Ariston of Sparta facts for kids

Ariston was a king of ancient Sparta, a powerful city-state in Greece. He was the 14th king from the Eurypontid royal family. His father was Agasicles. Ariston ruled around 560 BCE to 510 BCE. We know about him mostly from the writings of two ancient historians, Herodotus and Pausanias.

King Ariston's Family and Reign

Ariston is mainly remembered for the story of his son, Demaratus. Demaratus later became king after Ariston. However, there was a question about whether Demaratus was truly Ariston's son.

The Mystery of Demaratus's Birth

Ariston had been married twice, but he had no children with either wife. He had a close friend named Agetus. Ariston admired Agetus's wife very much. He came up with a clever plan to marry her. He tricked his friend into agreeing to a trade. Ariston would give Agetus anything he wanted from Ariston's belongings. In return, Ariston would marry Agetus's wife.

After Ariston married her, she became pregnant. A son was born ten months later. When Ariston first heard about the birth, he counted the months. He said the child could not be his. He said this in front of the ephors, who were important Spartan officials.

Ariston soon regretted what he said. His wife explained that not all pregnancies last exactly nine months. The boy was named Demaratus. This name means "prayed for by the people." As Demaratus grew up, Ariston accepted him as his son. He loved him very much. After Ariston died, Demaratus became the next Eurypontid king of Sparta.

A Challenge to the Throne

Ariston's earlier outburst was remembered. Later, another Spartan king, Cleomenes, used it. Cleomenes challenged Demaratus's right to be king. He claimed Demaratus was not Ariston's true son. This caused a big problem for Demaratus's rule.

Wise Words from King Ariston

Ariston is also known for some wise sayings. These sayings show his cleverness and good judgment.

What Makes a Good King?

Someone once praised King Cleomenes. Cleomenes had said a good king should "do good turns to his friends, and evil to his enemies." Ariston heard this and replied, "Much better is it, sir, to do good to our friends, and make our enemies our friends!" This means it's better to turn enemies into friends than to harm them. Many people believe the famous Greek philosopher Socrates said this first. But Ariston is also given credit for it.

How Many Spartans?

Another time, someone asked Ariston how many Spartans there were. He gave a very confident answer. He said, "Enough to chase our enemies." This showed the strength and bravery of the Spartan army. It meant they had enough warriors to defeat any foe.

Praising Spartan Warriors

An Athenian speaker was giving a speech. He was praising Athenians who had died fighting the Spartans. Ariston listened to the speech. Then he said, "What brave fellows then were ours, that conquered these." This was a clever way to praise his own Spartan warriors. He pointed out that if the Athenians were brave, then the Spartans who defeated them must have been even braver.