Sparta’s foundational constitutional pronouncement was traditionally called the Great Rhetra.
The Great Rhetra was a short oracle-like statement associated with Lycurgus, the traditional lawgiver of Sparta. It described key political arrangements, including the organization of tribes and villages and the role of the assembly and Gerousia.
The text survives through ancient authors rather than as a complete contemporary inscription. Plutarch preserved a version of it and connected it with the Delphic oracle. Because the evidence is late and the historical Lycurgus is uncertain, scholars debate when the arrangements took shape and how much the text reflects later Spartan tradition.
The Great Rhetra should not be confused with the written law codes of other Greek states. Sparta was famous for relying heavily on custom and oral tradition, and the Rhetra was more a constitutional foundation than a comprehensive statute book.