Lycurgus, << ly KUR guhs, >> was a Spartan legislator. He is said to have set up the government that made Sparta the great military power of the Greek states (see Sparta ). His birth and death dates and his exact achievements are uncertain. Lycurgus probably lived during the 800’s B.C., and was a member of one of the two Spartan royal families. The stories about him say he traveled to other parts of Greece, and to Asia and Egypt, to study their laws. On his return, he was asked to develop a new form of government for Sparta.
Lycurgus’ greatest achievements were his economic and social reforms. He redistributed the land and banned money from Sparta, thus supposedly making all citizens equal. But control of Sparta remained in the hands of only a few of its citizens. In the social system devised by Lycurgus, strict supervision from birth enforced discipline and military training.
