Ebook: A companion to Sparta

Home to perhaps the most celebrated warrior elite the world has ever known, few societies have left a more enduring legacy than the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta. A Companion to Sparta gives readers a unique and immersive look at this incredible society and its effect on the world. In this two-volume collection, authors combine cutting-edge research and innovative insights of their own with accessible surveys of recent scholarship on Sparta's archaeology and history-from its mist-shrouded origins in the Greek Dark Ages following the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization to the waning days of the late Roman Empire.;Along with coverage of the full evolutionary sweep of classical Sparta's politics and warfare, essays highlight cultural topics such as Sparta's distinctive systems of education and religion, athletics, music, plastic art, and vase-painting; as well as its influence on the modern world and reception in Europe and North America. Of particular note are chapters addressing such themes as the unique roles of women, state-owned Helots, and perioikoi (free, yet non-citizen inhabitants) in ancient Spartan society.;Anton Powell is Director of the Classical Press of Wales, and an internationally recognized authority on Sparta, Athens, and the Roman Revolution. He founded the International Sparta Seminar, and co-edited a succession of collective volumes which have contributed to the revival and reshaping of Spartan studies. --Book Jacket.;Machine generated contents note: Notes on Contributors -- Foreword -- Preface / Paul Cartledge -- Part I Reconstructing Sparta: General / Paul Cartledge -- 1. Sparta: Reconstructing History from Secrecy, Lies and Myth / Paul Cartledge -- 2. Sparta: An Exceptional Domination of State over Society? / Anton Powell -- Part II Origins: From Pre-Classical to Classical Culture / Stephen Hodkinson -- 3. An Archaeology of Ancient Sparta with Reference to Laconia and Messenia / Stephen Hodkinson -- 4. Lykourgos the Spartan "Lawgiver": Ancient Beliefs and Modern Scholarship / William Cavanagh -- 5. Laconian Pottery / Massimo Nafissi -- 6. Laconian Art / Maria Pipili -- Translated by James Roy / Francise Prost -- 7. Pre-Classical Sparta as Song Culture / Francise Prost -- Translated by James Roy / Claude Calame -- 8. Luxury, Austerity and Equality in Sparta / Claude Calame -- 9. The Common Messes / Hans van Wees;Sheds new light on modern controversy relating to changes in Spartan society from the Archaic to Classical periods;Features in-depth coverage of Spartan history and culture;Offers a lucid, comprehensive introduction to all aspects of ancient Sparta, a community recognized by contemporary cities as the greatest power in classical Greece;Note continued: 20. Spartan Education in the Classical Period / Ellen G. Millender -- Translated by Anton Powell / Nicolas Richer -- 21. Sparta and Athletics / Nicolas Richer -- 22. Helotage and the Spartan Economy / Paul Christesen -- 23. The Perioikoi / Thomas Figueira -- Translated by Anton Powell / Jean Ducat -- 24. Roads and Quarries in Laconia / Jean Ducat -- Translated by Christopher Annandale and Anton Powell / Jacqueline Christien -- 25. Spartan Cultural Memory in the Roman Period / Jacqueline Christien -- Part V Reception of Sparta in Recent Centuries / Nigel M. Kennell -- 26. The Literary Reception of Sparta in France / Nigel M. Kennell -- 27. Reception of Sparta in Germany and German-Speaking Europe / Haydn Mason -- 28. Reception of Sparta in North America: Eighteenth to Twenty-First Centuries / Stefan Rebenich -- 29. Sparta and the Imperial Schools of Britain: Comparisons / Sean R. Jensen.;Provides over a dozen images of Spartan art that reveal the evolution of everyday life in Sparta;Note continued: Part III Political and Military History: The Classical Period and Beyond / Hans van Wees -- 10. Sparta and the Persian Wars, 499-478 / Hans van Wees -- 11. Sparta's Foreign -- and Internal -- History, 478-403 / Marcello Lupi -- 12. The Empire of the Spartans (404-371) / Anton Powell -- Translated by Anton Powell / Francoise Ruzi -- 13. Sparta and the Peloponnese from the Archaic Period to 362 BC / Francoise Ruzi -- 14. From Leuktra to Nabis, 371-192 / James Roy -- 15. Sparta in the Roman Period / Daniel Stewart -- Translated by Anton Powell / Yves Lafond -- Notes on Contributors / Yves Lafond -- Part IV Culture, Society and Economy: The Classical Period and Beyond / Yves Lafond -- 16. Spartan Religion / Yves Lafond -- 17. Kingship: The History, Power, and Prerogatives of the Spartans' Divine' Dyarchy / Michael A. Flower -- 18. Equality and Distinction within the Spartiate Community / Ellen G. Millender -- 19. Spartan Women / Philip Davies