by Mark Hopkins

Created on: March 03, 2010

The Ancient Spartan government came into being at a very early date, probably the late ninth century B.C. In Antiquity it was considered that a reformer named Lycurgus was responsible for the Spartan Constitution, the details of which seem to come from the Oracle at Delphi and  were preserved by Spartan 'Pythii'. Later, they were recorded and commented on by Aristotle and Plutarch.

The Spartans were a Dorian people who moved into the plains of Lacadaemonia from the north after the collapse of Mycenaean civilization. The reforms of Lycurgus were in response to the danger of rivalry between kinship groups and economic classes, problems which bedevilled many Greek states. Because of Lycurgus, Sparta was spared the various 'Tyrannies' and civil wars which most other Greeks had to contend with.

Under Lycurgus' reforms, all Adult male Spartans were 'Equals' and as such members of the Assembly, which met at fixed times and places. The Assembly discussed motions proposed by the Council of 30 and its decisions were binding. The Assembly chose 28 of the Council's 30 members, by  acclamation, the other 2 being the two Spartan Kings.

The Council, or Gerousia,  was the only body able to introduce motions to the Assembly for consideration. Its thirty members had to be aged 60 or over (and therefore beyond military age) and held office for life. The Council alone could dismiss the Assembly.

There were also five Ephors, elected annually by acclamation in the Assembly from among its members. On entering office they swore an oath to 'shave off their moustache and obey the Laws'. They supervised social matters, inspected the physical condition of male infants (weaklings were left to die),  judged cases of disobedience and led contingents at the festival of music and athletics known as the Gymnopaediae. 

Lycurgus retained the idea of Kingship at Sparta, which was very old and was vested in two hereditary families, the Agiads and the Eurypontids, but Kings' powers were to be limited. They met as part of the Gerousia and in time of war one would lead the Spartan army on campaign while the other remained at home.

In the eighth century the Spartan constitution was amended, around 757 B.C. A new clause gave the Council, or Gerousia,  the power to over-rule the decisions of the Assembly if it 'decided wrongly'. The Assembly from then on generally ratified proposals of the Council and its assent

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