in historical sources are wildly inconsistent, making it impossible to determine whether Lycurgus was an actual historical figure. It is clear, however, that at some point in the late Archaic period, the model of Spartan society shifted from a monarchical system to an aristocracy of the elite warrior class.

The change is likely to have been in some way related to the transition from "Dark Age" warfare, in which nobles were the dominant force, to the hoplite warfare