reforms of Lycurgus

 reforms of Lycurgus

Various reforms were instituted in Sparta by several leaders who had multiple views on the appropriate and effective ways of maintaining and controlling the conquered Messenians. Many of these reforms created a military state in Sparta, which brought several effects to the nation as a whole. Most of these effects were on how the Spartan people were treated and educated. These reforms made Spartans have various laws that much helped in managing the nation, such as the laws that governed the use of finance and the country’s revenues. Rules that promoted gender equality were also introduced through various reforms. Among the most prominent leaders who are renown by their substantial improvements include Lycurgus and Xenophon who however brought vitally but contradicting reforms.

In line with the principles and expectations of philosophy, Plutarch explains the life history of Lycurgus that was produced in an incomparable constitution which accurately showed the spectacles of an entire city that acted like philosophers. Lycurgus is considered a renowned creator of the laws of Sparta. He is well known by his laws that inspired the financial stability in Sparta and equality among the citizens. Lycurgus’s ideas contradicted the ideas of many philosophers since his intentions were practical and the laws he made did not just explain the proper ways that people should follow when living. Still, he also told how people were to put these laws into action. The Spartans became more harmonious as a result of using Lycurgus’ rules. They also developed various feelings of honour, together with virtues such as self-reliance and self-control. This happened because their leader strongly believed that these virtues were fundamental and crucial for wise and harmonious living in any given nation. Lycurgus laws also replaced various destructive laws such as individualism by desirable measures of serving the community well.

Looking at the reforms of Lycurgus, the first reform was economic-related. Lycurgus started by redistributing the land to various needy Spartans since there was an enormous difference that existed between the poor and the wealthy people. Lycurgus, therefore, created an equal gap between the poor and the wealthy people in his nation. He further devaluated gold and silver, thereby making only iron currency accepted and legal money to be used by the Spartans. The action of making iron the constitutional currency and devaluating gold led to the collapse of various businesses that were seen inappropriate in Sparta such as prostitution. Many people also left the country, for example, the sophists, the charlatans as well as the gold and silversmiths. The rule also  ended trade and all the negative influences that the nation received from the outsiders.  Lycurgus further introduced standard dining tables that provided adequate food so that the people could not starve. He did this as a means of taking away the unnecessary desire for riches and luxury. Lycurgus believed that he was weakened whenever he ate fatty foods and stuffed himself with too much food. Lycurgus also thought that using the services of workers or rather servants during dinner time brought about feelings of inequality as well as concentration on the available material goods rather than the non-material goods which he significantly promoted.  Lycurgus made luxury very extinct. His system also made the Spartans acquire and appropriately by competing for various material products such as land and wealth.

Another reform that Lycurgus brought was the regulation of marriages and childbirth. He thought and believed that regulating marriages and birth was very important more so for the prosperity and honour of the state. He perceived this act as a way that could make the state to remain more secure and fixed if at all, it was implanted in the citizens through habits and training methods. These measures would then be followed by choice and not by their necessities.

Lycurgus made these reforms with the main motive of implementing a superior political system. This is because Spartan’s system at his time was quite weak and was seen to be swaying between the extremes about democracy and dictatorship. Lycurgus could, therefore, bring about various institutions that would set the Spartan state away from the rivals of the polis. He, thus, ensured that he came up with various reforms that brought out stability and equality in Sparta.

Considering the Xenophon’s views and reforms in Spartan society, Xenophon was first amused by the fact that Sparta had a deficient population had become the most dominant and prominent state in Greece. He later understood that these successes came due to the actions that been undertaken by Lycurgus that mainly made the people obey the laws about his reforms that were laid upon them. Xenophon, however, had contrary opinions to the actions of Lycurgus. He claimed that by deciding on a different course to the many people made his country fortunate.

Xenophon, therefore, came up with the following reforms that mainly opposed the earlier reforms of Lycurgus. He, for example, condemned Lycurgus’s change of controlling childbirth. Xenophon suggests that the most predictable diets feed girls who are the potential to be mothers and are considered to be well brought with very few extra foods. Xenophon also suggested that wine should not be given to girls at all. He also contradicts Lycurgus’s view that clothes production should be done by the women who served as slaves. Xenophon’s view required females to perform physical activities just like the males, and so he organized the women just like the men got assembled.

Xenophon also made a reform that made it a disgrace that a man should be seen either going or leaving his wife’s room. His thought on this act was that sex under these circumstances increased the desire of the couples and any children born would become much sturdier.  Xenophon too like Lycurgus controlled marriage. He did not allow any man to marry at wish. He stated that men were only to marry when they were at their physical peak. He saw this as a way of helping in the production of better children. He also had the idea of preventing older adults from marrying younger wives. He, therefore, arranged that during the time of producing children, the elderly husbands were to bring young and energetic men that they admired.

In conclusion, even though contrary opinions emerged from the Xenophon and Lycurgus reforms, they both carried and brought about relevant rules and regulation that effectively helped in managing Sparta. The Spartans obeyed the laws that they were given by these two rulers a condition that led to prosperity in the country. Their obedience to the laws saw an improvement of various sectors such as land ownership, currency, the education of the children as well as gender equality.