An ephor (Classical Greek Ἔφορος) (from the Greek ἐπί, epi, on or over, and ὁράω, horaō, to see, i.e. one who oversees, a supervisor) was an official of ancient Sparta. There were five ephors elected annually, who swore each month to uphold the rule of the two kings, while the kings swore to uphold the law. The History of Greece extends back to the arrival of the Greeks in Europe some time before 1500 BC, even though there has only been an independent state called Greece since Turkey, Italy and Libya. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Sparta was an important Greek city-state in the Peloponnesus. ...

Herodotus claimed that the institution was created by Lycurgus, but it may have arisen from the need for governors while the kings were leading armies in battle. The ephors were elected by the popular assembly, and all citizens were eligible for election. They were forbidden to present themselves for reelection. They provided a balance for the two kings, who rarely cooperated with each other. Plato called them tyrants who ran Sparta as despots, while the kings were little more than generals. Bust of Herodotus at Naples Herodotus of Halicarnassus (Greek: , Herodotos) was a historian who lived in the 5th century BC (484 BC-ca. ... Lycurgus Lycurgus (Gk. ... For other uses, see Plato (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Despotism is government by a singular authority, either a single person or tightly knit group, which rules with absolute power. ...

The ephors presided over meetings of the Gerousia, the oligarchic council of elders. They were in charge of civil trials, taxation, the calendar, foreign policy, and military training for young men. The year was named after one of them, like the eponymous archon of Athens. Two ephors accompanied the army in battle, and they could arrest and imprison the kings for misconduct during war. The ephors were also considered to be personally at war with the helots, so that they could imprison or execute any of them for any reason at any time without having to bring them to trial or violate religious rituals. The Gerousia was the Spartan senate. ... Oligarchy is a form of government where most or all political power effectively rests with a small segment of society (typically the most powerful, whether by wealth, family, military strength, ruthlessness, or political influence). ... This is a list of the eponymous archons of Athens. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ... Helots were Peloponnesian Greeks who were enslaved under Spartan rule. ...

Cleomenes III abolished the ephors in 227 BC, but they were restored by the Macedonian king Antigonus III Doson after the Battle of Sellasia. The position existed into the 2nd century AD when it was probably abolished by the Roman emperor Hadrian. Cleomenes III was the son of Leonidas II. He became King of Sparta in 235 BC. He continued the reforms of Agis IV. Less squeamish than his predecessor, in 227 BC the opposition in Sparta were removed in a coup - four of the five ephors were killed and eighty opponents... style=color: #FFFFFF;>Your Role in the Fantasy <input type=hidden name=un value=TheBlueParadox><input type=hidden name=meme value=1073256105></form> ... Macedon (also known as Macedonia) was an ancient kingdom in the present-day territory of northern Greece and a small part of the republic of Macedonia, inhabited by the Ancient Macedonians. ... Antigonus III Doson (263 BC-221 BC), was king of Macedonia from 229 BC-221 BC. He belonged to the Antigonid dynasty. ... // Antigonus Doson and the Hellenic League with Cleomenes III The Battle of Sellasia was a war that took place in 222 BC between the armies of Antigonus III Doson, King of Macedonia and Cleomenes III, King of Sparta, the Spartan Forces were massacred and Cleomenes fled to Egypt. ... The 2nd century is the period from 101 - 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... Roman Emperor is the term historians use to refer to rulers of the Roman Empire, after the epoch conventionally named the Roman Republic. ... Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus (January 24, 76–July 10, 138), known as Hadrian in English, was Roman emperor from 117–138, and a member of the gens Aelia. ...

Ephor in other media

In the White Wolf's World of Darkness Role Playing Game Vampire: The Masquerade, an Ephor is the highest position in the hierarchy of Clan Ventrue White Wolf, Inc. ... The World of Darkness is the name given to two distinct fictional universes developed by White Wolf Game Studio. ... This article is about traditional role-playing games. ... Vampire: The Masquerade (Revised Edition) cover. ... The Ventrue are a fictional clan of vampires, associated with the Camarilla, from White Wolf Game Studios Vampire: The Masquerade, Vampire: The Dark Ages, and Vampire: The Requiem books and role-playing games. ...