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LikurgLegendary Spartan legislator
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The Legendary Spartan Lawgiver Lycurgus
Lycurgus, the legendary Spartan lawgiver, is believed to have lived in the 9th or 8th century BC. The Greeks credited him with establishing the government of Sparta. According to ancient beliefs, the Oracle of Delphi commanded Lycurgus to change the ruling system in Sparta to match the Doric states in Crete. As a result, he established the Gerousia (Council of Elders) and the Apella (Assembly of the People). However, Plutarch's Life of Lycurgus, although fascinating, lacks historical accuracy.
Biography of Lycurgus
Lycurgus (9th-8th century BC) was a legendary lawgiver of Sparta. The ancient tradition has provided us with conflicting information about his life. According to Plutarch, he was the younger son of the Spartan king Eunomus and belonged to the Eurypontid family. After the death of his older brother Polydectes, Lycurgus became the guardian of his young son Charilaus (according to Herodotus, Leobotas). Enemies and detractors accused him of seeking to usurp power. To avoid their plots, Lycurgus left Sparta and embarked on a journey. He lived in Crete for a long time, visited Egypt, and traveled to Greek cities in Asia Minor. Upon his return to his homeland, he began implementing reforms to the government structure of Sparta.
According to the laws written by Lycurgus, full citizens of Sparta were considered only Spartiates - descendants of the Dorians who invaded the Peloponnese in the 12th-11th centuries BC. The second group of the population consisted of the perioikoi - personally free individuals, but deprived of political rights; their main occupations were craftsmanship and trade. The third group consisted of helots - enslaved individuals from the conquered inhabitants of Laconia and Messenia. All the fertile land was divided into 9,000 kleroi (allotments), which were distributed among the Spartiates. Several helot families lived on the territory of each kleros, providing the Spartiate and his family with everything they needed. To maintain the system of harsh exploitation of the enslaved population, Lycurgus transformed the Spartan community into a military camp, whose members were subjected to strict discipline.
According to Lycurgus' laws, all Spartiates without exception served in the military. From the age of 7 to 20, boys underwent public education. They were grouped into agelai (herds), and their instructors subjected them to constant training, teaching them warfare, endurance, frugality, cunning, cruelty, and strict discipline. At the age of 20, Spartiates became full members of the community and were obliged to serve in the army until the age of 60. Adult Spartiates were required to participate in monthly sissitia (public meals), which fostered a sense of collectivism among them. For the same purpose, Spartiates formed enomotiae - military units consisting of 25-36 individuals bound by an oath, and triacades - units of 30 people.
Lycurgus' legislation brought significant changes to the organization of state governance. The functions of the popular assembly (Apella), in which all adult Spartiates participated, were preserved. The community of Spartiates continued to be governed by two kings who commanded the army during times of war and served as religious leaders. Lycurgus established the Gerousia (Council of Elders), which consisted of both kings and 28 influential Spartiates over the age of 60. The Gerousia was considered the highest governing body in Sparta. Alongside the Gerousia, Lycurgus established the position of ephors, who were elected by the assembly for a term of one year, with five individuals serving at a time. The ephors possessed significant power: they had the right to convene the Gerousia and Apella, were responsible for foreign affairs, served judicial functions, and supervised the behavior of Spartiates, ensuring the strict implementation of the laws. The ephors could even overturn the decisions of Spartan kings. According to tradition, Lycurgus removed gold and silver coins from circulation, replacing them with heavy and inconvenient iron obols. He also imposed a strict ban on the production and consumption of luxury goods in Sparta and prohibited the importation of goods from other countries.
Lycurgus lived to a ripe old age. He died outside his homeland, and his remains were brought back to Sparta, where the Spartans built a temple in his honor and worshipped him as a god. Lycurgus' laws remained in effect in Sparta for 500 years. Polybius, in his account of Lycurgus and his laws, stated, "I believe that the laws established by Lycurgus and the measures he adopted were excellent for ensuring the unity of citizens, protecting Laconia, and establishing lasting freedom in Sparta. His work, in my opinion, was more divine than human. The equal division of land, simplicity and communal life were meant to instill moral values in the private lives of citizens, while protecting the state from internal conflicts. Moreover, the arduous and dangerous exercises were intended to make citizens strong and courageous. When a person or a state possesses such qualities as courage and moral integrity, it is difficult for any disaster to arise among its citizens, and it is not easy for foreign enemies to conquer them. This is how Lycurgus, through his measures and the organization of the state, ensured lasting security for all of Laconia and provided the Spartans with freedom for a long time. However, it seems to me that he did not concern himself with adapting his state, both in general and in its specifics, to the conquest of foreigners, domination over them, and, in general, the expansion of external power. Therefore, by making citizens self-sufficient and moderate in their private lives, he should have also taken care to ensure that the overall disposition of the state was self-sufficient and moderate. Now, thanks to Lycurgus, the Spartans are completely free from ambition and exhibit the highest level of prudence in their private lives and obedience to the laws of their city, in relation to other Hellenes."
