The kings also sit on the council

国王也处理政务
that is the dominant advisory consulting element

最主要的理事机构
in the whole Spartan state;

在斯巴达社会中
it is called the gerousia,

被称为元老院
which would be translated into Latin as senatus,

翻作拉丁文的议会
our word Senate. It is a council of elders.

元老院即长老会议
It consists of twenty eight men over the age of sixty

它包括28位60岁以上的男子
who are elected by the Spartans

他们由斯巴达人民选举产生
and the two kings who sit with them to produce a council of 30.

两位国王和他们一起组成三十人的议会
The kingship is hereditary in each line,

王位是世袭制的在每个家族中
with this little bump in it,

会有一些小的摩擦
and that is it's necessarily the first son of the previous king.

继位者必须是上一位国王的长子