This essay will consider Lycurgus & his contribution & impact on Spartan society. The character of Lycurgus is shrouded in doubt & mystery. This is due to conflicting sources from both the ancient & modern worlds. According to ancient sources, Lycurgus was a lawgiver, who was responsible for setting up most of Sparta's political & social institutions. However, exactly what his place in society was is of some confusion. The historian, Herodotus, says that Lycurgus was a god, but then says he was a part of the royal family. Xenophon says that he was a remarkably wise man. Whereas, Plutarch says that Lycurgus was a Spartan king. In further contrast, modern sources are doubtful & say that he may have existed, he may have not.
If Lycurgus was real, it is estimated that he lived from about 650-600 BC, despite the varied ides by historians. From analysing a combination of sources, Lycurgus supposedly established a set of laws known as the Great Rhetra, redistributed land to citizens equally, organised the army, set up common messes for all citizens, omitted coinage from society, laid down rules for every stage of development in life (known as the agoge), gave attention to the role of women, & introduced austerity to the Spartans. However, this cannot be accepted as historically accurate as we have no concrete evidence. Also, the Spartans were prone to heroize dead Spartans, thus dramatising the role of Lycurgus, & the sources cannot agree on his exact position in society. Some modern sources are more sceptical. Forrest describes Lycurgus as someone who took what he found & made a system of it.
One of the most popular stories of Lycurgus was written by Plutarch. He said that Lycurgus married his sister-in-law to get into the royal family. After the Spartans became suspicious of his motives, Lycurgus went to Crete. After a while, the Spartans persuaded Lycurgus to come back. When he did, he made all the changes to Sparta that I mentioned before.
