Acrotatus was an Agiad King of Sparta from 265 to 262 BC. He was the son of Areus I

Areus I

Areus I was Agiad King of Sparta from 309 to 265 BC, who died in battle near Corinth during the Chremonidean War. He was the grandson of Cleomenes II and was succeeded by his son Acrotatus II.-Military Success:...

, and grandson of Acrotatus I

Acrotatus I

Acrotatus I was the son of Cleomenes II, king of Sparta. He incurred the displeasure of an influential group of Spartan citizens by opposing the decree which was to release from infamy all who had fled from the battle in which Antipater defeated Agis in 331 BC...

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He had unlawful intercourse with Chilonis, the young wife of Cleonymus

Cleonymus of Sparta

Cleonymus was a member of the Spartan royal family of the Agiads. He was the second son of Cleomenes II and a pretender to the Spartan throne. He did not succeed his father , allegedly because he was violent and tyrannic. His nephew Areus I became new king instead...

, uncle of his father Areus. It was this, together with the disappointment of not obtaining the throne, which led Cleonymus to invite Pyrrhus

Pyrrhus of Epirus

Pyrrhus or Pyrrhos was a Greek general and statesman of the Hellenistic era. He was king of the Greek tribe of Molossians, of the royal Aeacid house , and later he became king of Epirus and Macedon . He was one of the strongest opponents of early Rome...

 to Sparta in 272 BC. Areus was then absent in Crete

Crete

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...

, and the safety of Sparta was mainly owing to the valor of Acrotatus. He succeeded his father in 265 BC, but was killed shortly thereafter (possibly in the same year) in battle against Aristodemus, the tyrant of Megalopolis

Megalopolis, Greece

Megalópoli is a town in the western part of the peripheral unit of Arcadia, southern Greece. It is located in the same site as ancient Megalopolis . "Megalopolis" is a Greek word for Great city. When it was founded, in 371 BC, it was the first urbanization in rustic and primitive Arcadia. In...

. Pausanias

Pausanias (geographer)

Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...

, 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

Phylarchus

Phylarchus was a Greek historical writer whose works have been lost, but not before having been considerably used by other historians whose works have survived.-Life:Phylarchus was a contemporary of Aratus, in the 3rd century BC. His birthplace is doubtful...

 of having corrupted the simplicity of Spartan manners. He was succeeded by his son Areus II

Areus II

Areus II was King of Sparta, of the Agiad dynasty, from 262 to 254 BC. He was the son of Acrotatus II and was succeeded by his first cousin once removed Leonidas II....

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