Suda s.v. Lycurgus (Λ824): Lycurgus and the introduction of female athletics in Sparta

Suda s.v. Lycurgus (Λ824): Lycurgus and the introduction of female athletics in Sparta

10th/11th century CE

Encyclopedia

Literary source

As is not uncommon in the Suda, there are two entries on the same person. Whilst the first one about Lycurgus (Λ823) is rather short, the present entry on Lycurgus is a compartively long Suda lemma. It is noteworthy that out of all of Lycurgus' regulations the one about sports for maidens is the very first one to be mentioned. The information in this entry mostly goes back to Xenophon and Plutatch, wheres the first Lycurgus entry is based on the scholia on Plato.

Spartiate, descendant of Prokles; lawgiver. They say he got his laws either from Crete or from the god. The Pythia also addressed him as a god. This man also legislated for physical training for virgins; and that men should not have continual intercourse with their wives (...).

“Lykourgos”. Suda On Line. Tr. D. Graham J. Shipley. 16 February 2002. http://www.stoa.org/sol-entries/lambda/824 (consulted on 6 September 2022) CC BY-NC-SA 1.0

Λυκοῦργος, Σπαρτιάτης, Προκλέους ἀπόγονος, νομοθέτης, ὥς φασιν ἢ ἐκ Κρήτης ἢ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τοὺς νόμους λαβών: ὃν καὶ θεὸν ἡ Πυθία προσηγόρευσεν. οὗτος καὶ γυμνάσια παρθένων ἐνομοθέτησε καὶ τὸ μὴ δεῖν συνεχεῖς ὁμιλίας πρὸς τὰς γυναῖκας ποιεῖσθαι.

A. Adler, Suidae lexicon (Lexicographi Graeci 1), vol. 3, Κ-Ο.Ω, Leipzig 1933.