rs.” (Plutarch 10) The second economic reform initiated by Lycurgus changed the currency of the country from gold and silver to a type of money made out of heavy iron of very little worth. The enormous size and weight of the new currency required a large area of storage space and a great deal of strength in order to remove the money from the storage area. This strategy implied by Lycurgus was brilliant because for the first time having an abundance of money was more of a hassle than a convenience.The abolishment of a valuable currency system forced the Spartan citizens to rely on each other because all trade and commerce disappeared from Sparta when Lycurgus reformed the currency system. The reform of the currency system was rejected by some of Sparta’s wealthy men because they didn’t believe the state had the right to take away their possessions. The main obstacle standing in the way of Lycurgus’s was human nature, and in particular avarice. Man’s desire for wealth is has kept the economic world alive throughout recorded history. Lycurgus’s able leadership his mild temperament won over the Spartan nobles and extinguished their greed The final economic reform implemented by Lycurgus was the disposal of needless and extravagant art. The banning of art blocked the last available avenue for the people to obtain gold and silver or to use it. This law benefited the people because the people learned how to make chairs, tables and other necessities that some of the citizens once took for granted.The reforms that Lycurgus implemented were not accepted without opposition, but ultimately they were proven to benefit the people and the country. Lycurgus transformed the country into a close-knit community and consequently turned Sparta into a power in the Greek world. The laws that Lycurgus used in his governing of the city were upheld for centuries after his death. The laws he made were unchanged for fi...
