Download or read book Spartan Reflections written by Paul Cartledge and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2003-07-17 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This is a book that scholars will read with pleasure, and a book from which advanced undergraduates and graduates will gain a sense of what Sparta was like as a culture, and (just as important) the nature and state of play of contemporary Spartan studies. And it will be accessible for the well informed lay reader as well."—Josiah Ober, author of Political Dissent in Democratic Athens "Paul Cartledge's aim, in this powerful collection of essays, is to shed light in dark places, to demythicize... Cartledge is shrewd, realistic, and far from starry-eyed. Over a quarter-century's exhaustive research, now updated, has gone into these densely documented and tightly argued essays. These Spartans, in the last resort, are exploitative slave-drivers, obsessed with keeping their serfs down (by annually killing off any resisters, among other things)... Modern idealizers of cold baths, black broth, mindless discipline and long route marches should read this book and, hopefully, have second thoughts."—Peter Green, author of Alexander to Actium

Download or read book Agesilaos and the Crisis of Sparta written by Paul Cartledge and published by Bloomsbury Academic. This book was released on 1987 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An account of a critical period of Greek history, focusing on a single career.

Download or read book The Landmark Xenophon s Hellenika written by Robert B. Strassler and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2010-12-07 with total page 673 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the editor of the widely praised The Landmark Thucydides and The Landmark Herodotus, here is a new edition of Xenophon’s Hellenika, the primary source for the events of the final seven years and aftermath of the Peloponnesian War. Hellenika covers the years between 411 and 362 B.C.E., a particularly dramatic period during which the alliances among Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and Persia were in constant flux. Together with the volumes of Herodotus and Thucydides, it completes an ancient narrative of the military and political history of classical Greece. Xenophon was an Athenian who participated in the expedition of Cyrus the Younger against Cyrus’ brother, the Perisan King Artaxerces II. Later Xenophon joined the Spartan army and hence was exiled from Athens. In addition to the Hellenika, a number of his essays have survived, including one on his memories of his teacher, Socrates. Beautifully illustrated, heavily annotated, and filled with detailed, clear maps, this edition gives us a new, authoritative, and completely accessible translation by John Marincola, an comprehensive introduction by David Thomas, sixteen appendices written by leading classics scholars, and an extensive timeline/chronology to clarify this otherwise confusing period. Unlike any other edition of the Hellenika, it also includes the relevant texts of Diodorus Siculus and the Oxyrhynchus Historian, with explanatory footnotes and a table that correlates passages of the three works, which is perhaps crucial to an assessment of Xenophon’s reliability and quality as a historian. Like the two Landmark editions that precede it, The Landmark Xenophon’s Hellenika is the most readable and comprehensive edition available of an essential history.

Download or read book Battle Descriptions as Literary Texts written by Johanna Luggin and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-02-14 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Battle descriptions are usually seen as the raw material of the military historian, who uses them to explain why generals won or lost a given battle. This volume does not aim to contribute to this discussion; it rather approaches battle descriptions as literary texts that interact with the expectations of a given audience. Therefore literary traditions in structure, vocabulary and topics of battle descriptions should be explored. The transgression of genre-borders – also literary and fictional texts are included – and a broad comparative approach, combining evidence from the third millennium BC up to the 20th century AD, makes cultural specifics and differences more easily perceivable. Contents With contributions by Marcos Such-Guttiérrez, Pavel Čech, Hilmar Klinkott, Wolfgang Oswald, Kai Ruffing, Oliver Stoll, Martin M. Bauer, Reinhold Bichler, Christian Mileta, Simon Lentzsch, Sven Günther, Dennis Pulina, Johanna Luggin, Sonjar Koroliov, Magdalena Gronau and Martin Gronau. The Editors Dr. Johanna Luggin is a post-doc researcher in the ERC-funded project “NOSCEMUS – Nova Scientia: Early Modern Science and Latin” in Innsbruck, Austria. Dr. Sebastian Fink is a postdoctoral researcher at the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence “Changes in Sacred Texts and Traditions”.

Download or read book Sparta and Lakonia written by Paul Cartledge and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this fully revised and updated edition of his groundbreaking study, Paul Cartledge uncovers the realities behind the potent myth of Sparta. The book explores both the city-state of Sparta and the territory of Lakonia which it unified and exploited. Combining the more traditional written sources with archaeological and environmental perspectives, its coverage extends from the apogee of Mycenaean culture, to Sparta's crucial defeat at the battle of Mantinea in 362 BC.

Download or read book Xenophon and Sparta written by Anton Powell and published by Classical Press of Wales. This book was released on 2020-03-01 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Xenophon has for long, and understandably, enjoyed a privileged position as a reliable source on Sparta. Commander of a grand military expedition of Sparta's devising, and a dependent of Sparta's influential king Agesilaos, Xenophon knew Sparta from the inside, and - as himself an Athenian in exile - was well placed to comment on Sparta's difference. The simplicity of his Greek style has a perfume of honesty. And yet... Recent research has with increasing force called into doubt Xenophon's motives and truthfulness - especially as regards Sparta. Analysis of his Hellenica reveals much evasion and euphemism about Sparta's failings - complicated by occasional outbursts against the iniquity of Spartan imperialism. His euphemistic Constitution of the Lakedaimonians (itself containing such an outburst), and his near-hagiography of the dead Agesilaos, have variously evoked trust and suspicion in historians. This book, by a distinguished team of specialists in Spartan history, is the first of a short series from CPW, approaching Spartan reality by way of close analysis of our main contemporary Greek sources: their access, their biases, the literary structure and the genre of their works.

Download or read book Aegean Greece in the Fourth Century BC written by John Buckler and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2003-07-01 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book covers the political, diplomatic, and military history of the Aegean Greeks of the fourth century BC, raising new questions and delving into old disputes and controversies. It includes their power struggles, the Persian involvement in their affairs, and the ultimate Macedonian triumph over Greece. It deals with the political concept of federalism and its relations to the ideal of the polis. The volume concludes with the triumph of Macedonian monarchy over the polis. In dealing with the great public issues of fourth-century Greece, the approach to them includes a combination of sources. The usual literary and archaeological information forms the essential foundation for the topographical examination of every major site mentioned in the text. Numismatic evidence likewise finds its place here.

Download or read book Sparta written by Stephen Hodkinson and published by Classical Press of Wales. This book was released on 2009-12-31 with total page 534 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Both in antiquity and in modern scholarship, classical Sparta has typically been viewed as an exceptional society, different in many respects from other Greek city-states. This view has recently come under challenge from revisionist historians, led by Stephen Hodkinson. This is the first book devoted explicitly to this lively historical controversy. Historians from Britain, Europe and the USA present different sides of the argument, using a variety of comparative approaches. The focus includes kingship and hegemonic structures, education and commensality, religious institutions and practice, helotage and ethnography. The volume concludes with a wide-ranging debate between Hodkinson and Mogens Herman Hansen (Director of the Copenhagen Polis Centre), on the overall question of whether Sparta was a normal or an exceptional polis.

Download or read book Sparta Unfit for Empire written by Godfrey Hutchinson and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2014-11-17 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The end of the Peloponnesian War saw Sparta emerge as the dominant power in the Greek world. Had she used this position wisely her hegemony might have been secure. As it was, she embarked on actions that her former allies, Thebes and Korinth, refused to support. The rise of Thebes as a threatening power to Sparta's control of Greece was largely the result of the brilliant exploits of Epaminondas and Pelopidas whose obvious examination of Spartan tactics allowed them to provide counters to them. ??While noting the political issues, Godfrey Hutchinson's focus is upon the strategic and tactical elements of warfare in a period almost wholly coinciding with the reign of the brilliant commander, Agesilaos, one of the joint kings of Sparta, who, astonishingly, campaigned successfully into his eighties.

Download or read book Sparta s Kings written by John Carr and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2012-12-19 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In ancient Greece, Sparta was unique in having a dual kingship two kings from different clans, the Agiads and the Eurypontids, reigning simultaneously. The institution was already well-developed by the 8th century BC, when Theopompos of the Eurypontid clan emerges as the first recorded Spartan king. At least fifty-seven men held office as Spartan king between Theopompos and the Agiad Kleomenes III who died in 222 BC. For almost all this period the Spartan kingship was primarily a military office, and thus the kings embody much of the military history of Sparta. Wherever Spartas main battles took place, there the kings were. Naturally, the character of the particular king would often determine the outcome of a battle or campaign. Leonidas I at Thermopylai was one example. At the other end of the scale the young and unwar-like Pleistoanax twice declined an encounter with the Athenians when sent against that city.John Carr offers a chronological account of the kings and their accomplishments (or lack thereof), from the founding Herakleidai clan to Kleomenes III and his successor, the dictator Nabis, and the Roman conquest in the middle of the 2nd century BC. The book is not intended to be a complete history of Sparta. It will be a human interest and war story, focusing attention on the kings personal qualities as well as their (or their generals) military accomplishments and, where applicable, their politics as well.

Download or read book Property and Wealth in Classical Sparta written by Stephen Hodkinson and published by Classical Press of Wales. This book was released on 2009-12-31 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The standard image of Sparta is of an egalitarian, military society which disdained material possessions. Yet property and wealth played a critical role in her history. Classical Sparta's success rested upon a compromise between rich and poor citizens. Economic differences were masked by a uniform lifestyle and a communal sharing of resources. Over time, however, increasing inequalities led to a plutocratic society and to the decline of Spartan power. Using an innovative combination of historical, archaeological and sociological methods, Stephen Hodkinson challenges traditional views of Sparta's isolation from general Greek culture. This volume is the first major monograph-length discussion of a subject on which the author is recognised as the leading international authority.

Download or read book Persian Interventions written by John O. Hyland and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2017-12-21 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Persia’s relations with Greek city-states provide a fascinating case study in ancient imperialism. Thirty years after Xerxes invaded Greece, the Achaemenid Persian Empire ended its long war with Athens. For the next four decades, the Persians tolerated Athenian control of their former tributaries, the Ionian Greek cities of western Anatolia. But during the Peloponnesian War, Persia reclaimed Ionia and funded a Spartan fleet to overthrow Athenian power. It took eight long years for Persia to triumph, and Sparta then turned on its benefactors, prompting Persia to transfer aid to Athens in the Corinthian War. The peace of 386 reiterated imperial control of Ionia and compelled both Sparta and Athens to endorse a Persian promise of autonomy for Greeks outside Asia. In Persian Interventions, John O. Hyland challenges earlier studies that assume Persia played Athens against Sparta in a defensive balancing act. He argues instead for a new interpretation of Persian imperialism, one involving long-term efforts to extend diplomatic and economic patronage over Greek clients beyond the northwestern frontier. Achaemenid kings, he asserts, were less interested in Ionia for its own sake than in the accumulation of influence over Athens, Sparta, or both, which allowed them to advertise Persia’s claim to universal power while limiting the necessity of direct military commitment. The slow pace of intervention resulted from logistical constraints and occasional diplomatic blunders, rather than long-term plans to balance and undermine dangerous allies. Persian Interventions examines this critical period in unprecedented depth, providing valuable new insights for the study of Achaemenid Persia and classical Greece. Its conclusions will interest not only specialists in both fields but also students of ancient and modern comparative historical imperialism.

Download or read book Hellenika II 3 11 IV 2 8 written by Jenofonte and published by Aris and Phillips Classical Te. This book was released on 1995 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "It is the best of Xenophon, it is the worst of Xenophon. Readers looking for a carefully researched, well balanced, and reliable narrative of Greek affairs from 404 to 395 (BC) will be disappointed"- the author. The second part of the Hellenika, covering the decade after the end of the Peloponnesian War, is Xenophon at his best. It unfolds in a series of discrete, often dramatic, episodes: The Thirty at Athens, the campaigns of Thibron and Derkylidas in Asia Minor, the Spartan War against Elis, the accession of King Agesilaos, the conspiracy of Kinadon, the campaigns of Agesilaos in Asia Minor, the outbreak of war against Sparta in Greece, and Agesilaos' recall. It includes several of Xenophon's best speeches, some of his wittiest dialogue, and several choice turns of phrase. This edition follows the pattern of the Hellenika III.3.10 (Warminster 1989). The commentary tries both to interpret the text and to assess its historical accuracy. Throughout Krentz uses the rest of Xenophon's works to throw light on the Hellenika. Greek Text with facing-page translation.

Download or read book The Spartan and Theban Supremacies written by Charles Sankey and published by . This book was released on 1888 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Companion to Sparta written by Anton Powell and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2017-10-18 with total page 839 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Companion to Sparta umfasst zwei Bände und präsentiert erstmals umfassend Essays unterschiedlichster Autoren über sämtliche Aspekte der Geschichte und Gesellschaft Spartas, von den Anfängen in den Dunklen Jahrhunderten Griechenlands bis zum Römischen Kaiserreich. - Bietet eine klare und umfassende Einführung in sämtliche Aspekte von Sparta als eine Gemeinschaft, die von Städten aus dieser Zeit als eine der einflussreichsten Mächte im klassischen Griechenland angesehen wurde. - Präsentiert ausführlich die Geschichte und Kultur Spartas in Beiträgen internationaler Autoren, darunter nahezu alle Experten und Wissenschaftler des Fachgebiets. - Enthält über ein Dutzend Abbildungen zur Kunst Spartas, die die Entwicklung des alltäglichen Lebens in Sparta zeigen. - Beleuchtet die heutige Kontroverse über Veränderungen in der Gesellschaft Spartas, von der archaischen bis zur klassischen Periode, aus einem neuen Blickwinkel.

Download or read book In Praise of Greek Athletes written by Peter J. Miller and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2024-05-09 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In ancient Greece both epinikian songs and inscribed epigrams were regularly composed to celebrate victory at athletic festivals. For the first time this book offers an integrated approach to both genres. It focuses on the ultimate source of information about athletic victory, the angelia or herald's proclamation. By examining the ways in which the proclamation was modified and elaborated in epinikian song and inscribed epigram, Peter Miller demonstrates the shared features of both genres and their differences. Through a comprehensive analysis of the metaphor of the herald across the corpus, he argues that it persists across form, medium, and genre from the Archaic to the Hellenistic period, and also provides a rich array of close readings that illuminate key parts of the praise of athletes. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.

Download or read book The Spartan Army written by J. F. Lazenby and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2012 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For at least two centuries the Spartan army was the most formidable war machine in Greece; the purpose of this book is to show the reasons for this. Professor Lazenby looks first at the composition, training and organization of the army, tracing its roots back to the eighth century BC. The second part analyses some of the main campaigns - Thermopylae, Plataea, Sphakteria, Mantineia, The Nemea, Koroneia, Lechaion and Leuktra. The final part continues the story to the end of Greek independence. Since this book was first written over 25 years ago, novels, computer games and films such as 300 have raised interest in the Spartan military to new heights. The return to print of this excellent study is sure to interest academics and more general readers alike.