BULL STREET – The art of the Con

Lycergus' Law: 600 BC

Sparta was located in the Southern Part of Greece and it was one of the two most formative City-States. Lycergus was primarily a believer in the sanctity of the human body and wrote laws that addressed that and other related facts. He believed that that the only thing of real importance was that women were put on earth to procreate. Moreover, Lycergus was a bit  like Hitler, in that he firmly believed that society should be as perfect as possible. Moreover, in his mind, this meant that those children that were born deformed would only perpetuate that shortcoming upon future generations if allowed to live and therefore should be destroyed at birth. This was a tough society, the males started training for battle at the age of seven and retreat was not even comprehendible in Lycergus’ doctrines.  In spite of the fact that the law as created by Lycergus was focus toward body and state, they seemed to contain enough codicils in order to literally cover almost every aspect of life in that was in evidence.

Whatever he created seemed to work, because Sparta under Lycergus became a well oil military machine quite able to dispatch any comers.  Lycergus, although a lawgiver and warrior also believed in the education of his entire population and for centuries Sparta produced endless strings of well oiled scholars and theorists. He created unique methodology relative to the system of government such as the Spartan Council of Elders, which, was responsible for running the country on a day-to-day basis. He also established the first mint and began to fabricate metal coinage, which was not of intrinsic value, a first for the times. Furthermore, he felt that parents should be responsible for their children’s actions and if they were not handling this in a satisfaction, others in the neighborhood should be allowed to fill the gap, one way or the other.

However, because of the fact that his laws were so narrowly conceived, they, for the most part, died with Sparta. The system’s human rigidity was probably too far reaching to be picked up by the evolving civilizations of that era.  “Draco was a three-strikes-and-you’re –out legislator…”[13]

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