leonidas

Character Leonidas


 * Leonidas** was a king of [|Sparta], the 17th of the [|Agiad] line, one of the sons of King [|Anaxandridas II] of Sparta, who was believed in mythology to be a descendant of [|Heracles], possessing much of the latter's strength and bravery. The date of Leonidas' birth is not known, although [|Paul Cartledge] argues he must have been born around [|540 BC]. This, however, would have made Leonidas 60 at his death and his wife would have been more than 40 years younger than he - something that would have been extremely exceptional in Spartan society. Furthermore, the fact that his son was still a minor at the time of his death is another indicator that he may have been considerably younger than Carledge hypothesizes since Spartan men were expected to marry before the age of 30. Had Leonidas been born in 540, he should have had adult sons and even grandsons by 480.

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soldier general

emperor