Sparta's Government

Sparta’s government was an oligarchy. An oligarchy is a ruling power in the hands of a few people. In this case the Council of Elders would be the ruling power. The Council of Elders was run by two kings and twenty eight other men. The two kings shared their power and inherited their position from their fathers, brothers, uncles and cousins. The twenty eight other men were selected by the assembly. The Council of Elders had two kings to ensure that neither of them could take full power of the government and become a tyrant.
The assembly was made of male citizens. The assembly met and discussed the laws suggested by the Council of Elders. The assembly had very little power unlike the Council of Elders who had a lot of power. The assembly could not talk about issues in Sparta they could only vote yes or no to laws given to them by the Council of Elders.