It was a time of unrest and lawlessness. Lycurgus came from a royal family and after the death of his father from a stab and the death of his older brother, he became king, but he ruled for only eight months. Having ceded power to his nephew, he left Sparta. Traveling through Crete, Egypt and the Greek policies on the coast of Asia Minor, Lycurgus studied the laws and way of life of people and dreamed, upon returning to his homeland, to completely change the structure of his community and establish laws that would forever end the enmity between the Spartans. Before returning to Sparta, Lycurgus went to Delphi, where there was a temple of the god Apollo with an oracle (soothsayer). In those days, not a single important decision for the entire state was made without seeking advice from the priests of the god Apollo of Delphi. The priestess-soothsayer (Pythia) conveyed predictions to those seeking advice, which the deity herself allegedly informed her. The Pythia called Li-curgus "God-loving" and said that Apollo promised to give Sparta the best laws.
According to Plutarch, after returning from Delphi, Lycurgus, together with thirty noble citizens loyal to him, set about implementing his plan. He ordered his friends to arm themselves and go to the square in order to intimidate the enemies and force everyone to obey the new laws. The establishment of new orders, apparently, caused discontent and resistance of some of the rich and noble citizens. Once they surrounded the legislator and, shouting angrily, threw stones at him. Lycurgus fled, but one of the pursuers knocked out his eye with a stick.