Lycurgus (Sparta)
Lycurgus or Lykurgos ( ancient Greek Λυκοῦργος Lykoúrgos ) is considered to be the legislature of Sparta according to ancient sources . According to current research, he is probably not a historical but a mythical person.
The myth of Lycurgus was probably created to explain the uniqueness of the Spartan constitution . It differed in classical times, i.e. in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. BC, distinctly from those of other Greek city-states. Since this could not be imagined as a gradual social development at that time, the extraordinary social order of Sparta was traced back to a mythical founder figure. The historicity of Lycurgus was never questioned in classical times, but is currently considered extremely controversial.
Against the background of great external and internal dangers - such as the Messenian Wars , the law of the division of inheritance or the threatening supremacy of Athens - Sparta changed towards the end of the 7th century BC. Gradually into a rigorously organized state in which the war system played a dominant role. The legal, social and political institutions associated with this reform were ascribed to Lycurgus ( Lycurgian reforms ).
Mythical biography after Plutarch
After Plutarch, Lykurg was a Spartan prince. After his father and brother were murdered due to prevailing lawlessness, Lycurgus ruled as the guardian of his unborn nephew. He turned down his sister-in-law's offer to kill the child in order to become king himself. Lykurg selflessly ensured that his nephew received the royal dignity he was entitled to, and thereby gained a high reputation among the Spartans. Due to constant defamation of the Queen Mother, he left Sparta. In Crete , Egypt , Libya , Spain and Asia Minor , Lycurgus studied various constitutions and began to draft a new political order for Sparta. In order to get the Spartans in the mood for the coming reforms, Lycurgus sent poets to Sparta who, with songs, solicited the citizens' compliance with the law and unity.
One day the Spartan kings asked Lycurgus to return to help them rule the city-state, which was threatened by increasing lawlessness and political disorder. He first visited Delphi and received the prophecy that he would bring the best of all constitutions to his homeland. On his return to Sparta he invoked the oracle when he began to introduce a new political order.
The reforms attributed to the Lycurgus include, above all, the separation of powers between the kingship, Gerusia (“council of the elders”) and the Apella (popular assembly). In addition, there was a land reform, the abolition of gold and silver coins and their replacement by iron and the constant military drill of men up to the age of 30 combined with gender segregation.
Towards the end of his life Lycurgus left Sparta to sacrifice Apollo at the Oracle of Delphi . Before leaving, he called a people's assembly, including the king and officials, and made everyone swear an oath that they would uphold the constitution until he returned. Then he went to Delphi and consulted the oracle . He received prophecy that his laws were excellent and that they would make his people famous. Satisfied with this information, he decided to starve himself to death instead of returning to Sparta. In this way he wanted to force the Spartans to uphold these laws forever.
aftermath
Lycurgus appears in the social contract of Jean-Jacques Rousseau as the ideal ruler who , by abolishing and preventing partial societies, turns Sparta into a state in which the collective will corresponds to the common will.
literature
- Massimo Nafissi: Lykourgos the Spartan "Lawgiver": Ancient Beliefs and Modern Scholarship. In: Anton Powell (Ed.): A Companion to Sparta. Blackwell, Chichester 2018, pp. 93-123.
- Karen Piepenbrink : Lykurg. In: Peter von Möllendorff , Annette Simonis, Linda Simonis (ed.): Historical figures of antiquity. Reception in literature, art and music (= Der Neue Pauly . Supplements. Volume 8). Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2013, ISBN 978-3-476-02468-8 , Sp. 635-644.
- Lukas Thommen : Sparta. Constitutional and social history of a Greek polis. Metzler, Stuttgart et al. 2003, ISBN 3-476-01964-0 .
