during the period of Spartan hegemony after the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC. They were sent into their subject or conquered towns, partly to keep them in submission, and partly to abolish the democratic form of government, and establish oligarchies instead.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- military position
- Country of origin
- Sparta
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- native label
- ἁρμοστής
- described by source
- Pauly–Wissowa
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Harmost () was a Spartan term for a military governor. The Spartan general Lysander instituted several harmosts during the period of Spartan hegemony after the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC. They were sent into their subject or conquered towns, partly to keep them in submission, and partly to abolish the democratic form of government, and establish oligarchies instead.
In the peace of Antalcidas the Lacedaemonians pledged to reestablish free governments in their subject towns, but they nevertheless continued to install harmosts in them. Even Xenophon, generally pro-Spartan, censured the Spartans for the manner in which they allowed their harmosts to govern.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “harmost” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.