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Gorgo (/ˈɡɔːrɡoʊ/; Greek: Γοργώ [ɡorɡɔ͜ɔ́]; fl. 480 BC) was a Spartan woman and wife to King Leonidas I (r. 489–480 BC). She was the daughter and the only known child of Cleomenes I, Leonidas' half-brother and King of Sparta (r. 520–490 BC).^[1] Gorgo was also the mother of King Pleistarchus, her only son with King Leonidas I.^[2] She is notably one of the few female historical figures actually named by Herodotus, and is depicted in sources as intelligent and wise.^[3]^[4] Her birth date is uncertain, but based on Herodotus' dating, it is most likely to have been between 518 and 508 BC.^{[citation needed]}

Early life and education

According to Herodotus, Gorgo was the only child of King Cleomenes I of Sparta. The earliest anecdote of her life that he provides in The Histories comes when Aristagoras, seeking allies after the Ionian revolt, came to Sparta to try to convince Cleomenes to invade the Persian Empire. He cited the "disgrace" suffered by the Ionians in Anatolia and weaved further tales of the wealth and resources to be reaped from an empire as vast as Persia.^[5] When he learned that the journey to Asia would take three months by sea, however, Cleomenes turned down Aristagoras' proposal and told him to leave Sparta, telling him that such a journey was out of the question for the Lacedaemonians.^[6] However, Aristagoras arrived at Cleomenes' home that evening, now offering increasing bribes going as high as fifty talents of silver. It is here that Gorgo, eight or nine years old at this point according to Herodotus, stepped in and told her father to leave lest Aristagoras' bribes corrupt him. Cleomenes listened to his daughter's advice, removed himself, and Aristagoras left Sparta without being heard any further.^[7]

Spartan women such as Gorgo were ultimately expected to produce strong Spartan offspring, and to that end partook in a physical education curriculum similar to their male peers.^[8] As part of this curriculum, Gorgo would have learned sports such as running, discus and javelin throwing, and wrestling.^[9] Gorgo would not only have been taught these sports, but also competed against her peers in various contests. The belief was that if both parents were physically strong, their child would be as well.^[8]

In addition to her physical education, Gorgo would have been educated in academic matters. As an elite woman, she would have been taught how to read and write. She would also have received an education in the arts, including music, dance, and poetry. The academic curriculum of Spartan women was notably at least equivalent, if not superior, to that of Spartan males.^[9] It is because of this physical and mental training that Plutarch attributes an anecdote to Gorgo in which a foreign woman notes that "You Spartan women are the only ones who rule their men." To which Gorgo replies, "Yes, we are the only ones that give birth to men."^[10]

Marriage and reign

After Cleomenes's death in 489 BC, Gorgo was left as his sole heiress. By 490, she was apparently already married to her half-uncle Leonidas I.^[11] Despite being the daughter and wife of Spartan kings, Gorgo herself could not be considered a queen, as royal women in Sparta did not typically hold a special role in society. The title of "queen" being used to describe Greek women would not appear until the late Hellenistic period. That said, Gorgo did hold a certain amount of authority and influence in Spartan politics.^[9]

Arguably, Gorgo's most significant role occurred prior to the Persian invasion of 480 BC. According to Herodotus's Histories, Demaratus, then in exile at the Persian court, sent a warning to Sparta about Xerxes's pending invasion. In order to prevent the message from being intercepted by the Persians or their vassal states, the message was written on a wooden tablet and then covered with wax. The Spartans did not know what to do with the seemingly blank wax tablet, until Gorgo advised them to clear the wax off the tablet.^[12] She is described by David Kahn in his book The Codebreakers as one of the first female cryptanalysts whose name has been recorded.^[13]

Historian and novelist Helena P. Schrader speculates that in the time after the Battle of Marathon and leading up to the Battle of Thermopylae, Leonidas I would have travelled to other city-states to coordinate the Greek coalition, and that he brought Gorgo with him. It is here, Schrader postulates, that Gorgo would have had her famous exchange in which she told an Athenian woman that Spartan women were the only Greek women to "give birth to men".^[14]

According to Plutarch, before the Battle of Thermopylae, knowing that her husband's death in battle was inevitable, she asked him what to do. Leonidas replied "marry a good man who will treat you well, bear him children, and live a good life".^[15]

Children

She had at least one son by Leonidas I, Pleistarchus, co-king of Sparta from 480 BC to his death in 458 BC.^[2]

Her son was a minor at his father's death, so his uncle Cleombrotus (died 480 BC) and his first cousin and heir Pausanias (r. 480–479 BC) acted as his regent and tutor. It was Pausanias who was the architect of the combined Greek victory at the Battle of Plataea (479 BC).^[16] After Pausanias fell into disfavor and was accused of plotting treason, Pleistarchus ruled with the other king of Sparta, Leotychidas II (and then his grandson Archidamus) until his death 459/458 BC.^[17]^[18]

In popular culture

In the 1962 film The 300 Spartans, Gorgo was portrayed by Greek actress and future politician Anna Synodinou.^[19]

She makes a minor appearance in the 1998 comic series 300 by Frank Miller, who was heavily inspired by the aforementioned film.^[20] In the 2006 motion picture adaptation of the comic, 300, English actress Lena Headey plays Gorgo. In this version, she is more politically involved and has a prominent role in the events preceding and during the war with Persia.^[21] Headey reprised her role in the 2014 sequel, 300: Rise of an Empire.^[22]

References

^ "Herodotus, The Histories, Book 5, chapter 48, section 1". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
^ ^a ^b Rahe, Paul Anthony (1994). Republics Ancient and Modern. UNC Press Books. p. 318. ISBN 978-0-8078-4473-1.
^ Herodotus (2007). The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories. New York: Pantheon Books. pp. 735–736. ISBN 978-0-307-53654-9. OCLC 464268448.
^ Lightman, Marjorie (2008). A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women. New York: Facts on File, Inc. p. 148. ISBN 978-0816067107.
^ Herodotus. The Histories. Book 5, chapter 49. Retrieved 2021-11-01 – via Perseus Digital Library.
^ Herodotus. The Histories. Book 5, chapter 50. Retrieved 2021-11-01 – via Perseus Digital Library.
^ Herodotus. The Histories. Book 5, chapter 51. Retrieved 2021-11-01 – via Perseus Digital Library.
^ ^a ^b Xenophon. Constitution of the Lacedaimonians. chapter 1, section 4. Retrieved 2021-11-02 – via Perseus Digital Library.
^ ^a ^b ^c Pomeroy, Sarah B. (2002). Spartan Women. Oxford University Press. pp. 4–19. ISBN 0-19-513066-9. OCLC 716513737.
^ Plutarch. Lycurgus. chapter 14, section 4. Retrieved 2021-11-02 – via Perseus Digital Library.
^ Lightman, Marjorie (2008). A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women. New York: Facts on File, Inc. p. 148. ISBN 978-0816067107.
^ Herodotus. The Histories. Book 7, chapter 239. Retrieved 2021-11-01 – via Perseus Digital Library.
^ Kahn, David (1996). The Codebreakers: The Story of Secret Writing. New York: Scribner. p. 82. ISBN 0-684-83130-9.
^ "Leonidas and Gorgo of Sparta – Spartan Queen Gorgo". sparta-leonidas-gorgo.com. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
^ Roberts, Andrew (1 November 2008). The Art of War: Great Commanders of the Ancient and Medieval Worlds 1600 BC – AD 1600. Quercus. p. 83.
^ Herodotus. The Histories. Book 9, chapter 64. Retrieved 2021-11-02 – via Perseus Digital Library.
^ Lendering, Jona (31 March 2006). "Eurypontids and Agiads". Livius.org. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
^ Lycurgus. Against Leocrates. Section 128. Retrieved 2021-11-01 – via Perseus Digital Library.
^ Nikoloutsos, Konstantinos P. (October 2013). Ancient Greek Women in Film. Oxford University Press. p. 261. ISBN 978-0-19-967892-1.
^ Renger, Almut-Barbara; Solomon, Jon (13 November 2012). Ancient Worlds in Film and Television: Gender and Politics. BRILL. p. 71. ISBN 978-90-04-18320-9.
^ Santas, Constantine; Wilson, James M.; Colavito, Maria (21 March 2014). The Encyclopedia of Epic Films. Scarecrow Press. p. 499. ISBN 978-0-8108-8248-5.
^ Aperlo, Peter; Murro, Noam; Snyder, Zack (4 February 2014). 300: Rise of an Empire – The Art of the Film. Titan Books Limited. ISBN 978-1-78116-782-3.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{short description|Queen of Sparta}}
+{{Short description|Early 5th-century BC queen of Sparta}}
-[[File:Gorgo Sparta.jpg|thumb|A sculpture believed to show Gorgo.]]
-'''Gorgo''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|ɔr|ɡ|oʊ}}; {{lang-el|Γοργώ}} {{IPA-el|ɡorɡɔ͜ɔ́|}}; fl. 480 BC) was a Queen of Sparta. She was the daughter and the only known child of [[Cleomenes I]], King of [[Sparta]] (r. 520–490 BC) during the 6th and 5th centuries BC. She was the wife of King [[Leonidas I]], Cleomenes' half-brother, who fought and died in the [[Battle of Thermopylae]]. Gorgo was also the mother of King [[Pleistarchus]], her only son with co-King Leonidas I. She is also noted as one of the few female historical figures actually named by [[Herodotus]], and was known for her political judgment and wisdom. Her birth date is uncertain, but based on Herodotus' dating, it is most likely to have been between 518 and 508 BC (''[[Histories (Herodotus)|Histories]]'' 5.51).
+'''Gorgo''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|ɔr|ɡ|oʊ}}; {{lang-el|Γοργώ}} {{IPA-el|ɡorɡɔ͜ɔ́|}}; fl. 480 BC) was a [[Sparta|Spartan]] woman and wife to King [[Leonidas I]] (r. 489–480 BC). She was the daughter and the only known child of [[Cleomenes I]], Leonidas' half-brother and King of Sparta (r. 520–490 BC).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Herodotus, The Histories, Book 5, chapter 48, section 1|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0126:book=5:chapter=48:section=1|access-date=2021-11-01|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref> Gorgo was also the mother of King [[Pleistarchus]], her only son with King Leonidas I.<ref name="Rahe19942">{{cite book|last=Rahe|first=Paul Anthony|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zymp_kM33ZcC&pg=PA318|title=Republics Ancient and Modern|publisher=UNC Press Books|year=1994|isbn=978-0-8078-4473-1|page=318}}</ref> She is notably one of the few female historical figures actually named by [[Herodotus]], and is depicted in sources as intelligent and wise.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Herodotus|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/464268448|title=The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories|publisher=Pantheon Books|year=2007|isbn=978-0-307-53654-9|location=New York|pages=735–736|oclc=464268448}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Lightman|first=Marjorie|title=A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women|publisher=Facts on File, Inc.|year=2008|isbn=978-0816067107|location=New York|pages=148|language=English}}</ref> Her birth date is uncertain, but based on Herodotus' dating, it is most likely to have been between 518 and 508 BC.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
-==Family background==
-Her father, [[Cleomenes I|Cleomenes]], was the eldest-born son of the previous Agiad king, [[Anaxandridas II]].<ref name="LightmanLightman2008">{{cite book|last1=Lightman|first1=Marjorie|last2=Lightman|first2=Benjamin|title=A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2esYJJUETiYC&pg=PA148|date=1 January 2008|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-0794-3|page=148}}</ref> He succeeded his father at his death; however, he had three paternal half-brothers, of whom the eldest, Dorieus, would eventually cause him trouble; challenging the decision of Cleomenes being successor, which was later over-ruled. The other two half-brothers were Leonidas I and Cleombrotus. All four were sons of Anaxandridas II, one of the dual kings of Sparta of the Agiad house.{{efn|Sparta had a system of dual kings, from two rival but related houses, descended allegedly from twin sons of an early king of Sparta.<ref name="Jona Lendering"/>}}
+== Early life and education ==
-According to one version (Herodotus's ''Histories'', 5.4), Gorgo's grandfather Anaxandridas II was long married without children and was advised to remarry (i.e. take a second wife) which he did. His second wife gave birth to the future Cleomenes I who was thus his eldest son; however, his first wife also became pregnant, and eventually had three sons, including Leonidas I, Gorgo's future husband. Other versions imply that Cleomenes was either born by the king's first marriage or by a non-marital alliance. Most historians favor Herodotus because he is the earliest source. In either case, there appears to have been some tension between the eldest son and his half-brothers. This tension was only resolved by Cleomenes' death, supposedly through suicide or murder, and the accession of Leonidas I (Cleomenes' half-brother and son-in-law).
+According to Herodotus, Gorgo was the only child of King Cleomenes I of Sparta. The earliest anecdote of her life that he provides in ''[[Histories (Herodotus)|The Histories]]'' comes when [[Aristagoras]], seeking allies after the [[Ionian Revolt|Ionian revolt]], came to Sparta to try to convince Cleomenes to invade the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian Empire]]. He cited the "disgrace" suffered by the [[Ionians]] in [[Anatolia]] and weaved further tales of the wealth and resources to be reaped from an empire as vast as Persia.<ref>{{Cite book|author=[[Herodotus]] |title=The Histories |at=Book 5, chapter 49|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0126:book=5:chapter=49|access-date=2021-11-01|via=Perseus Digital Library}}</ref> When he learned that the journey to Asia would take three months by sea, however, Cleomenes turned down Aristagoras' proposal and told him to leave Sparta, telling him that such a journey was out of the question for the [[Laconia|Lacedaemonians]].<ref>{{Cite book|author=[[Herodotus]] |title=The Histories |at=Book 5, chapter 50|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0126:book=5:chapter=50|access-date=2021-11-01|via=Perseus Digital Library}}</ref> However, Aristagoras arrived at Cleomenes' home that evening, now offering increasing bribes going as high as fifty [[Talent (measurement)|talents]] of silver. It is here that Gorgo, eight or nine years old at this point according to Herodotus, stepped in and told her father to leave lest Aristagoras' bribes corrupt him. Cleomenes listened to his daughter's advice, removed himself, and Aristagoras left Sparta without being heard any further.<ref>{{Cite book|author=[[Herodotus]] |title=The Histories |at=Book 5, chapter 51|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0126:book=5:chapter=51|access-date=2021-11-01|via=Perseus Digital Library}}</ref>
+Spartan women such as Gorgo were ultimately expected to produce strong Spartan offspring, and to that end partook in a physical education curriculum similar to their male peers.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|author=Xenophon |title=Constitution of the Lacedaimonians |at=chapter 1, section 4|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0210:text=Const.+Lac.:chapter=1:section=4|access-date=2021-11-02|via=Perseus Digital Library}}</ref> As part of this curriculum, Gorgo would have learned sports such as running, discus and javelin throwing, and wrestling.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Pomeroy|first=Sarah B.|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/716513737|title=Spartan Women|date=2002|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-513066-9|pages=4–19|oclc=716513737}}</ref> Gorgo would not only have been taught these sports, but also competed against her peers in various contests. The belief was that if both parents were physically strong, their child would be as well.<ref name=":2" />
+In addition to her physical education, Gorgo would have been educated in academic matters. As an elite woman, she would have been taught how to read and write. She would also have received an education in the arts, including music, dance, and poetry. The academic curriculum of Spartan women was notably at least equivalent, if not superior, to that of Spartan males.<ref name=":1" /> It is because of this physical and mental training that [[Plutarch]] attributes an anecdote to Gorgo in which a foreign woman notes that "You Spartan women are the only ones who rule their men." To which Gorgo replies, "Yes, we are the only ones that give birth to men."<ref name="Liebert20162">{{Cite book|author=Plutarch |title=Lycurgus |at=chapter 14, section 4|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2008.01.0047:chapter=14:section=4|access-date=2021-11-02|via=Perseus Digital Library}}</ref>
 ==Marriage and reign==
+[[File:Sparta, Temple of Athena Chalkioikos, Statue of a Spartan hoplite (possibly Leonidas).jpg|thumb|A bust believed to depict King Leonidas I, Gorgo's husband]]
-Looking forward to Cleomenes' death (489 BC), his only surviving child Gorgo became his sole heiress. By 490, she was apparently already [[avunculate marriage|married her half-uncle]] Leonidas I.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/spartarulers/a/Gorgo.htm |title=Gorgo of Sparta |publisher=Ancienthistory.about.com |date=2011-07-07 |access-date=2011-07-24}}</ref> King Leonidas and Queen Gorgo would have at least one child, a son, [[Pleistarchus]], co-king of Sparta from 480 BC to his death in 459 BC/458 BC.<ref name="Rahe1994">{{cite book|last=Rahe|first=Paul Anthony|title=Republics Ancient and Modern|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zymp_kM33ZcC&pg=PA318|year=1994|publisher=UNC Press Books|isbn=978-0-8078-4473-1|page=318}}</ref>
+After Cleomenes's death in 489 BC, Gorgo was left as his sole heiress. By 490, she was apparently already [[avunculate marriage|married to her half-uncle]] Leonidas I.<ref name=":32">{{Cite book|last=Lightman|first=Marjorie|title=A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women|publisher=Facts on File, Inc.|year=2008|isbn=978-0816067107|location=New York|pages=148|language=English}}</ref> Despite being the daughter and wife of Spartan kings, Gorgo herself could not be considered a queen, as royal women in Sparta did not typically hold a special role in society. The title of "queen" being used to describe Greek women would not appear until the late [[Hellenistic period]]. That said, Gorgo did hold a certain amount of authority and influence in Spartan politics.<ref name=":1" />
-Arguably, Gorgo's most significant role occurred prior to the Persian invasion of 480 BC. According to Herodotus's ''Histories'', [[Demaratus]], then in exile at the Persian court, sent a warning to Sparta about [[Xerxes I of Persia|Xerxes]]'s pending invasion. In order to prevent the message from being intercepted by the Persians or their vassal states, the message was written on a wooden tablet and then covered with wax. "The Spartans", presumably the ephors, Gerousia or the kings, did not know what to do with the seemingly blank wax-tablet, until Queen Gorgo advised them to clear the wax off the tablet. She is described by [[David Kahn (writer)|David Kahn]] in his book [[The Codebreakers]] as one of the first female cryptanalysts whose name has been recorded.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_text_herodotus_7_12.htm |title=Herodotus '&#39;History'&#39; [Translated into English&#93; |publisher=Ancienthistory.about.com |date=2010-06-15 |access-date=2011-07-24}}</ref>
+Arguably, Gorgo's most significant role occurred prior to the [[Greco-Persian Wars|Persian invasion of 480 BC]]. According to Herodotus's ''Histories'', [[Demaratus]], then in exile at the Persian court, sent a warning to Sparta about [[Xerxes I|Xerxes]]'s pending invasion. In order to prevent the message from being intercepted by the Persians or their vassal states, the message was written on a wooden tablet and then covered with wax. The Spartans did not know what to do with the seemingly blank wax tablet, until Gorgo advised them to clear the wax off the tablet.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Herodotus |title=The Histories |at=Book 7, chapter 239|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hdt.+7.239&fromdoc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0126|access-date=2021-11-01|via=Perseus Digital Library}}</ref> She is described by [[David Kahn (writer)|David Kahn]] in his book [[The Codebreakers]] as one of the first female cryptanalysts whose name has been recorded.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kahn|first=David|title=The Codebreakers: The Story of Secret Writing|publisher=Scribner|year=1996|isbn=0-684-83130-9|location=New York|pages=82|language=English}}</ref>
+Historian and novelist Helena P. Schrader speculates that in the time after the [[Battle of Marathon]] and leading up to the [[Battle of Thermopylae]], Leonidas I would have travelled to other city-states to coordinate the Greek coalition, and that he brought Gorgo with him. It is here, Schrader postulates, that Gorgo would have had her famous exchange in which she told an Athenian woman that Spartan women were the only Greek women to "give birth to men".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Leonidas and Gorgo of Sparta – Spartan Queen Gorgo|url=http://sparta-leonidas-gorgo.com/gorgo.html|access-date=2021-10-28|website=sparta-leonidas-gorgo.com}}</ref>
-According to [[Plutarch]], before the Battle of Thermopylae, knowing that her husband's death in battle was inevitable, she asked him what to do. Leonidas replied "marry a good man who will treat you well, bear him children, and live a good life".<ref name="Roberts2008">{{cite book|last=Roberts|first=Andrew|title=The Art of War: Great Commanders of the Ancient and Medieval Worlds 1600 BC - AD 1600|date=1 November 2008|publisher=Quercus|page=83}}</ref>
+According to [[Plutarch]], before the Battle of Thermopylae, knowing that her husband's death in battle was inevitable, she asked him what to do. Leonidas replied "marry a good man who will treat you well, bear him children, and live a good life".<ref name="Roberts2008">{{cite book|last=Roberts|first=Andrew|title=The Art of War: Great Commanders of the Ancient and Medieval Worlds 1600 BC – AD 1600|date=1 November 2008|publisher=Quercus|page=83}}</ref>
 ==Children==
-She had at least one son by Leonidas I, [[Pleistarchus]], co-king of Sparta from 480 BC to his death in 458 BC.
+She had at least one son by Leonidas I, Pleistarchus, co-king of Sparta from 480 BC to his death in 458 BC.<ref name="Rahe19942" />
-Her son was a minor at his father's death, so his uncle [[Cleombrotus (regent)|Cleombrotus]] (died 480 BC) and his first cousin and heir [[Pausanias (general)|Pausanias]] (r. 480–479 BC) acted as his regent and tutor. It was Pausanias who was the architect of the combined Greek victory at the [[Battle of Plataea]] (479 BC).<ref>See Herodotus ''The Histories'' Book 9 (all), and Thucydides ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' I.126–139</ref>  After Pausanias fell into disfavor and was accused of plotting treason, Leonidas's son Pleistarchus ruled with the other king of Sparta, [[Leotychidas]] II (and then his grandson Archidamus) until his death 459/458 BC.<ref name="Jona Lendering">{{cite web|author=Jona Lendering |url=https://www.livius.org/so-st/sparta/agiads_and_eurypontids.html |title=Eurypontids and Agiads |publisher=Livius.org |date=2006-03-31 |access-date=2011-07-24}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=HERODOTUS:|date=2019-10-23|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv160bt0x.10|work=Herodotus: Histories Book V|pages=49–156|publisher=Liverpool University Press|isbn=978-1-80034-574-4|access-date=2020-09-25}}</ref>
+Her son was a minor at his father's death, so his uncle [[Cleombrotus (regent)|Cleombrotus]] (died 480 BC) and his first cousin and heir [[Pausanias (general)|Pausanias]] (r. 480–479 BC) acted as his regent and tutor. It was Pausanias who was the architect of the combined Greek victory at the [[Battle of Plataea]] (479 BC).<ref>{{Cite book|author=[[Herodotus]] |title=The Histories |at=Book 9, chapter 64|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hdt.+9.64&fromdoc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0126|access-date=2021-11-02|via=Perseus Digital Library}}</ref> After Pausanias fell into disfavor and was accused of plotting treason, Pleistarchus ruled with the other king of Sparta, [[Leotychidas]] II (and then his grandson Archidamus) until his death 459/458 BC.<ref name="Jona Lendering2">{{cite web|author=Lendering|first=Jona|date=31 March 2006|title=Eurypontids and Agiads|url=https://www.livius.org/articles/dynasty/eurypontids-and-agiads/|access-date=1 November 2021|publisher=Livius.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=[[Lycurgus of Athens|Lycurgus]] |title=Against Leocrates |at=Section 128|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0152:speech=1:section=128|access-date=2021-11-01|via=Perseus Digital Library}}</ref>
-==Historical mentions==
-There are sections where she is present at court or in council and gives advice to the king or the elders.<ref name="KnoxBowersock1979">{{cite book|last1=Knox|first1=Bernard MacGregor Walker|last2=Bowersock|first2=Glen Warren|last3=Burkert|first3=Walter|title=Arktouros: Hellenic Studies Presented to Bernard M. W. Knox on the Occasion of His 65th Birthday|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-YT8pY6x624C&pg=PA253|year=1979|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-007798-8|pages=253–255}}</ref> Two events in [[Herodotus]] show Gorgo give council to her father [[Cleomenes I]] and the Spartans. Herodotus says that Gorgo, aged around eight years old, managed to stop her father, Cleomenes I, being bribed by [[Aristagoras]] of Miletus to help out in the [[Ionian Revolt]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0126:book=5:chapter=51|title=Herodotus, The Histories, Book 5, chapter 51|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu|access-date=2019-12-23}}</ref> The second event that Gorgo aided Sparta was when the Spartans were sent a tablet by [[Demaratus]], who was at the time in Susa, that was hiding a secret message. To which Herodotus says Gorgo was the only person to uncover the hidden message and instructed the Spartans to “scrape the wax away” to find the secret message.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0126:book=7:chapter=239&highlight=gorgo|title=Herodotus, The Histories, Book 7, chapter 239|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu|access-date=2019-12-23}}</ref> This indicates either that Gorgo was highly thought of by Herodotus, who often left out the names of the female figures he included in his books, or that as the wife of Leonidas I, her actions and counsel were all the more noteworthy.
-[[Plutarch]] quotes Queen Gorgo as follows:
-"When asked by a woman from Attica, 'Why are you Spartan women the only ones who can rule men?', she said: 'Because we are also the only ones who give birth to men.'" Another version has this as, "...some foreign lady, as it would seem, told her that the women of [[Lacedaemon]] were the only women in the world who could rule men; 'With good reason,' she said, 'for we are the only women who bring forth men.'" (Plutarch's ''Lives'': Lycurgus)<ref name="Liebert2016">{{cite book|last=Liebert|first=Hugh|title=Plutarch's Politics: Between City and Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T-3NDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA120|date=8 September 2016|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-14878-9|pages=120–121}}</ref>
 == In popular culture ==
-In the 1962 film ''[[The 300 Spartans]],''<ref name="Nikoloutsos2013">{{cite book|last=Nikoloutsos|first=Konstantinos P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h0cXAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA261|title=Ancient Greek Women in Film|date=October 2013|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-967892-1|page=261}}</ref> Queen Gorgo was portrayed by Greek actress and future politician [[Anna Synodinou]].
+In the 1962 film ''[[The 300 Spartans]],'' Gorgo was portrayed by Greek actress and future politician [[Anna Synodinou]].<ref name="Nikoloutsos2013">{{cite book|last=Nikoloutsos|first=Konstantinos P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h0cXAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA261|title=Ancient Greek Women in Film|date=October 2013|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-967892-1|page=261}}</ref>
+She makes a minor appearance in the 1998 comic series [[300 (comics)|''300'']] by [[Frank Miller]], who was heavily inspired by the aforementioned film.<ref name="RengerSolomon2012">{{cite book|last1=Renger|first1=Almut-Barbara|last2=Solomon|first2=Jon|title=Ancient Worlds in Film and Television: Gender and Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jyMwZyXYepEC&pg=PA71|date=13 November 2012|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-18320-9|page=71}}</ref> In the 2006 motion picture adaptation of the comic, ''[[300 (film)|300]]'', English actress [[Lena Headey]] plays Gorgo. In this version, she is more politically involved and has a prominent role in the events preceding and during the war with Persia.<ref name="SantasWilson2014">{{cite book|last1=Santas|first1=Constantine|last2=Wilson|first2=James M.|last3=Colavito|first3=Maria|title=The Encyclopedia of Epic Films|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nWYmAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA499|date=21 March 2014|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-8248-5|page=499}}</ref> Headey reprised her role in the 2014 sequel, ''[[300: Rise of an Empire]]''.<ref name="AperloMurro2014">{{cite book | last1 = Aperlo | first1 = Peter | last2 = Murro | first2 = Noam | last3 = Snyder | first3 = Zack | title = 300: Rise of an Empire – The Art of the Film | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jtEIlwEACAAJ | date=4 February 2014 | publisher = Titan Books Limited | isbn = 978-1-78116-782-3 }}</ref>
-In the novel ''Sacred Games'', by [[Gary Corby]],<ref name="Corby2013">{{cite book|last=Corby|first=Gary|title=Sacred Games|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4I9LSAURC0gC|date=21 May 2013|publisher=Soho Press|isbn=978-1-61695-228-0}}</ref> Gorgo appears as a major character.
-The character makes a minor appearance in the 1998 comic series [[300 (comics)|''300'']] by [[Frank Miller (comics)|Frank Miller]], who was heavily inspired by the aforementioned film.<ref name="RengerSolomon2012">{{cite book|last1=Renger|first1=Almut-Barbara|last2=Solomon|first2=Jon|title=Ancient Worlds in Film and Television: Gender and Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jyMwZyXYepEC&pg=PA71|date=13 November 2012|publisher=BRILL|isbn=90-04-18320-5|page=71}}</ref> In the 2006 motion picture adaptation of the comic, ''[[300 (film)|300]]'', English actress [[Lena Headey]] plays Gorgo. In this version, she is more politically involved and has a prominent role in the events preceding and during the war with Persia.<ref name="SantasWilson2014">{{cite book|last1=Santas|first1=Constantine|last2=Wilson|first2=James M.|last3=Colavito|first3=Maria|title=The Encyclopedia of Epic Films|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nWYmAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA499|date=21 March 2014|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-8248-5|page=499}}</ref> Headey reprised her role in the 2014 sequel, ''[[300: Rise of an Empire]]''.<ref name="AperloMurro2014">{{cite book | last1 = Aperlo | first1 = Peter | last2 = Murro | first2 = Noam | last3 = Snyder | first3 = Zack | title = 300: Rise of an Empire - The Art of the Film | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jtEIlwEACAAJ | date=4 February 2014 | publisher = Titan Books Limited | isbn = 978-1-78116-782-3 }}</ref>
-Helena P. Schrader has published the first book in a three-part [[biographical novel]] on Leonidas and Gorgo. The first book, ''Leonidas of Sparta: A Boy of the Agoge'', focuses on Leonidas's boyhood in the notorious Spartan ''[[agoge]]'', but books two and three will give prominence to Gorgo too.<ref>{{cite web|author=Helena Schrader |url=http://sparta-leonidas-gorgo.com |title='&#39;The Leonidas Trilogy'&#39; website |publisher=Sparta-leonidas-gorgo.com |access-date=2011-07-24}}</ref>
-In the 2016 [[4X]] video game ''[[Civilization VI]],'' Gorgo is one of the two leaders of the Greek civilization, the other being [[Pericles]].<ref>Official Sid Meier's youtube channel video of Gorgo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syS-SFtr-44</ref><ref>Official Sid Meier's youtube channel video of Pericles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSCTlpEM9Vw</ref> Gorgo is voiced by Angeliki Dimitrakopoulou, who speaks her native Doric Dialect of Ancient Greece.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Angeliki Dimitrakopoulou|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0227299/|access-date=2020-12-03|website=IMDb}}</ref>
-==Notes==
-{{notelist}}
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
-==Sources==
-*[http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/spartarulers/a/Gorgo.htm A Profile of Gorgo] from a website.
-*[http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_text_herodotus_7_12.htm#Gorgo Herodotus's Histories Book VII "Polymnia"] where Gorgo is mentioned in Section 239 (7.239) advising the Spartan elders after Thermopylae.
-* For a number of essays on Leonidas and Gorgo visit Helena Schrader's website [http://www.sparta-leonidas-gorgo.com/ Sparta-Leonidas-Gorgo]
 ==Further reading==
+{{Commons category|Gorgo}}
 * Blundell, Sue. ''Women in Ancient Greece''. British Museum Press, London, 1995.
 * Sealey, Raphael. ''Women and Law in Classical Greece''. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill & London, 1990.
+* Schrader, Helena P., '"Scandalous" Spartan Women,' Sparta Reconsidered, [http://elysiumgates.com/~helena/index] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004045529/http://elysiumgates.com/~helena/index |date=2018-10-04 }}
-* Pomeroy, Sarah. ''Spartan Women''. Oxford University Press, 2002.
-* Schrader, Helena P., '"Scandalous" Spartan Women,' Sparta Reconsidered, [http://elysiumgates.com/~helena/index]
 * Schrader, Helena P., "Scenes from a Spartan Marriage," ''Sparta: Journal of Ancient Spartan and Greek History,'' Vol.6, #1.
 * Schrader, Helena P., "The Bride of Leonidas," the Leonidas Trilogy, [http://sparta-leonidas-gorgo.com/articleindex.html]
 * Schrader, Helena P., ''Leonidas of Sparta: A Peerless Peer''. Wheatmark, Tucson, 2011.
-==External links==
-{{Commons category|Gorgo}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gorgo, Queen of Sparta}}
@@ Line 73: / Line 55: @@
 [[Category:Agiad dynasty]]
 [[Category:Leonidas I]]
+[[Category:5th-century BC deaths]]