Laconicus

Laconicus ( ; fl. 192 BC) was a Spartan of royal descent who appears as king of Sparta for a brief moment in the aftermath of the assassination of Nabis in 192 BC. Little is known about him; even his name may not be correct.

Life The name Laconicus is dubious, as it is otherwise unattested in Sparta. The name is only found in the account of the Roman historian Livy, who may have made a mistake while reading the Greek historian Polybius, his main source for the events of 192 BC. Polybius might have only mentioned a "Laconian boy", translated as a name by Livy ("Laconicus"). Other spellings have been suggested instead, such as Laonicus or Leonidas, but Alfred Bradford accepts it as several unusual names were given in Sparta at the time. Bradford furthermore suggests that Laconicus could have been a son of Lycurgus, Eurypontid king of Sparta between 219 BC and c. 212 BC. The Spartans then massacred the Aetolians and appointed Laconicus as king. However, the strategos of the Achaean League Philopoemen took advantage of the crisis to enter Sparta and forced the city to join his League, ending the independence of Sparta. The kingship was abolished, and Sparta came under the rule of an oligarchy loyal to Philopoemen.