Areus I

Areus I
Tetradrachm of Areus, minted c. 265 BC. The first Spartan coin.[1]
King of Sparta
Reign	309–265 BC
Predecessor	Cleomenes II
Successor	Acrotatus II

Areus I (Greek: Ἀρεύς; c. 320 or 312 – 265 BC) was Agiad King of Sparta from 309 to 265 BC. His reign is noted for his attempts to transform Sparta into an Hellenistic kingdom and to recover its former pre-eminence in Greece, notably against the kings Antigonos Gonatas of Macedonia and Pyrrhus of Epirus.

The first part of Areus' reign was dominated by the influence of his uncle and regent Cleonymus, a skilled general who campaigned in Greece and abroad at the head of mercenary armies. Areus' first record in the scanty ancient sources took place in 281 BC, when he led an alliance of Greek city-states to challenge Macedonian control over Greece, but was rapidly defeated by the Aitolian League (allied with Macedonia). In 275 BC, Cleonymus defected to Pyrrhus of Epirus, who launched an invasion of the Peloponnese in 272 BC. Areus nevertheless repelled the attack and pursued Pyrrhus until his death in Argos. Thanks to the prestige of this victory, Areus founded another alliance in 267 BC with Athens and Egypt against the Macedonian king Antigonos Gonatas. The following Chremonidean War was however a disaster for the Greeks; Areus died in battle near Corinth in 265 BC.

Although the military activity of Areus shows that Sparta had temporarily regained some of its former glory, the main interest of his reign is the introduction of Hellenistic features in the traditionally austere Sparta. For the first time in centuries, prominent artists are found in Sparta—likely attracted by the sponsorship of Areus, who probably built the first theatre of the city. Areus is also known as the king who first minted coins in Sparta, whereas money was hitherto banned. His posture as a Hellenistic king brought him considerable international prestige, but altered the constitutional order of the city, notably by eclipsing kings of the other Spartan dynasty.

In order to facilitate his recruitment of Jewish mercenaries, Areus claimed a shared ancestry with the Jews, who answered favourably and later repeatedly renewed their friendship with Sparta, even though the reality of this Spartan-Jewish connection is disputed.