Lycurgian reforms
Lycurgian reforms describe the supposedly between 650 BC. BC and 550 BC BC from Lycurgus (who is probably a mythical and not a historical figure) enacted laws in ancient Sparta .
legend
According to legend, Lycurgus traveled around the Greek countryside and learned about numerous other laws, from which he created new laws for his home state Sparta. He made the laws on the condition not to change them until he returned from his next trip, but never returned from that trip. Because of this (and because of the strong self-preservation power of the laws) they were not changed in ancient Sparta, but were completely discarded (already in the decline of the city).
The myth of Lycurgus was created primarily to provide an explanation for the truly unique transformation of the Spartan state.
Historical background
Sparta had gained control over foreign tribes in the two Messenian wars with Laconia (the surrounding area) and Messenia (the neighboring state in the west) and lived in constant fear of their rising. In addition, the social order was endangered by the division of inheritance and large cities (above all Athens) exerted an enormous influence in Greece.
Content of laws
Social order
The collection of laws was of course not arranged all at once as it existed, but arose gradually. It established inner peace and founded a new state order based on the predominance and strict organization of the Doric lord population, the Spartians . These were united in the middle of the country and 4,500 (later 9,000) equal arable land was distributed among them, which they were not allowed to freely dispose of, neither through purchase or sale, nor through donation or will. The purpose of this division was to prevent a new concentration of property and a new poverty.
They were divided into the three phyls of Hylleer, Pamphylers and Dymans, these again divided into ten Above and equal to each other in rank and rights. In addition to the Spartians , there were two subordinate classes of the population, Periöks and Helots .
The Periöks (large residents , from the surrounding areas) were personally free, but without a share in the voting rights in the popular assembly and in the honorary rights, paid interest to the king and were called up with the Spartians to defend the fatherland.
The helots were serfs of the state and were mainly used to cultivate the lands of the Spartians and to accompany the latter in the war as lightly armed men. At the time of Sparta's heyday, the population was around 40,000 Spartians, 120,000 Periöks and 200,000 Helots.
Law
The original Lycurgian constitution is said to have only provided the dual kingship, the gerusia ("council of the elderly") and the apella (popular assembly) as institutions. At a later time, a king is said to have created the ephorate (five officials) as an additional democratic element , in order to give the Spartians the impression of having a say in politics so far, with almost no political rights. According to Aristotle , this combination of monarchical, aristocratic and democratic elements represented the perfect form of government.
In fact, this constitution hardly had any democratic features. The heads of state were two kings (one each from the house of the Agiads and one from the house of the Eurypontids) who combined the offices of judge, general and high priest on an equal footing. In earlier times the power of kings seems to have been more extensive before they had to give it up more and more in favor of the ephors. In addition, it is believed that the monarchs originally came from ordinary noble families, but that they managed to stand out from the rest of the nobility.
The Gerusia consisted of 30 "old people" including the kings, who only had normal voting rights. Officially, political decision-making power lay with the people, but only the council of elders had the right to formulate and submit proposals for laws and actions. He was also able to dissolve the people's assembly if, at the discretion of the elders, its resolution ran counter to the “welfare of the state”. The minimum age to be elected to the Council of Elders was around 60 years (hence the name), which in view of the frequent Spartan wars meant a severe restriction on the right to stand as a candidate.
The Apella formed the popular assembly of all Spartians entitled to vote. These were presumably all male residents of the Polis Sparta who owned a certain amount of land. Originally, the people should have political decision-making power, but this could be revoked by the Gerusia.
In later times, the ephorate, a body of five officials (ephors) that was supposed to control the kings, also appeared. Every Spartiat could be elected to the Ephor, but only for one year and only for one term of office. Initially only supervised with minor tasks such as bringing up children, the Ephors gained more and more influence over time, so that they could even depose kings in later times. The Ephorate is said to have been a democratic institution, since it was open to every citizen, effectively the possibility of a broad mass of people to participate in the political events was, but rather small.
isolation
The purpose of the Lycurgian legislation was to bring about the greatest possible equality of citizens, martial ability and exclusive interest in the power and glory of the state. The Spartiate did not belong to himself but to the state; therefore life was almost entirely public: hunts, physical exercises, participation in popular assemblies, sacrifices and solemn choirs, watching the gymnastic games of the youth and the like filled the time of the day if it was not war. To pursue trade and arts, shipping and trade, was considered unworthy of a Spartian. Enrichment through trade was ruled out by the law to use only iron coins. These coins were said to be so heavy and so ugly that no merchant could or would carry many of them. The far more important effect of the trade ban was the increased isolation of Sparta that resulted from it.
To prevent dangerous things from creeping in from outside, no Spartan was allowed to travel abroad without express permission. In addition to cowardice in combat as a questioning of the life-sustaining order, this was the highest crime and was punished with death. Strangers were only allowed in if they had to negotiate with the authorities and were not allowed to stay longer than necessary.
Control over everyday life
The state watched over the simplicity of building and furnishing houses, over clothing, over the discipline of women, even over music. The purpose of the determination was to keep the population focused on survival and to prevent it from becoming effeminate. So the front doors, which were often decorated as a status symbol, could only be made with axes from now on. Over time, however, the Spartans learned to undermine these regulations and, for example, amassed their treasures behind a primitive front door.
Education, too, was entirely a matter for the state, public and communal, and formed an artificially structured system; their predominant purpose was physical strengthening and toughening , also among the female youth, and accustoming them to strict military obedience. By practicing the brevity of expression (laconism) the young Spartiate gained that intensity and concentration of spirit, that compact and robust personality which distinguished him; by learning Doric national songs enthusiasm for the fatherland was awakened.
The men had to unite in groups of around 15 people each for simple meals (pheiditia or syssitia ). Since these groups usually fought in the same units in war, this served not only to prevent any luxury in food, but also to strengthen morale. Marriage was required, and there were public charges against those who did not marry at all, late or inappropriately. A childless marriage was not viewed as such, but rather its dissolution was required by the state.
Deformed and weak children, after they had been shown to the elders of the sex, were abandoned in the gorges of the Taygetos, that is, brought up as Periök children, while children of Periöks and Helots, if they had received a Spartiatic upbringing and had been adopted by a Spartian, with permission the kings could be accepted into the Dorian community, they were called Mothakes .
Marriage policy was also regulated, although the literature disagrees on this issue. Sometimes the parents seem to have sealed the marriages for the children, sometimes the brides were "stolen" in traditions based on fighting games. Others even speak of dark rooms, in which a large crowd of people willing to marry stayed and, freed from identity and ulterior motives, found each other purely on the basis of their physique. Half-siblings were allowed to marry.