Harmoste

The harmostes ( harmotês or harmostêr , in Greek, literally " conciliating ") were Magistrat S Spartans charged to control the garrisons established in a durable way by their city through the Greece. It would seem that the use of the word " harmoste" that is to say however older, and initially appointed magistrates perhaps sent in the périèques cities to ensure the tender of those Sparte.

History

The first mention d´harmostes with the new direction of the term, goes up with -421, at the time of the installation of a garrison in the cities of Amphipolis and of Torone (in Thrace), subjected by Brasidas. Hitherto, it had not been established permanent garrisons.

Sparte seizes also the occasion of the Athenian rout in Sicily (of -415 with -413), to accelerate the installation of harmostes, but the increase in the number of the garrisons became especially sensitive after the victory Spartan against Athens to Aigos Potamos (in -405). Everywhere where Sparte imposed its authority, Lysandre was charged by the éphore S with installing harmostes at the same time as Oligarchie S directed by colleges of ten magistrates resulting from the local Hétairie S.

The harmostes were subjected to the éphores and had themselves the role of supervising the action of the generals, like giving their support for oligarchies. Athens was the object of an special attention on behalf of the harmostes, whose garrisons framed its territory in addition to occupying the center of it: the harmoste Kallibios was indeed installed on l´ Acropole and supported the Thirty.

Speaker on any subject, and often with brutality or at least with awkwardness, the harmostes left a bad memory to the cities occupied and contributed to demolish the image of Sparte at the same time as to restore those of Athens everywhere in Greece. This is why, when the éphores started to worry about the harmful effects of their policy, they congédièrent several harmostes after having removed between -399 and -396, the oligarchical colleges which controlled the cities d´ Asia Mineure under their control.

However, Agésilas seems to have restored the harmostes practically at once, at the time of its countryside in Asia Mineure (of -396 with -395). It is while benefitting from the recall of Agésilas with Sparte in -394, that Athens dislodged the harmostes of Aegean space.

A first payment was tried at the time of the peace of Antalcidas, but if Sparte seemed obtempérer (new recall of the harmostes of minor Asia), it persisted in installing garrisons (in -383, on the Cadmée, after the catch of Thèbes). In the facts, in spite of a new agreement made with Athens in -374, Sparte withdrew all its harmostes only after its defeat of Leuctres vis-a-vis Thèbes in - 371.

Source

Definition on the '' Dictionnaire of Greek and Roman Antiquities of Daremberg and Saglio ''

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