023 THIS IS SPARTA
The History of Ancient Greece
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The Power of the E4s in Sparta
Aristotle saw the E4s as the most powerful of the four key political institutions at Sparta. In time of war, it was their responsibility to organize the call up of the army and decide on the precise size of the army that was needed for the upcoming campaign. When the king set out on an expedition with the army, he was always accompanied by two of the E 4s. There is every reason to believe there were not only differences of opinions over policy between successive boards of E4s, but also between individual members of the same board.
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