Creation Two different accounts of the origins of the ephorate exist in ancient sources. The earliest account is found in the
Histories of
Herodotus, who traces its origins to the mythical Spartan lawgiver
Lycurgus—a version followed by
Xenophon,
Plato, or
Isocrates. A diverging version first appears in the
Politics, written in the middle of the 4th century BC by
Aristotle, who tells that the ephorate was created by the Spartan king
Theopompos. This version is then more prevalent in subsequent authors, such as
Cicero, and especially
Plutarch. Modern scholars have identified the source of the second version in a lost work written by the
Agiad king
Pausanias after he had been forced to abdicate and go into exile in 394 BC. In this
logos, Pausanias likely published Lycurgus' laws, including the
Rhetra, which details the different element of the
Spartan constitution (
kings,
gerousia, and
Assembly), but does not mention the ephors. It has therefore been suggested that Pausanias was hostile to the ephors, to whom he possibly attributed his banishment, and published the Rhetra to discredit their office. Although the contents of this
logos and Pausanias' motivations remain disputed, most modern scholars think the ephors were created at the time of Theopompos, during the
Messenian Wars. However, since
Ancient Thera had ephors despite having been settled by the Dorians as early as the 9th century, this could indicate that the officials had already existed by then in some form. According to Plutarch, the ephorate was born out of the necessity for leaders while the kings of Sparta were absent for long periods during the
Messenian Wars. The ephors were elected by the
popular assembly, and all citizens were eligible. The position of ephor was the only political office open to the whole
damos (populace) of men between the ages of 30–60, so eligible Spartans highly sought after the position. They were forbidden to be re-elected and provided a balance for the two kings, who rarely co-operated.
Plato called the ephors
tyrants, who ran Sparta as
despots while the kings were little more than generals. Up to two ephors would accompany a king on extended military campaigns as a sign of control, and they held the authority to declare war during some periods in Spartan history. Since political and economic decisions were made by majority vote, Sparta's policy could change quickly, when the vote of one ephor changed. For example, in 403 BC,
Pausanias convinced three of the ephors to send an army to
Attica, a complete reversal of the policy of Lysander. According to Aristotle, the ephors frequently came from poverty because any Spartan citizen could hold the position, and it was not exclusive to the upper-class. Aristotle stated that because of this they were often liable to corruption. There were times when the legal power of an ephor was taken advantage of, such as with
Alcibiades's use of
Endius, who persuaded the Spartans to allow Alcibiades to take control of Sparta's peace mission to
Athens in 420 BC.
Cleomenes III abolished the position of ephor in 227 BC, and replaced them with a position called the
patronomos. Cleomenes's coup resulted in the death of four of the five ephors, along with ten other citizens. His abolition of the ephorship allowed him to cement his role as king and prevent anyone from stopping his political reforms. However, the ephorate was restored by the
Macedonian King Antigonus III Doson after the
Battle of Sellasia in 222 BC. Although Sparta fell under Roman rule in 146 BC, the position existed into the 2nd century AD, when it was likely abolished by
Roman Emperor Hadrian and superseded by imperial governance as part of the
province of Achaea. == Election ==