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= Lycurgus of Sparta = Lycurgus was a mythical Spartan legislator who was revered by many Spartans as a god The writer, Plutarch had trouble gathering information on Lycurgus due to contradicting sources of him. It was believed by some that Lycurgus was alive around the same time as Iphitus of Elis and reinstated the Olympic games with him in 776 BCE. It was also thought that Lycurgus was alive at the same time as Homer, and that they knew each other personally. However, this could have been another man named Lycurgus who lived before the legislator. He is said to have established a major reform in Sparta, known as the Great Rhetra. This reform led to the formation of the gerousia.

Rhertas
Lycurgus forbade the Great Rhetra from being written down. Instead of having rules written for people to follow, he wanted his laws to be ingrained into the Spartans as a part of their character, forming a greater bond with them. This would also allow a flexibility to the laws so that they could change and evolve in times of need- instead of sticking with firmly written rules, they would know when change was called for.

Another rhetra bans continuous warfare against the same opponents to prevent them from adapting to Spartan tactics and gaining an advantage over them.

Travels
Lycurgus is also famous for leaving Sparta to travel to Crete and Asia to learn of their constitutional systems. During his time in Crete, Lycurgus met a composer named Thales, whose music could sooth the masses, inspiring his listeners to become better people. It was thought that Lycurgus visited Egypt, where the separate class of warriors from citizens inspired the heavy military orientation that would be incorporated in his reform. When his laws were put into effect, he left Sparta one last time and willingly died of starvation after the oracle at Delphi proclaimed how successful his reform would continue to be.

Currency
When Lycurgus tried to divide the people's possessions, the idea was met with great backlash. Alternatively, he declared the current current worthless, replacing it with large, heavy iron bars worth very little individually. Such encumbering currency eradicated any crime with monetary involvement from Sparta.

Women's participation
Lycurgus had women partake in physical activity so that children could be born from strong bodies and that they could endure child birth comfortably. From a young age, they were made to attend festivals nude along with young men. Sometimes they would give the boys constructive criticism on areas they needed improvement in, or sing songs about the boys who preformed the best, sparking rivalries and desires to get stronger.

Marriage laws
When women were at the prime age for child bearing, they would have their heads shaved and be dressed as men by a bridesmaid before being brought to a dark room to wait on her bridegroom, who would sneak into the room in the dead of night and sleep together. This was done to learn moderation and to avoid tiredness from constant love-making.

Men who abstained from marriage for too long would be banned from attending Gymnopaediae. Furthermore, these men were shunned and would be made to dance in a circle during the winter singing a song about how they are shirking the law.

Education of children
Lycurgus started the agoge by educating the boys personally. From there he divvied them up into troops, granting the ranks of captain to the boys with the best judgement and capability in battle. The other boys would be instructed, as well as punished by their captain to learn obedience and toughen them up physically and mentally. Along with this strict obedience, boys were also taught to keep a level head and how to win battles. Elders would keep watch over the boys, encouraging them to fight with one another in order to judge their combat potential. The boys were each given one cloak to last through the year. They were not allowed to bathe and they had to make their own beds out of reeds from the nearby rivers.