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Acrotatus (Greek: Ἀκρότατος; died 262 BC) was an Agiad King of Sparta from 265 to 262 BC. He was the son of Areus I, and grandson of Acrotatus.

He had unlawful intercourse with Chilonis, the young wife of Cleonymus, uncle of his father Areus. It was this, together with the disappointment of not obtaining the throne, which led Cleonymus to invite Pyrrhus to Sparta in 272. Areus was then absent in Crete, and the safety of Sparta was mainly owing to the valor of Acrotatus who successfully held off the Siege of Sparta. He succeeded his father in 265, but was killed shortly thereafter (possibly in the same year) in battle against Aristodemus the Good, the tyrant of Megalopolis. Pausanias, in speaking of his death, calls him the son of Cleonymus, but he has mistaken him for his grandfather, mentioned above. Areus and Acrotatus are accused by Phylarchus of having corrupted the simplicity of Spartan manners. He was succeeded by his son Areus II.

Notes

1. Spence, Iain (2016). "Acrotatus II (d. 262)". In Phang, Sara E.; Spence, Iain; Kelly, Douglas; Londey, Peter (eds.). Conflict in Ancient Greece and Rome: The Definitive Political, Social, and Military Encyclopedia : The Definitive Political, Social, and Military Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 65. ISBN 9781610690201.
2. Schmitz, Leonhard (1867), "Acrotatus (2)", in Smith, William (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. 1, Boston, MA, p. 16, archived from the original on 2008-05-27, retrieved 2007-10-11{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
3. Plutarch, Life of Pyrrhus 26-28
4. Agis, 3
5. Pausanias, iii. 6. § 3, viii. 27. § 8, 30. § 3
6. Phylarchus, ap. Athen. iv. p. 142, b

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "Acrotatus (2)". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.

v t e Kings of Sparta
Lelegids	Lelex Myles Eurotas
Lacedaemonids	Lacedaemon Amyclas Argalus Cynortas Perieres Oebalus Tyndareus Hippocoon
Atreids	Menelaus Orestes Tisamenus Dion
Early Heraclids	Aristodemus Theras (regent)
Heraclids Agiad dynasty	Eurysthenes Agis I Echestratus Labotas Doryssus Agesilaus I Archelaus Teleclus Alcmenes Polydorus Eurycrates Anaxander Eurycratides Leon Anaxandridas II Cleomenes I Leonidas I Cleombrotus (regent) Pausanias (regent) Pleistarchus Nicomedes (regent) Pleistoanax Pausanias Agesipolis I Cleombrotus I Agesipolis II Cleomenes II Cleonymus (regent) Areus I Acrotatus Areus II Leonidas II Cleombrotus II Cleomenes III Eucleidas Agesipolis III
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