▁says ▁the ▁Rh etra ▁pred ated ▁the ▁reign s ▁of ▁Ag as icles ▁and ▁Leon , ▁who ▁acc eded ▁to ▁their ▁thr ones ▁about ▁ 5 9 0 ▁BC . ▁Lab ot as ▁on ▁the ▁other ▁hand ▁began ▁his ▁reign ▁in ▁ 8 7 0 , ▁imp lying ▁an ▁early ▁ 9 th ▁century ▁date ▁of ▁the ▁r het ra . ▁If ▁there ▁was ▁an ▁oracle , ▁the ▁question ▁of ▁what ▁writing ▁system , ▁if ▁any , ▁was ▁the ▁vehicle ▁of ▁the ▁or acles ▁is ▁mo ot . ▁Linear ▁B ▁was ▁gone ▁and ▁the ▁alphabet ▁had ▁not ▁yet ▁arrived ▁in ▁Greece . ▁ ▁Pl ut arch ' s ▁version ▁The ▁younger ▁source , ▁Pl ut arch , ▁speak s ▁less ▁confident ly ▁of ▁the ▁details ▁of ▁Ly c urg us ' ▁life , ▁being ▁faced ▁by ▁that ▁time ▁with ▁multiple ▁trad itions , ▁and ▁having ▁no ▁way ▁to ▁judge ▁between ▁them . ▁He ▁says : ▁" There ▁is ▁so ▁much ▁uncertainty ▁in ▁the ▁accounts ▁which ▁histor ians ▁have ▁left ▁us ▁of ▁Ly c urg us , ▁the ▁law g iver ▁of ▁Spart a , ▁that ▁scarcely ▁any ▁thing ▁is ▁assert ed ▁by ▁one ▁of ▁them ▁which ▁is ▁not ▁called ▁into ▁question ▁or ▁contrad icted ▁by ▁the ▁rest ." ▁After ▁repeating ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁opinions ▁of ▁sources ▁available ▁to ▁him ▁he ▁launch es ▁into ▁his ▁own ▁reconst ruction ▁based , ▁he ▁says , ▁on ▁the ▁majority ▁opinion . ▁Ly c urg us ▁was ▁the ▁younger ▁son ▁of ▁the ▁Eur yp ont id ▁king ,