Everything about Lycurgus Of Sparta totally explained
Lycurgus (
Greek: Λυκοῦργος,
Lukoûrgos;
700 BC?–
630 BC) was the legendary lawgiver of
Sparta, who established the military-oriented reformation of Spartan society in accordance with the
Oracle of Apollo at Delphi. All his reforms were directed towards the three Spartan virtues : equality (among citizens), military fitness and austerity.
He is referred to by ancient historians
Herodotus,
Xenophon, and
Plutarch. It isn't clear if this Lycurgus was an actual historical figure however, many ancient historians believed Lycurgus was responsible for the communalistic and militaristic reforms which transformed Spartan society, the most major of which was known as The
Great Rhetra. Ancient historians place him in the first half of the
7th century BC.
Biography
Plutarch points out in his biography of Lycurgus that: 'One can say absolutely nothing on Lycurgus the Lawgiver which isn't prone to controversy: his origin, his travels, his death, and finally the development of his laws and constitution give rise to very diverse historical accounts'.
According to ancient sources, Lycurgus was a war veteran who, with the support of his comrades, managed to become regent or tutor to the Spartan
King Charilaus. He lost an eye when a young political opponent,
Alcander, chased him out of the marketplace and hit him in the face with a stick when Lycurgus turned around to see him; he was sentenced to serve as Lycurgus' servant for a period of time and eventually became one of his biggest supporters. Lycurgus is often referenced to throwing this lost eye at political opponents in order to win debates, which he often did. Among the reforms attributed to Lycurgus are the establishment of the senate, the abolition of gold and silver coinage and the substitution of iron money, the requirement of eating in commons and living (for men under the age of thirty) in rough-hewn barracks, the destruction of the city walls to promote martial skill, re-dividing Spartan land and forcing it to be worked by
Helots, and the system of government that divided power between king, the
Spartan citizenry, the
gerousia, and the
ephors.
Institutions
Lycurgus is credited with with the formation of many Spartan institutions integral to the country's rise to power. He created the
sussita, the practice that required all Spartan men to eat together in common messhalls. His most important addition to Spartan culture was the development of the
agoge. The infamous practice took all healthy six year old boys from the care of their mothers and placed them in a rigorous military regiment. More dubiously, Lycurgos is prescribed with forbidding the use of any tools other than an axe and saw in the building of a house.
Legend
(
Bertrand Russell states that he's mythical person of
Arcadian origin - his name meaning 'He who brings into being the works of a wolf');
According to the legend found in Plutarch's
Lives and other sources, when Lycurgus became confident in his reforms, he announced that he'd go to the
oracle at Delphi to
sacrifice to
Apollo. However before leaving for
Delphi he called an assembly of the people of
Sparta and made everyone, including the kings and senate, take an oath binding them to observe his laws until he returned. He made the journey to Delphi and consulted the oracle, which told him that his laws were excellent and would make his people famous. Being satisfied by this he starved himself to death instead of returning home, forcing the citizens of
Sparta by oath to keep his
laws indefinitely.ll
Depictions
Lycurgus is depicted in several U.S. government buildings of his legacy as a lawgiver. Lycurgus is one of the 23 lawgivers depicted in
marble bas-reliefs in the
chamber of the
U.S. House of Representatives in the
United States Capitol. Lycurgus is also depicted on the
frieze on the south wall of the
U.S. Supreme Court building.
Further Information
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