Complete political equality of all the federate cities; in this respect it essentially differed from all the earlier federations in Greece. 2. Unconditional preservation of the domestic government in every one of the cities. 3. The meeting twice a year of deputies from all the cities, at Aegium, and afterwards at Corinth; for transacting all business of common interest, particularly foreign affairs, and also for the purpose of electing the strategus, or military leader and head of the union, and the ten demiurgi, or supreme magistrates.--But what more than all contributed to exalt this league, founded on pure liberty, was the virtue of Aratus, 213, Philopoemen, 183, and Lycortas, 170; men who breathed into it the spirit of union, until, enfeebled by Roman policy, it was overthrown. # BREITENBAUCH, _History of the Achaeans and their league_, 1782. The Aetolian league was formed about 284, in consequence of the oppressions of the Macedonian kings. The Aetolians had likewise a yearly congress, panaetolium, at Thermus; where they chose a strategus and the apocleti, who constituted the state council. They had, besides, their secretary, [Greek: grammateus]; and supervisors, [Greek: ephoroi], whose particular functions are, however, matter of doubt. This federation did not increase like the Achaean, none but Aetolians being admitted. The more unpolished this piratical nation remained, the more frequently it was used as the tool of foreign, and particularly of Roman, policy. 13. Antigonus, in the latter part of his reign, had recourse to various means, and more especially to an alliance with the Aetolians, for the purpose of counterpoising the Achaeans. He died in his eightieth year, and was succeeded by his son, Demetrius II. who waged war upon the Aetolians, now, however, supported by the Achaeans; and endeavoured to repress the growth of the latter, by favouring the tyrants of particular cities. The remainder of the reign of this prince is little more than a chasm in history. The vulgar assertion that this prince conquered Cyrene and Libya, originates in a confusion of names; his uncle Demetrius, son of Poliorcetes of Ptolemais, being mentioned by Plutarch as king of Cyrene. The history of that town, from 258 to 142, is enveloped in almost total darkness: cf. Prolog. Trogi, l. xxvi. ad calcem Justini. 14. Demetrius's son Philip was passed over; his brother's son, Antigonus II. surnamed Doson, being raised to the throne. This king was occupied the most of his time by the events in Greece, where a very remarkable revolution at Sparta, as we learn from Plutarch, had raised up a formidable enemy against the Achaeans; and so completely altered the relative position of affairs, that the Macedonians, from having been opponents, became allies of the Achaeans.