Page "Pasiphaë" Paragraph 6

Cicero writes in De Natura Deorum that the Spartan ephors would sleep at the shrine of Pasiphaë, seeking prophetic dreams to aid them in governance.

According to Plutarch, Spartan society twice underwent major upheavals sparked by ephors ' dreams at the shrine during the Hellenistic era.

In one case, an ephor dreamed that some of his colleagues ' chairs were removed from the agora, and that a voice called out " this is better for Sparta "; inspired by this, King Cleomenes acted to consolidate royal power.

Again during the reign of King Agis, several ephors brought the people into revolt with oracles from Pasiphaë's shrine promising remission of debts and redistribution of land.