Megapenthes of Sparta Megapenthes of Sparta In Greek mythology, Megapenthes (; Ancient Greek: Μεγαπένθης "Megapénthēs"), a Spartan prince and son of Menelaus, who ruled after his father's death and sent his mother (or step-mother) Helen into exile. In some legends, Helen was his mother; in most, however, he was Menelaus's son by a concubine, Pieris or Tereis, and was born during the Trojan War. His name means "great sorrow" and he is named that because he was conceived while Menelaus was grieving the loss of Helen. He marries the daughter of Alector in the beginning of Book IV of The Odyssey, whose name
History of Sparta to take advantage of the ensuing chaos, dispatched Philopoemen to Sparta with a large army. Once there, he compelled the Spartans to join the Achaean League ending their independence. Sparta played no active part in the Achaean War in 146 BC when the Achaean League was defeated by the Roman general Lucius Mummius. Subsequently, Sparta become a free city in the Roman sense, some of the institutions of Lycurgus were restored and the city became a tourist attraction for the Roman elite who came to observe exotic Spartan customs. The former Perioecic communities were not restored to Sparta and some